Tell your story your way!
PWDA invites LGBTQIA+ people with disability to share their stories as part of our Community Attitudes project — a national awareness and education program focused on building inclusion in workplaces and communities.
We are looking for creative, real stories that reflect the diversity of our community and challenge stigma and discrimination.
Who is running the competition?
The competition is run by People with Disability Australia (PWDA).
Who can enter?
You can enter if you:
- Identify as LGBTQIA+ person with disability
- Live in Australia
- Are 18 years or older when the competition opens
- Are entering as an individual (not on behalf of an organisation)
- PWDA employees cannot enter.
Competition dates
- Opens: 1 September 2026 at 12.00 am AEST
- Closes: 25 October 2026 at 11:59pm AEST
- Late entries will not be accepted
What do I need to submit?
Create an original piece of creative work about your experience as an LGBTQIA+ person with disability.
Your work can be:
- Written story this includes things like a story, article, blog, letter or lyrics
- Video – speaking to camera, an interview, short film, animation or a collection of clips
- Artwork – 2 Dimensional – a drawing, painting, illustration, collage or digital artwork
- Artwork – 3 Dimensional – this includes things like a sculpture or pottery
- Music or song – an original song or musical piece
- Audio – a voice recording, podcast-style story or audio diary
- Poetry – a written or recorded poem
- Performance recording – spoken word, dance, theatre or another creative performance
- Mixed media – combining writing, photos, artwork, audio or video
- Comic or graphic story – using illustrations, images and text
- Auslan video – telling a story in Auslan
- Other creative formats!
What are the prizes?
- First Prize – AUD $2,500
- Second Prize – AUD $2,000
- Third Prize – AUD $1,500
- People’s Choice Prize – AUD $1,500
Prizes will be paid directly to your nominated bank account.
The People’s Choice winner is selected through a public vote.
The winners of First, Second and Third Prize cannot also win the People’s Choice Prize.
When will winners be notified?
- First, Second and Third Prize winners: by 16 November 2026
- People’s Choice winner: by 1 December 2026
- If a winner cannot be contacted or does not accept their prize within 7 days, another eligible entrant may be selected.
What happens to my artwork?
You still own your artwork and copyright.
However, by entering, you give PWDA permission to:
- Display your work
- Publish it online or in print
- Include it in exhibitions and events
- Use it to promote the competition and PWDA’s work
This permission is ongoing and royalty-free, meaning you will not be paid additional fees if PWDA uses your work for these purposes. PWDA will credit you as the creator.
Please review the full terms and conditions before submitting your entry.
Submit your entry
*Means a required field.
Want to learn more about Community Attitudes?
Visit the Community Attitudes project page on our website.
Contact Us
For enquiries please contact PWDA at projects@pwd.org.au or on 1800 422 015.
1. Promoter
1.1 The promoter of this Competition is People with Disability Australia (PWDA and the Promoter) (ABN 98 879 981 198) of Suite 10.01, Centennial Plaza, Level 10, 300 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010, Australia.
2. Competition
2.1 The Competition is a game of skill.
2.2 Chance plays no part in determining the Prize Winners.
2.3 By entering the Competition, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
2.4 The Promoter may, in its absolute discretion, refuse to award any Prize to any entrant who fails to comply with these Terms and Conditions.
3. Eligibility
3.1 Entry is open to individuals who:
3.1.1 identify as LGBTQIA+;
3.1.2 identify as a person with disability;
3.1.3 are residents of Australia; and
3.1.4 are 18 years of age or older at the commencement of the Competition Period.
3.2 Entries must be submitted by individuals and not organisations.
3.3 Employees of the Promoter are not eligible to enter the Competition.
4. Competition Period
4.1 The Competition opens at 12.00 am (AEST) on Tuesday, 1 September 2026 and closes at 11.59 pm (AEST) on Sunday, 25 October 2026 (Competition Period).
4.2 Entries received after the end of the Competition Period will not be considered.
5. How to Enter
6. To enter, entrants must:
6.1.1 Create and submit an original creative work (in any media: text, video, photography or audio) about your lived experience as a LGBTQIA+ person with disability (“Work”)
6.1.2 submit your Work via the website at https://pwd.org.au/projects/community-attitudes-project/ (“Website”);
6.1.3 or by post to Suite 10.01, Centennial Plaza, Level 10, 300 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010, Australia Attn: PWDA;
6.1.4 or by email to projects@pwd.org.au.
