Artists Professional Development Programme
Deadline to apply: noon on Thursday 8 October
Applications are now open for our Artists Professional Development Programme. The new initiative supports artists and collectives in Scotland who have personal or family experience of forced displacement.
Five artists or collectives will be selected to take part. The programme is open to people working across any artistic discipline and at any stage of their creative journey.
The successful artists will receive mentoring, peer learning and opportunities to connect with Scotland’s cultural sector, alongside dedicated support to develop their practice and present work as part of Refugee Festival Scotland.
Who can apply?
The programme is open to artists with lived experience of seeking refugee protection or other forced migration backgrounds (including within their families).
We welcome applications from creatives based anywhere in Scotland, working across any art form or creative practice. Whether it is film, painting, sculpture, writing, performance, music, storytelling or anything in between, this opportunity is not restricted to one type of medium.
Applications are open to both self-taught and academically trained artists at any stage of their career. You do not need to have an established professional career or a fully developed project to apply.
We are interested in artists who can demonstrate:
- Experience of making or developing creative work, whether independently, collaboratively or through formal training
- An idea, piece of work or area of practice you will develop through taking part in the programme
- An interest in building new relationships and professional opportunities
- How this opportunity will help them in their artistic career at this time.
How does it work?
The programme runs from November 2026 to July 2027. It is vital that successful applicants are available during Refugee Festival Scotland 2027 (11-20 June).
Our team will work alongside each participant throughout the programme, offering support tailored to their practice, interests and development needs. Each participant will also receive specialist advice from a mentor, who they will meet three times over the course of the programme.
The programme is designed to support work at different stages of development, so you do not need to apply with a fully formed project. You will be provided space to test ideas, develop your practice and consider possible next steps.
There will also be opportunities to connect with other artists and the wider cultural sector as the programme develops.
If successful, you will receive:
- A grant of £1,000 to support the development of your practice or project
- Tailored mentoring and professional development support
- Opportunities for peer learning and exchange with other participating artists
- Opportunities to build new relationships and professional connections
- Opportunities to share or present your work through Refugee Festival Scotland
- A separate budget for accessibility, if required
How to apply
To apply, please complete this form.
You will be asked to tell us about:
- yourself and your creative practice
- the ideas or themes you are interested in exploring
- a project or area of your work that you would like to develop through taking part in the programme.
You do not need to have a fully developed project or an established professional career to apply.
The deadline for applications is noon on Thursday 8 October 2026.
If you have any questions or would like to submit your application in an alternative format, please email festival@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk.
What guidance is available to help me apply?
We will be running an online information session on Tuesday 22 September 10-11am. To attend, register here.
We also offer informal one-to-one advice meetings for anyone considering applying. To book a meeting, please contact us at festival@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk.
How will applications be selected?
Applications will be reviewed by the Refugee Festival Scotland team in collaboration with artist and filmmaker Meray Diner as guest selector.
Meray Diner is an award-winning filmmaker based in Glasgow. Her work explores conflict, identity, borders and our relationship with land and water through a feminist lens. Her films include Pink Moon and Dreamscape, both of which have screened at BAFTA and Academy Award-qualifying festivals. She also has over a decade of experience developing arts and cultural projects focused on climate change and social justice.
We look forward to welcoming five artists or collectives into the programme and sharing more about their projects over the coming months.
The Artists Professional Development Programme is replacing Arts Open and is presented as part of RELATE, a new programme supporting New Scot artists to develop their creative journeys as part of wider communities of practice.
RELATE will also support the presentation of an international workshop and community arts project during the Festival in June.
RELATE is supported by the Scottish Government’s Expanded Festivals Fund through Creative Scotland.
Image credit: Najma Abukar