Open-access means that we don't put limits on the involved artists; it means that we don't require complete works with all the bells and whistles. Open access is our way of inviting students to take risks and present whatever they so desire - from installations to fully realised performances.

Although we limit applications to those from within the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, we don’t place limits on who can be involved in a MUSE event. What this means is that even though you need to be a student of Uni Melb’s Southbank Campus to apply, you can bring in artists from elsewhere to be involved (they’ll just need to sign a form first !)

MUSE has always been described as a low-stakes festival, and that’s not something we want to change.

When we say “low-stakes”, we mean that we’re encouraging you to be messy, and to create and experiment with your practice. We want to drive home that MUSE is a space to take risks, because we’ve removed the risk that will come when we enter the working world.

That being said though, we don’t want to confuse “low-stakes” with “low-responsibility”.

Even though we’re all students, we’re treating this festival as we would a professional one, and aiming to replicate as much of a “real” festival as we can, so that everyone is as prepared as possible for when we graduate. That means that as a MUSE artist - and as a FFAM student - there are certain responsibilities we all need to uphold.

Click here to view the MUSE artist pack, and read more.

There are plenty of reasons why artists participate in MUSE. Open to public audiences, it can be an opportunity to test out new work, or experiment with your performance style.

It also provides artists with the skills they’ll need to enter the world as an independent artist, as they have to produce, design, and stage their work without the assistance of professional staff.

We also don’t limit students to their selected field, which means that MUSE is a space where you can perform across genres and disciplines, and collaborate with students from across the FFAM.

And lastly - students participate because it’s fun! When else will you be able to create whatever you like, and put it on for a crowd, without the financial risk that comes with “the real world”?

Once registrations open, all you’ll need to do is fill out our application form. If you have multiple ideas, you’ll need to submit one form per idea.

Even though it might seem too early to know some of this information, it’s important that you try fill out as much of the form as possible, so that we can make sure you and your work are programmed appropriately.

To apply for the 2025 festival, click here.