6.2 An entrant may submit multiple entries. Each entry must be submitted separately and comply with these Terms and Conditions.
6.3 An entrant may only win one prize.
7. Entry Requirements
7.1 Each entry must include the following or it will be deemed invalid:
7.1.1 your name, postcode, date of birth and email address, and;
7.1.2 provide a description of your art including how it represents your experience as a LGBTQIA+ person with disability
7.1.3 details about any generative AI tools that have been used in the preparation of the entry (for example the use of ChatGPT), noting that generative AI tools may only be used in an incidental or supporting capacity and must not generate the predominant creative expression embodied in the Work.
8. Content Standards
8.1 Entries may address sensitive or challenging subject matter. Where an entry contains content that may reasonably be distressing or confronting to others, entrants should provide an appropriate content warning or other information about the nature of the content.
8.2 The Promoter may, in its absolute discretion, refuse to accept or remove any entry that it considers to be unlawful, defamatory, discriminatory, threatening, abusive, hateful, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate, or that is inconsistent with the purpose of the Competition.
9. Judging
9.1 Eligible entries will be judged by a panel appointed by the Promoter. The Judging panel will comprise at least 4 individuals who have lived experience of LGBTQIA+ identity and disability. The members of the panel will be publicly identified by the Promoter.
9.2 Entries will be assessed on the basis of:
9.2.1 creativity and originality;
9.2.2 artistic quality;
9.2.3 clarity of expression/storytelling of the entrant’s lived experience as a LGBTQIA+ person with disability; and
9.2.4 overall impact.
9.3 Chance plays no part in determining the Prize Winners. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. Prizes
10.1 The following prizes will be awarded in the Competition:
10.1.1 First Prize – AUD $2,500;
10.1.2 Second Prize – AUD $2,000;
10.1.3 Third Prize – AUD $1,500; and
10.1.4 People’s Choice Prize – AUD $1,500.
10.2 The first, second and third prizes will be awarded by the judging panel to the entries that best satisfy the judging criteria set out in clause 8.
10.3 The People’s Choice Prize will be awarded to the eligible entry receiving the highest number of valid votes in the People’s Choice vote conducted by the Promoter.
10.4 The recipients of the first, second and third prizes are not eligible to receive the People’s Choice Prize.
10.5 The People’s Choice vote will be conducted online and will be open to members of the public during the period notified by the Promoter.
10.6 The Promoter may disregard any votes that it reasonably considers to be fraudulent, automated or otherwise inconsistent with the fair operation of the Competition.
10.7 Each prize will be awarded by electronic funds transfer (EFT) to the winner’s nominated Australian bank account.
10.8 The judging panel may, in its discretion, decide not to award one or more prizes if it considers that no eligible entry is of sufficient merit.
11. Winner Notification
11.1 The recipients of the First Prize, Second Prize and Third Prize will be notified by email or telephone on or before 16 November 2026.
11.2 The recipient of the People’s Choice Prize will be notified by email or telephone on or before 1 December 2026.
11.3 If a prize winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, or does not accept the prize within [7] days of being notified, the Promoter may award the relevant prize to the next highest-ranked eligible entrant or, in the case of the People’s Choice Prize, the eligible entrant with the next highest number of valid votes.
11.4 The Promoter may publish the names of the prize winners and their winning Works on the Website, through the Promoter’s social media channels and at the International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD) event.
12. Licence to Use Entries
12.1 By submitting a Work, each entrant grants to the Promoter and its licensees a perpetual non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to reproduce, communicate, exhibit, publish and otherwise use the Work in connection with:
12.1.1 administering the Competition;
12.1.2 exhibiting or displaying the Work, including through PWDA’s digital gallery and at PWDA International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD) Event in Sydney, and PWDA’s activities;
12.1.3 promoting the Competition; and
12.1.4 promoting PWDA and its activities, in any media, including online, in print and on PWDA’s digital and social media platforms.
