The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) is calling for applications for the 2027 Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship, expanding the program to offer two recipients $50,000 each.
Made possible by a bequest from Shirley Lahey (1925–2011), the niece of Queensland artist Vida Lahey, the scholarship honours Lahey’s artistic achievements and the important role travel played in her life and work.
Offered every two years, the scholarship supports young and emerging Australian artists and young Australian art historians. It provides recipients with funding for planned international and national travel to develop their artistic practice or research and contribute to a broader understanding of Australian art.
QAGOMA Director Chris Saines CNZM says the expanded scholarship creates greater opportunities for applicants to explore their professional interests, develop their practice and research, and build artistic and professional networks.
Previous recipients include Christopher Bassi (2025), Shivanjani Lal (2023), Debbie Taylor-Worley and Kink (Tim Riley Walsh, Courtney Coombs and Callum McGrath) (2021), Valerie Keenan (2019), Sara Morawetz (2017) and Mathew Perkins (2015).
Vida Lahey (1882–1968) was known for her oil paintings and watercolours. Alongside her artistic career, she advocated for children’s art education and helped establish the Queensland Art Fund with sculptor Daphne Mayo.
The scholarship is administered and coordinated by the QAGOMA Foundation and funded through the Estate of Shirley Lahey, in memory of her aunt.
