THE ACT Architecture Awards will be held online for the first time this year through a live-streamed YouTube event on Friday, June 5. The awards will see 43 ACT entries vying for awards across nine categories. The most outstanding project will be awarded the Canberra Medallion. Award winners in each category will progress to the National Architecture Awards. ACT digital awards ceremony, 7-8pm, Friday, June 5.

LOOKING ahead, Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre and ACT Parks & Conservation Service have opened applications to their unusual artist-in-residence program, which features a research period at Geoscience Australia, a residency at Gudgenby ready-cut cottage in Namadgi National Park, an artist-in-residence open day in the park and a group exhibition. Submissions to craftact.org.au close at midnight, Sunday, June 14.

“FEMINARTSY” editor Zoya Patel is running an online workshop from 4-6pm on June 16 called “Pathways to Publishing”. It will cover polishing and prepping a manuscript, developing a compelling synopsis and cover letter, details of Australian agents and publishers and advice on self-marketing. Writers whose income has been affected by COVID-19 so can’t afford the enrolment fee, should email editor.feminartsy@gmail.com. Enrol at eventbrite.com.au

AINSLIE and Gorman Arts Centres are preparing a staged re-opening of facilities in line with the national cabinet and ACT government easing of restrictions. From Monday, June 1, Gorman Arts Centre will partially re-open, but Ainslie Arts Centre, where most of our community music facilities are based, will stay closed while safety upgrades take place. Current rent relief arrangements for residents will continue and program manager, Adelaide Rief will be acting CEO while Joseph Falsone takes paternity leave.

FURTHER afield, big venues overseas are facing challenges un-thought of before COVID-19. London’s Wigmore Hall has rejected the idea of widely spaced audiences for commercial and practical reasons. However, Royal Opera House boss Alex Beard is more open to it, but for one thing – “It may be that it’s tricky to have an interval because of the way people mill around loos. So we’d do one-act pieces. It may be that we can do recitals, divertissements [ballet extracts]. There’s a whole range of possibilities.”