Open Call for Emerging Circus Artists

Why Apply?

• If you want to develop your project at European level and gain capacity building, this programme is for you!
• Financial support: grants of €3,000 for Finalists & €5,000 for Laureates
• Creation and touring support: residency opportunities across Europe, laboratory with authors from all over Europe, exposure of your work on stages across Europe
• Communication support: increased visibility thanks to promotional opportunities with communication coverage through the website and social media
• European networking: opportunities to meet with circusnext partner venues

What Circusnext Searches For?

• circusnext is a space for artistic risk-taking, research and experimentation. Any artist who wishes to develop a circus creation in progress can apply (only acts are not allowed).
• There is no defined type of circus creation to apply for, all creative contexts, all types of forms, formats, durations, aesthetics, universes, themes, audiences, all circus disciplines and all interdisciplinary endeavours between circus and other art forms are welcome.
• The aim is to identify and support the most innovative and bold emerging circus authors who wish to develop a circus project at European level, who dare to experiment and push boundaries.
• They understand “author” as authorship, an artist who has authority over their work and is in the process of finding their “artistic signature”, the ability to define their artistic position. Emergence is understood as a level of professional recognition and should not be confused with youth: there is no age limit for applicants.
• To select the project, the juries will consider the following criteria:
  • Originality of the project: it could be a new approach to circustechniques, an original research process, the construction of an unseen artistic universe, etc.
  • Authorship: the ability to defend one’s work and artistic choices, the ability to position oneself and one’s work in the field of circus art, the need to create, etc.
  • Coherence and relevance: between one’s artistic intentions and the way the project is structured, thought, how the elements that compose it are arranged, etc.
  • Quality of the performance: quality of movement, rhythm, stage presence, i.e. the ability to make the intentions of the proposal tangible on stage, etc.

Eligible Countries 

• The project is co-funded by the program Europe Creative of the European Union. Therefore, only the applicants from these countries are eligible (residence and legal structure):
  • European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland (Republic of), Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands
  • Other countries participating in the Creative Europe programme: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine

Eligibility Criteria

• Emerging circus authors as individuals or company
• No age limit (min. 18-years old)
• No circus degree required
• You should not be studying in a circus school when the support starts (August 2024)
• No previous circusnext shortlisted/Finalists or Laureates
• Resident in a Europe Creative country
• A legal structure is required when applying and must be based in a Europe Creative country. You may be self-employed; in this case an official registration number is requested.

For more information, visit circusnext.