Two Australian architects have been announced as recipients of the 2025 Marten Bequest Scholarship, a program that supports young artists to undertake research in their field of expertise through interstate and international travel.
Architects Nicole Larkin from New South Wales and Lauren Crockett from Victoria, along with five professionals from other creative disciplines, have been awarded travelling scholarships worth $50,000 each.
Larkin is a registered architect and principal of Nicole Larkin Coastal Architecture and Design in the Illawarra on Dharawal land. Best known for her research project, The Wild Edge: A Survey of Ocean Pools in NSW, Nicole is an awarded and published architect with a practice focusing on Coastal Design and Planning in Australia.
Crockett is an architect, educator and researcher whose practice centres on materiality, sensory design and spatial culture. She has contributed to civic, educational and public space projects as an associate at Sibling Architecture, as well as taught design studios at RMIT University focusing on material literacy, sensory engagement and low-carbon futures.
With the support of the grant, Larkin will undertake travel-based research to investigate the challenges facing Australia's coastline and explore innovative international projects that grapple with sea level rise.
"The pull of the ocean has a strong effect on Australians. More than 80 percent of us live on the edge of the continent. The fellowship is a chance to be at the forefront of adaptive design and development for our coast in the face of sea live rise - and, in the case of NSW, east coast lows," said Larkin.
The Marten Bequest Scholarship will take Crockett across Europe to undertake an intensive period of research and professional development. Her project will explore how architecture can transition from extractive, disposable models toward regenerative practices that prioritise material life cycles, stewardship and collective care.
"Receiving the Marten Bequest has given me a rare chance to pause and reflect on the kind of architect I want to be, and the future I hope to contribute to. This project allows me to work more closely with materials, communities, and construction itself, to better understand how we might build in ways that are able to endure over time. I'm deeply grateful to Creative Australia for this opportunity," said Crockett.
The Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships is a charitable trust established through the will of the late John Chisholm Marten (1908-1966). Marten, a passionate advocate of the arts, established the scholarships to provide financial assistance to young Australian artists for travel-based research, enabling them to deepen their practice and advance their careers.
In 2025, the Marten Bequest Scholarships provided financial support to creative professionals in the fields of architecture, ballet, prose, sculpture and singing. In 2026, the scholarships will support professionals in acting, instrumental music, painting and poetry disciplines.
