PUNQ Expressions Of Interest
This EOI is now closed. To contact about late submissions or other questions please contact [email protected].
Alongside our curated program of major site-specific works, Umbrella and PUNQ are inviting expressions of interest to propose major works for this year’s festival.
About the Festival
Festival Dates: 23 September - 11 October 2026
PUNQ is a biennial place-making festival which activates and engages with spaces, histories, and futures through art. It celebrates the distinct landscapes of North Queensland to inspire cultural exchange and reimagine expectations, transform perceptions and provide unique creative experiences for locals and visitors alike.
The festival presents immersive journeys across North Queensland on Gurambilbarra / Townsville, Yunbenun / Magnetic Island, Warrgamay, Nywaigi & Bandjin Country / Hinchinbrook and Gudjal Country / Charters Towers.
The festival elevates innovative and exciting arts and cultural practices of the region, while also providing a platform for regional artists to reach new audiences. The site-specific commissions program features major projects produced by established local, national and international artists, set in significant natural and human-made environments of the North Queensland region.
About the Site-Specific Commissions in 2026
Umbrella is inviting artists to express their interest in creating new works for the festival in 4 locations:
- Yunbenun / Magnetic Island
- Gurambilbarra / Townsville
- Warrgamay, Nywaigi & Bandjin Country / Hinchinbrook
- Gudjal Country / Charters Towers
Artists are encouraged to present ideas that respond to the histories, presents and futures of sites within these locations. All artforms are eligible. The festival is looking for high quality, innovative and critically engaged projects.
KEY INFORMATION
Umbrella will provide a fee of $8,000 to the successful applicants.
Applications will be assessed by a panel of industry peers and finalists will be invited to present their concept in a meeting with the PUNQ team.
Deadline for EOI submission: 11:59pm AEST Sunday 7 June 2026.
Should you wish to discuss your EOI prior to the submission please contact [email protected]
Umbrella will provide support to secure permission to use the site you have identified to the best of our abilities.
Application tips
- Firstly, draft your application in a Word Processor document (such as Microsoft Word, Pages or Google Docs) and save it. This will ensure that you have it as a back up if there is a glitch with your computer or the online form.
- Ensure all fields of the form marked with asterisks * are completed - these are mandatory fields and your application will not submit without them.
- Proofread your application and get a colleague or friend to read through it. Does it make sense to them?
PUNQ 2026 Major-Site Commissions Application
Michael Pope, Reefsiren and Mark Roth, The Watcher, Projection installation and time-based audio-visual media. PUNQ 2024 Commission. Photograph Daniel Qualischefski.
Wulgurukaba Walkabouts performing at the PUNQ 2024 opening event, Gundil Released by Big Eye Theatre and Wulgurukaba Walkabouts. PUNQ 2024 Commission. Photograph: Nicole Zicchino.
Gail Mabo, Indentured, 2024, Public installation. PUNQ 2024 Commission. Photograph: Rikaela Rusch.
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Jill Chism, Preserve/Conserve - Invocation #3: Openness - Going with the flow, 2021, Ephemeral salt-printing performance in situ Cape Pallarenda on Wulgurukaba & Bindal Country (Townsville). PUNQ 2021 Commission. Photograph: Aaron Ashley
Jenny Mulcahy, The Mark, 2021, Painted timber and rope, in situ on Yunbenun (Magnetic Island). PUNQ 2021 Commission. Photograph: Aaron Ashley.
David Rowe, Site #272, Installation in situ in the cane field. PUNQ 2021 Commission. Photograph: Gav Rossetti.
Dancenorth, World Interior, Performance. PUNQ 2021 commission. Photograph: Aaron Ashley.
Alison McDonald, After, 2021, laser cut parquetry in situ. PUNQ 2021 Commission. Photograph: Aaron Ashley
Open Hours
Tues - Fri: 9am-5pm
Sat - Sun: 9am-1pm
Gallery closed Mondays, public holidays and during exhibition install weeks.
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Contact
408 Flinders Street,
Gurambilbarra / Townsville,
Qld, 4810 Australia
PO Box 2394,
Gurambilbarra / Townsville,
Qld, 4810 Australia
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Acknowledgement of Country
Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts respectfully acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun and the surrounding groups of our region - Bindal, Gugu Badhun, Nywaigi, Warrgamay, Bandjin and Gudjal - as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, share and celebrate local creative practice. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first people of Australia. They have never ceded sovereignty and remain strong in their enduring connection to land and Culture.
Umbrella is a Member & Signatory of the Indigenous Art Code. This means we are committed to fair and ethical trade with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, and transparency in the promotion and sale of artwork. As a Dealer Member and signatory to the Code we must act fairly, honestly, professionally and in good conscience in all direct or indirect dealings with artists.
Help Us Elevate Regional Artists
We champion artists, amplifying their distinctive and authentic voices. We are an inclusive platform for independent, experimental, contemporary arts practice in local, national, and international arts landscapes. We have a 39 year history of connecting artists and audiences and we couldn't do it without your support.
Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts is registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) with the Australian Taxation Office. Donations to Umbrella are tax deductible for amounts of $2 or more. Click here to donate.
Acknowledgements
Umbrella is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Education, and the Visual Art, Craft and Design Framework, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments. | Umbrella is supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and receives funding from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. | Townsville City Council is a funding partner of Umbrella's program. | Vetta Creative is Umbrella's fortieth anniversary creative partner.
