Arts journalism is essential to a rich creative community, and each week InReview — a unique non-for-profit publishing project — provides a platform for original reporting and analysis.

Spanning the full breadth of artforms and practices, each week InReview bridges artists and audiences with local and free-to-read coverage from a pool of experienced and respected writers and critics.

But it’s a pool we are always growing, and for the past four years we have partnered with the Helpmann Academy to nurture emerging writers and voices through our 10-week Helpmann Academy InReview Mentorship.

Open to graduates from eligible programs at one of Helpmann Academy’s partner institutions, each mentee is paired with an established arts journalist to create a series of pieces exploring and responding to South Australia’s cultural landscape.

“It is difficult to break into any journalism space and, after graduating, I had no idea how I would find a way into the arts review sector,” said 2021 mentorship recipient and current InReview contributor Michelle Wakim. “The mentorship has facilitated the transition from ‘graduate’ to ‘writer’ in such a supportive way and has provided me with a solid foundation and pathway into the field.”

The successful applicant will have the opportunity to attend and review a range of creative projects, from major festivals and high-profile exhibitions to grassroots community events.

Along the way, mentees will gain valuable guidance, experience, and a portfolio of published work on InReview. Past mentees have brought a range of backgrounds and experiences and expertise to their work, from musical theatre to jazz, and have received rare hands-on experience to learn the ins and outs of cultural criticism, and to workshop and finesse their writing with our editorial team.

Musician and writer Shannon Pearce, who completed her mentorship in the first half of 2023, said: “The experience working with industry professionals and esteemed writers Samela Harris and Graham Strahle was invaluable and has undoubtedly kickstarted my writing, reviewing and media career.”

Many alumni like Shannon and Michelle have gone on to be regular contributors to InReview, and carve wider careers across the media.

2022 recipient Gianluca Noble said the mentorship provided an opportunity to build a portfolio of published work. “I learnt much about the unique role of an arts reviewer both amongst the rest of an audience, and their responsibilities to the industry broadly,” he said. “This project gave me a chance to explore wider areas of arts journalism and demystified the career path of an arts reviewer.”

Applications close on Monday April 28 at 11:59pm, with interviews to be held on Monday May 5.

The 2025 Helpmann Academy InReview Mentorship runs from Monday May 12 to Monday July 21 2025. Learn more and apply here.