UK Partner Award – BD: is LIT

Company
We Are Unlimited

What can you receive?
Commission

Link
https://weareunlimited.org.uk

Deadline
30 September 2024

We’re partnering with Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council to offer a £50,000 award to visual and performance artists based in the north of England.

Who can apply?

This award is open to:

  • professional disabled artists or disabled artists leading the creation of work within disabled-led companies
  • applicants must live, work, or have a connection to the north of England
  • aged 18 plus
  • not in full-time education

Criteria

These criteria will be used by our selection panel to assess your application. We’re looking to invest in work that will have a life beyond the initial commission. We expect all the work we fund to reach multiple audiences, as part of our wider work to challenge and change the world.

  • High quality
  • Disabled-led
  • Innovative and ambitious
  • Touring or exhibition potential to reach diverse venues and audiences
  • Artist and/or company has a track record of creating work and reaching audiences

Partner criteria

  • This award is for a final commissioned piece premiering as part of the BD: is LIT festival in November 2025.
  • Artists working in visual and/or performance art – defined as mixed arts with a performance element, including theatre, cabaret, live art, dance – are encouraged to apply.
  • The commissioned work must be highly visual and participatory, designed to be showcased at BD: is LIT in November 2025.
  • Applications are encouraged from artists creating work with and for local communities.
  • The work must incorporate light and/or light art as a key stimulus for its development.

What will you get with this partnership?

  • Up to three producing support sessions, each up to two hours long, either in person or on Zoom.
  • A programmed slot at the BD: is LIT Festival in November 2025.

About the partner

Bradford 2025 is your next UK City of Culture – and we’ve started the countdown to an electrifying year. 2025 will be a celebration of Bradford, its cultures and its people – right here, right now. From artists to businesses, schools to community groups, we’re inviting people across Bradford to help us create a year of culture that could only happen here.

“The BD: is LIT Partnership Award will fund the creation of a new piece of work for Bradford’s spectacular and popular light festival BD: is LIT, taking place during Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture year. We’re proud to be supporting Unlimited to create opportunities for our region’s disabled artists and for audiences to experience their work.”

Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture 

This award is made possible thanks to support from Arts Council England.

Got an opportunity?