Skip Ahead

Applicants and projects must Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade, any general eligibility or other requirements listed on the agency’s website (see Information for Applicants and Information for Recipients), as well as the specific eligibility criteria set out in these guidelines.

Specific requirements apply to projects which involve First Nations community participation or content.

Specific requirements may apply to projects which involve community participation or content with the following communities: d/Deaf, disabled, culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTQIA+, or those from other under-represented groups.

Applicants can apply as a company or in certain circumstances, an individual* (either alone or as part of a team). To be eligible, the applicant must:

• be an incorporated company carrying on business in Australia, with its central management and control in Australia;
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN);
• be registered for the purposes of GST if required by law;
• control the rights necessary to carry out the project, meaning that it must have clear chain of title and must generally be party to any underlying rights agreements;
• maintain and retain control of self-distributing the project and taking it to audience on YouTube or YouTube Kids; and
• be the original content creator or team responsible for one of the following:
  • a current YouTube channel with at least 25,000 subscribers; OR
  • a maximum of two current YouTube channels with a combined subscriber base of 40,000; OR
  • a YouTube video which has achieved a minimum of 1 million views on a Youtube channel which has a subscriber base of at least 10,000.

Applicants must meet at least one of the requirements listed above to be eligible.

*Applications will be accepted from eligible individuals (sole traders) that are Australian citizens or permanent residents (holding a permanent visa), who are over the age of 18 and have an ABN. However, if successful, the applicant must incorporate as a company before contracting with Screen Australia for production funding.

Genuine collaborations between a YouTube content creator(s) and established producers, production companies and/or entertainment properties are encouraged and may strengthen an application.

Successful applicants must be available 28 – 30 July 2026 to attend the in-person workshop in Sydney.  Please note dates are subject to change.

The channel’s creator(s) must also be part of the key creative team for the project and be an in-person attendee at the workshop.

For full eligibility information, including information about ineligible entities, project eligibility, and additional eligibility criteria, please refer to the attached guidelines.

Through the application form, applicants must:

• provide all the information requested and answer the application questions;
• address all eligibility criteria and assessment criteria; and
• include all required supporting materials.

Where there is First Nations participation or content involved in the project, applicants should provide:

• a statement setting out how they are approaching the First Nations content or participation with regard to appropriate protocols, even if the content is not specific to a particular community or individual. Applicants must demonstrate that they have a consultation plan covering the full production process and are following it. The statement should be based on the checklists available in Screen Australia’s guide Pathways & Protocols: a filmmaker’s guide to working with Indigenous people, culture and concepts;
• evidence of consultation to date; and
• if the project will involve First Nations individuals or communities, signed letters of consent confirming their willingness to participate.

For full details on the application process, including required materials, please refer to the attached guidelines.

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

Creativity (25%):

• The creative strength and distinctiveness of the proposal, including the concept and entertainment value.

Audience potential (25%):

• The potential of the project to expand the subscriber base of the applicant’s channel(s) and/or reach new audiences and opportunities for commercialisation.

Viability (25%):

• The viability of the proposal with respect to the budget and scale of the project.

Team and industry skills development (25%):

• The track record of the creator(s) and key participants involved in the proposal and the likelihood that this program will demonstrably develop their skills in direct-to-audience/online content development, production and release.

Other factors may be considered including the:

• availability of funds;
• range of projects in receipt of funding from Screen Australia inclusive of a project’s budget, intended audience, genre, themes;
• range of applicants in receipt of funding from Screen Australia inclusive of applicant, company and geographic diversity;
• extent to which a project is likely to effectively amplify equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

Shortlisted applicants may be interviewed.

For full details on the assessment criteria, please refer to the attached guidelines.