Featured Opportunities

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Annual literary award of £10,000 for the best short story by an African writer published in English. Open to African writers (whether in Africa or the diaspora) aged 18+.

Stories must be 3,000-10,000 words, published within the five years preceding the deadline, and constitute fictional short stories only (novels, children’s stories, factual writing, academic essays, plays, poetry, autobiography/biography not eligible). Entries must be submitted by publishers (including publishers of physical/digital books, literary journals, magazines, arts-oriented websites) via email with publisher’s letter confirming writer consent, publication date, and author nationality. Self-published and unpublished works not eligible.

Winner and shortlisted writers invited to participate in events in Africa, London and elsewhere with travel awards provided. Shortlisted stories published in annual Caine Prize Anthology by Cassava Republic Press.

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We Are Here Scotland invites Black and Global Majority creative and cultural professionals based in Scotland to apply for Creators’ Fund+, a 12-month programme supporting sustainable career development. Each awardee receives a tailored support package worth £2,980, broken down as: £1,514 direct funding for creative development (equipment, training, materials, workspace, marketing, collaboration costs, professional services); £586 paid to awardees for attending 20 hours of mentoring sessions (£29.30/hour); and £880 paid directly to mentor(s) by WAHS (£44/hour for 20 hours).

The programme supports ongoing career development and progression rather than one-off creative projects. Twenty hours of paid strategic mentoring from industry professionals is included, with flexible arrangements: complementary multi-mentoring (two mentors with different expertise), intensive specialist mentoring (deep focus on specific skills), holistic career approach (integrating creative, practical, and personal development), or discuss options with the WAHS team. Mentoring covers areas like creative development, technical skills, financial planning, scaling strategies, and professional confidence.

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LADA’s Do It Together programme offers 10 unique peer-to-peer artist-led projects running April-September 2026 across the UK, creating a nationwide network for process-led experimental practice. Each project, designed by different lead artists, gathers 5-15 artists for collective enquiry and co-learning, supported by 19 local partners. These alternative professional development opportunities prioritise artists’ perspectives over institutional frameworks.

Projects include: Sweætshops® & Kwasu Tembo’s wordless weekend exploring altered consciousness; Tosin Adegoke, Amina Khayyam & Husam Ibrahim’s laboratory on archival absences; Paula Varjack’s workshop on consumerism and hype culture; Gillie Kleiman’s exploration of artistic disciplines at BUZZCUT; Rosana Cade & Moa Johansson’s playful funding alternatives; Tom Marshman’s offline queer digital life lab; Sym Stellium’s ritual-based Birmingham site-specific work; Johnny Autin & Hannah Woodliffe’s climate-focused youth performance labs; Jo Hellier’s musical exploration of pregnancy/birth; and Stacy Makishi’s residential Campfire Disco in Scotland. Each project offers embodied experiences emphasising shared process, collective learning, and experimental methodologies beyond traditional skills training

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Photoworks will appoint two Writers in Residence for 2026 to each contribute two articles (approximately 1000 words each) to Photography+, their quarterly online magazine read by international audiences. Running April 2026 to March 2027, this paid residency offers £300 per article (£600 total for two articles) plus online or in-person meetings with the Photoworks team.

This opportunity suits early-career writers looking to gain experience writing and publishing online about contemporary photography. Writers should have working knowledge of contemporary photography and willingness to look beyond photography for inspiration. Open to writers worldwide (Photoworks is UK-based). Applicants will be informed by 10th March 2026, residency begins April 2026.

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The Rivers & Moorland Festival invites South West-based artists with a connection to Dartmoor to apply for a commission of up to £10,000 (including artist fee and all production costs) for a new community and environmentally focused work exploring themes of water in the natural environment. The commission launches during the first Rivers & Moorland Festival in Ivybridge, 5th-7th June 2026.

Artists can explore themes of water, rivers, flooding, and how humans interact with water whilst living and working in the environment in any art form including sculpture, music, performance, video, photography, and more. Open to South West-based artists who live on, work on, or have relationship with Dartmoor with track record or experience with similar projects – ideal for mid-career or earlier career artists building to larger-scale commissions. Individual and collaborative applications welcome.

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Hypha Gallery invites artists working in any medium to submit work for ‘Look How Brightly’, a bold interdisciplinary exhibition inspired by acclaimed London-based composer and artist Alex Mills’ new album, showcasing his decade of creative output. This exhibition reimagines the intersection of contemporary art and music, exploring themes of liminality, presence and absence, fragmentation and reintegration, cyclicality, and transcendence.

Selected works will be part of an entire exhibition experience that bridges contemporary art and musical composition. This is an exciting opportunity to exhibit work within a curated context that pushes boundaries between artistic disciplines and explores profound themes of transformation and transcendence.

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FACT Liverpool and disability arts charity DaDa launch Digital Crip Camp, a 14-week paid programme supporting early-career producers in developing immersive narrative projects centred on accessibility. Supporting 10 projects with up to 20 participants (maximum 2 per project), this innovative programme advances concepts to pitching level while embedding accessibility at the earliest stage of immersive production. The name honours the historical Crip Camp, reclaiming “crip” as a site of creative resistance and community.

Open to early-career producers outside formal education (within first 3-5 years) developing immersive projects rooted in VR, XR, spatial audio, or interactive narratives. Projects must be led or predominantly led by D/deaf, disabled, or neurodivergent creatives/producers with clear, early-stage concepts. Emphasis on North West England and North Wales-based projects, though UK-wide applications welcome.

Participants receive £1,155 (£110/day for 10.5 days: 5 days Liverpool, 11 half-days online), plus travel/accommodation when visiting FACT. Comprehensive support includes mentorship from Lesley Taker, Myra Appanah (BRiGHTBLACK Co-Director), and FACT Studio/Lab team; guidance on project development, business strategy, accessibility embedding, audience identification, marketing, and pitch preparation.