Australia’s best up-and-coming creative practitioners have less than two weeks left to apply for the British Council’s 2010 Realise Your Dream awards to win a rare opportunity to work with industry leaders in the UK.

British Council will tap into its strong network of UK’s finest creatives to help craft a tailored professional development programme for each winner that will provide valuable networking experience and mentoring.

Currently in its eight successful year, the scheme awards excellence and vision in Australia’s creative industries by providing financial and professional support to help emerging talent make professional contacts and expand their horizons in one of the world’s most vibrant cultural settings.

The 2010 Realise Your Dream entries are open to anyone working in creative fields such as visual arts, fashion, design, advertising, architecture, music, animation, digital media, performing arts, new media and computer games.

Five awards are on offer to Australians in the early stages of their careers. They’ll each be flown to the UK by Virgin Atlantic and receive an $8,000 NAB Cash Passport from National Australia Bank to cover their expenses.

“Realise Your Dream presents a unique opportunity for young creative Australians to take their careers to the next level by forming international connections. The British Council recognises the great worth of our future cultural leaders and wants to help them reach their potential,” said British Council Director Nick Marchand.

“We’re looking for applicants with vision, talent, commitment and a passion for their craft, who will benefit from engaging with the UK’s dynamic creative industry.”

Winners from last year included performer filmmaker Mark Robinson, sound artist/composer Julian Day, designer/independent publisher Timba Smits, playwright Lally Katz and filmmaker Sascha Ettinger-Epstein.

Realise Your Dream is a British Council initiative made possible by principal sponsor NAB, in association with Virgin Group of Airlines, Stamford Hotels and Resorts, triple j, Access PR and Republic of Everyone.

Entries are online and opened Friday 23 April and close Friday 18 June 2010. Visit the Realise Your Dream website for more details: www.realiseyourdream.org.au.