12.2 The Promoter is under no obligation to publish, exhibit or otherwise use any Work.
13. Intellectual Property and Moral Rights
13.1 Subject to the licence granted under clause 11, each entrant retains ownership of all intellectual property rights, including copyright, in their Work.
13.2 Each entrant warrants that:
13.2.1 they own, or have obtained all necessary rights to use, all material comprised in the Work;
13.2.2 the Work does not infringe the intellectual property rights or other rights of any third party; and
13.2.3 the entrant has the authority to grant the licence set out in clause 11.
13.3 The Promoter will use reasonable efforts to acknowledge the creator of a Work whenever it is reproduced or exhibited.
13.4 Each entrant consents to the Promoter doing any act or omission in relation to the Work that may otherwise infringe the entrant’s moral rights, provided the act or omission is reasonable and for a purpose contemplated by these Terms and Conditions, including:
13.4.1 resizing, cropping or formatting the Work;
13.4.2 making adaptations necessary for accessibility, publication or exhibition;
13.4.3 reproducing the Work in different media or formats; and
13.4.4 publishing the Work together with the Promoter’s branding or other promotional material.
14. Privacy
14.1 The Promoter will collect and use entrants’ personal information for the purposes of:
14.1.1 administering the Competition;
14.1.2 verifying entrants’ eligibility;
14.1.3 communicating with entrants in relation to the Competition;
14.1.4 judging entries and awarding prizes;
14.1.5 exhibiting and promoting entries in accordance with these Terms and Conditions; and
14.1.6 otherwise conducting and promoting the Competition.
14.2 The Promoter may disclose entrants’ personal information to its employees, contractors, service providers and professional advisers where reasonably necessary for the purposes described in clause 13.1.
14.3 The Promoter will handle personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy, available at [insert hyperlink].
14.4 By entering the Competition, entrants consent to the Promoter collecting, using and disclosing their personal information in accordance with these Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy.
15. Warranties
15.1 By entering the Competition, each entrant warrants that:
15.1.1 the information provided by the entrant is true, complete and accurate;
15.1.2 the Work is the entrant’s original work, except to the extent any third party material has been lawfully incorporated into the Work;
15.1.3 the entrant owns, or has obtained all necessary rights to use, all material comprised in the Work and to grant the licence set out in clause [11];
15.1.4 the Work does not infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights or other rights of any person;
15.1.5 the Work does not contain any material that is unlawful, defamatory, misleading, deceptive, discriminatory, hateful or otherwise inappropriate;
15.1.6 any use of generative artificial intelligence tools in preparing the Work complies with clause 6; and
15.1.7 the Work otherwise complies with these Terms and Conditions.
15.2 Each entrant indemnifies the Promoter against any loss, damage, liability, cost or expense suffered or incurred by the Promoter arising from a breach of the warranties in clause 14.1.
16. Disqualification
16.1 The Promoter may, in its reasonable discretion, disqualify an entrant or refuse to accept an entry if the Promoter reasonably believes that:
16.1.1 the entrant has breached these Terms and Conditions;
16.1.2 the entry is incomplete, misleading or otherwise invalid;
16.1.3 the entry does not comply with the Entry Requirements or Content Standards;
16.1.4 the entrant has engaged in conduct that compromises, or is likely to compromise, the fair conduct of the Competition; or
16.1.5 the entrant has provided false or misleading information in connection with the Competition.
17. Liability
17.1 Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes, restricts or modifies any rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified.
17.2 To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Promoter is not liable for any loss, damage, liability, cost or expense arising out of or in connection with:
17.2.1 participation in the Competition;
17.2.2 the submission, loss, delay, damage or corruption of any entry;
17.2.3 any technical malfunction, interruption or failure affecting the Competition; or
17.2.4 the acceptance or use of any prize.
17.3 The Promoter is not responsible for any loss of or damage to a Work during transit to or from the Promoter, except to the extent caused by the Promoter’s negligence.
18. General
18.1 By entering the Competition, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
18.2 The Promoter may cancel, suspend or amend the Competition or these Terms and Conditions where reasonably necessary, including where the Competition cannot be conducted as planned or to comply with applicable laws.
18.3 If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
18.4 These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia, and the parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales.