News edition for 16 October 2026. Added to Nungya on 22 October 2026 as part of our retrospective news archive. Reporting reflects information available by the edition date.

The creative work audiences eventually hear often begins with time set aside to experiment, develop and collaborate. Wiradjuri musician Zeppelin Hamilton has received a 2026 Creative Australia Fellowship to support a two-year creative residency and strengthen his international profile.

Hamilton is one of 16 artists named in the 21 September fellowship announcement. Each fellowship is worth $80,000 over up to two years, supporting established artists’ creative activity and professional development.

The cohort spans music, literature, theatre, visual arts, dance, experimental practice, community arts, First Nations arts, and arts and disability. The announced projects include new writing, choreography and translation alongside music, illustrating how many different kinds of work can begin from sustained development time.

Hamilton’s fellowship is described as an opportunity to build contemporary First Nations music on an international stage. That is the direction of the supported work, with new outcomes still ahead. For listeners, the announcement is a reason to follow his practice as it develops. For the wider arts community, it points to the importance of support that extends beyond a single performance or release and allows artists to build the work, relationships and skills behind their next chapter.