​​​Nominations for the 2026 program are now open. 

CGEN provides students, teachers and school communities with the opportunity to be involved in a large-scale, award-winning event. Since its inception, the professionally produced spectacular has grown from 550 students in 2005 to a cast of over 2,000 and is nationally renowned for its outstanding and vibrant display of state school talent.

CGEN provides an opportunity for students to display and extend their talents and affiliations with professional artists beyond those ordinarily available in schools. Auditions, workshops and rehearsals will give students a taste of the performing arts industry that has put many Queenslanders on the international stage.

Opportunities exist for First Nations dancers, featured and backing vocalists, featured and massed choir, featured and massed dancers, symphony orchestra, big band, massed string orchestra, drumline, variety acts, instrumental soloists, drama students, and stage and media crew.​

New in 2026 is the special school choir category. We encourage students from Queensland state special schools to nominate and take part.

Nomination timelines

• Monday 27 October 2025 – CGEN nominations open
• Friday 6 February 2026 – Nominations close for non-instrumental categories
• Friday 13 February 2026 – Nominations close for instrumental categories

Schools are encouraged to distribute the nomination guidelines.pdf and request all necessary information prior to the end of Term 4 2025, including the expression of interest form, medical form, all consent forms and category specific nomination information i.e. footage (if required). Students new to the school in 2026 can submit their documentation to the school in the new year.

Nominating for CGEN is an online process. Nominations must be made by a registered Department of Education state school teacher with one teacher from each school allocated as the coordinating teacher during the nomination process.

HOW TO NOMINATE

To nominate your students in 2026, please visit the CGEN nomination portal. ​​

This portal will allow one account to be created per school. Please ensure you liaise with other school coordinating teachers before commencing nominations.

The nomination guidelines, category information and eligibility.pdf outlines the nomination process and includes category specific information and their key dates. These guidelines include all forms students must return to the school.

A detailed coordinating teacher guidelines.pdf document has been created for schools and includes database instructions on how to nominate and teacher categories information.

For further information, please contact the CGEN team on creativegeneration@qed.qld.gov.au.

Eligibility ​

Enrolment at a Queensland state school

CGEN is a showcase of the talent in Queensland state schools. Nominated students must be enrolled at a Queensland state school for the duration of the program to be eligible for involvement in the program. Home educated students and students from non-state schools are not eligible to be part of CGEN.

If at any point throughout the program, the nominee is no longer enrolled at a state school, it is the responsibility of the school and parent/carer to inform CGEN immediately.

The school principal at the state school where the student is enrolled must also endorse the nomination.

Consent

Parents/carers of students must complete and return an unamended CGEN project consent form, ministerial consent and media release forms to the school. If forms are not returned by the due date and full consent is not given, students will not be able to participate in the program. This is due to the nature of the program as it is widely promoted and as such photos, videos and names of participants will be shared throughout the campaign and in future years, including in the national broadcast. Students who are unwilling or unable to provide consent are not eligible to participate. 

Schools, students and parents/carers must:

• understand the expectations and level of commitment required for their category
• understand the Department of Education (DoE) is collecting personal information, and will handle this material in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 and the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006
• have read, understood and agree to the terms and conditions of the program.

Please refer to the relevant category pages of the nomination guidelines for category specific eligibility requirements and criteria. 

Nomination terms and conditions

In these terms and conditions, 'the department' means the State of Queensland acting through the Department of Education.

1. Information on how to nominate and participate in Creative Generation – State Schools Onstage including all program guidelines, information books, forms and fact sheets, form part of these terms and conditions. Participation in the program will be considered acceptance of these terms and conditions.
2. The department (ABN 76 337 613 647) is the owner of the Creative Generation – State Schools Onstage program.
3. Once entered, details are not transferable to any other person or organisation or school.
4. Late, partially completed or nominations that do not satisfy the nomination requirements or program guidelines at the time of the program entry closing may be judged as ineligible for participation in the program.
5. All information submitted must be true and correct as at the time of nomination.
6. The decision made by the department to accept a student/school as eligible to proceed to the next stage of the program is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
7. The department accepts no responsibility for inability or failure to submit or nominate by the final date.
8. The nominee grants the department the right to use personal information (including student details, photographs and/or video) in accordance with the project consent form.
9. By providing material (including student details, photographs and/or video) to the entry portal, the nominee warrants they either own the material or have acquired sufficient right to use the material for the purpose of the program and agree to indemnify the department against any loss or damages caused by breach of this warranty.
10. Where a nominee is a part of a group or cluster, the person completing the nomination must be an auth​orised representative of the group and all organisations / schools affiliated with each person.
11. Where there is more than one category or stage, each category or stage may have individual eligibility criteria as well as judging criteria.
12. Although every effort will be made to ensure project materials (including certificates, prizes and awards) are sent to the address stated on the nomination, the department takes no responsibility for lost or misdirected items not received by students/schools.
13. The department will not be responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any network or lines, servers, providers, computer equipment, software, traffic congestion on the internet, etc. including, but not limited to, any injury or damage to participants or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation in or downloading any materials in this program.
14. The department will not be responsible for any failure by sponsors and partners to fulfil their contractual obligations made between the department and the sponsor.
15. If for any reason the program is unable to run as planned including causes beyond the control of the department, the department may at its sole discretion cancel, suspend or modify the program.
16. The program may be withdrawn at any time without notice.
17. The participant agrees to indemnify the department against any loss or damages caused by a cancellation, suspension, modification or withdrawal of the program.
18. These terms and conditions may be altered where necessary, and any changes will be notified on the program's website.
19. The department reserves the right, at any time, to verify the validity of a nomination, reject a nomination or disqualify a nomination that is not in accordance with these terms and conditions​.​