18-20 JULY 2025

The 4 Nations Bursary Project is offering bursaries for new outdoor work to emerging artists and companies interested in outdoor arts. Bursaries will be awarded to applicants from Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland. The project will allow early career artists to be mentored through the creation of new outdoor arts pieces, which will be toured to festivals in all four nations during summer 2026:

 

Surge Festival (Glasgow, in partnership with Articulation)

BD Festival (Bradford, in partnership with Bradford Producing Hub) -  Funding Dependent

Spraoi Festival (Waterford, Ireland in partnership with ISACS) 

Green Man Festival (Wales, in partnership with Green Man Trust)

 

The chosen artists/companies will be given a budget of £5000/€5500 for the creation of the piece and £150/€170 per day per person for performance days, professional mentoring from the festivals and each of the Partnership networks, plus a three-day residency in Brecon, Wales, in March 2026. Travel, accommodation and per diems (or equivalent) are provided for both the residency and the performance tour.

 

Requirements:

• Present an idea for a new small-scale outdoor arts piece, static or walkabout.

• The piece needs to be for a solo or a duo of touring artists (all artists must be confirmed by applicant before applying);

• The piece needs to be of a scale that is easily transportable.

• The piece needs to be suitable for performance or exhibition in both urban and green field spaces.

• The artists need to be available for the residency in Brecon between 8th and 11th March 2026

• Artists must also be available for a certain number of week-day mentoring dates between March and July 2026 (exact dates to be agreed)

• To be available for dates of all four festivals:

  • 23rd – 24th July 2026 (BD Festival, In Partnership with Bradford Producing Hub England TBC)

  • 25th – 26th July 2026 (Surge Festival, Scotland)

  • 31st July- 2nd August (Spraoi Festival, Ireland)

  • 19th – 23rd August 2026 (Green Man Festival, Wales)

 

We will offer:

• A structured residency in Brecon plus professional mentoring from Surge, BD, Spraoi and Green Man in creation, producing, marketing and guerrilla filmmaking;

• Bursary of £5000/€5500

• Travel, accommodation, per diems, and £150/€170 per day fee per artist/ per performance day at all festivals

• Rehearsal and creation space where possible

 

4 Nations Bursary Project values diversity and promotes equality and inclusion. We encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and ability. 

 

Please note that the scale and reach of this project is dependent on certain funding outcomes.

 

To apply:

 

Please email your proposal (max. 500 words) and one short bio for each performer/collaborator (max. 100 words each), in one document.

 

If based in Scotland please contact Alan Richardson from Surge @ alan@surge.scot

 

If based in Wales please contact Zoe Munn from Green Man @ zoe@greenman.net

 

If based in England please contact BPH @ hello@bdproducinghub.co.uk

 

If based in Ireland please contact Spraoi Festival @ nest@spraoi.com         

 

The application deadline is midnight on Sunday 1st February 2026.  

 

Decisions will be made by Monday 9th  February 2026.

 

APPLICANTS IN SCOTLAND PLEASE NOTE

There is a complimentary opportunity available through Kelburn Garden Party Find out more about that here.  You may apply to both the 4 Nations Bursary and the Kelburn Garden Party commissions with the same project.

If you would like the two applications to be considered together, please indicate this in both applications and include up to 100 additional words explaining how the combined budget and opportunities would enhance your proposed work.