Call for festivals to support emerging artists
Festivals act as fertile ground for tapping into and expanding talents. They are spaces of exchange between artists and the public, facilitate connections among artists themselves and with other professionals. Festivals are alchemists of innovation, curators of risk-taking endeavours, both guardians and intermediary springboards for artists across artistic disciplines. The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists – EFFEA, an initiative of the European Festivals Association, is a system built to empower festivals and offer emerging artists a platform to establish themselves on the international stage. EFFEA extends an open invitation for festivals to work across borders and create a network of colleagues with shared goals. It recognises that the future lies in the synergy of diverse perspectives and collective efforts. Through EFFEA, festivals join hands to foster the success of emerging artists.
Applications for EFFEA Call#3 will be open from 15 January to 19 March 2024. Around 50 residencies will be selected, involving 50 emerging artists in collaboration with a minimum of 2 festivals from different countries. All arts festivals from the EU member states, Creative Europe, and other included countries (please see below) registered on FestivalFinder.eu are invited to apply.
What is the EFFEA Residency?
The EFFEA Residency is an artist-in-residence programme co-produced by a leading festival and at least two partner festivals, each from a different eligible country. It provides emerging artists the opportunity to explore their ideas and creative projects, whether original works or the evolution of existing ones, by providing them with dedicated time, space, and support. Within this framework, artists forge intimate ties with festival programmers, emphasising a commitment beyond a singular presentation. The goal is to establish lasting and meaningful connections between artists, festivals, and audiences.
There are two categories:
1. Discovery: Festivals (leading festival + minimum 1 partner festival, each from different eligible countries) take an early career artist(s) with exceptional talent and ready to breakthrough internationally under their wings.
The residency should include: training/ mentoring/ coaching, support to reach out to local communities and/ or other features the artists describe in their needs assessment; work-in-progress presentation at the leading festival; workshop (online or live) hosted by the leading festival that exposes the artists to a minimum of 1 programmer from each partner festival
Approximately 40 grants of 8.000€ will be attributed to this category.
2. Springboard: Festivals (leading festival + minimum 2 partner festivals, each from different eligible countries) take a mid-career artist(s) established in their own country and ready to develop their career internationally under their wings.
The residency should include: raining/ mentoring/ coaching, support to reach out to local communities and/ or other features the artists describe in their needs assessment; production result/ presentation at each of the festivals; masterclass (live) conducted by the artist at each of the festivals
Approximately 10 grants of 15.000€ will be attributed to this category.
Please be aware that the EFFEA Residency does not provide funding for touring.
Who can apply?
EFFEA Call #3 is open to all festivals and artists that fulfil the following conditions:
- Festivals exist for at least one edition and are registered on FestivalFinder.eu. Register here.
- Festivals and artists have their official addresses in one of the following eligible countries:
EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden.
Creative Europe countries: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine, Tunisia.
Other included countries: Israel, Palestine, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
Please note: Israel, Palestine, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK can only apply as partners and not as leading festivals. Artists from these countries can also be proposed. - Festivals and artists work in one of the following artistic disciplines: Architecture, Ballet Contemporary Dance, Circus, Design/ Applied arts, Digital arts, Film, Folklore and folk arts, Heritage, Interdisciplinary, Literature, Music, Opera, Street Art, Theatre, Photography/ Video, Sculpture, Painting.
Interested in applying?
During the open call, we will be hosting info, networking and Q&A sessions. In each session, you have the chance to connect with potential partners and artists and find relevant replies to your questions. Save the following dates in your diary:
09.01.2024 - Register here
26.01.2024 - Register here
09.02.2024 - Register here
01.03.2024 - Register here
In addition, keep an eye out for decentralised info sessions with EFFEA Platform Members and Creative Europe desks in your region.
In the meantime, think about:
💡 the artist your Festival will present
💡 the category you are applying for - Discovery or Springboard
💡 two (or more) partners with whom you would like to develop the project. Reach out to potential partners through the EFFEA Community on Facebook and FestivalFinder.eu
Connect with us:
EFFEA website
Facebook
EFFEA Facebook community
For more information: Donika Rudi Berishaj, EFFEA Coordinator: donika@efa-aef.eu & Luana Santos, Communication and Administration Assistant: luana@efa-aef.eu