Currently 13 active open calls open to applicants in the UK, across AI, arts, film, journalism, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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The Korean Cultural Centre UK's annual open call for emerging Korean or Korean-heritage artists, particularly UK art school graduates, leading to a group exhibition from February to April 2027 (exact dates to be confirmed). Open theme; all fine art genres welcome, including video, sound and performance (submit a video link of max. 5 minutes plus stills). Selection by a panel of external curators and art professionals; results announced on the KCCUK website in early December 2026. ELIGIBILITY (all required): Korean nationality or Korean heritage; graduated from a UK-based art school (BA, MA or PhD) or currently living and working in the UK; aged 18+; at least one previous solo or group exhibition; works made within the past 5 years and not previously shown at KCCUK. SUPPORT: exhibition space and invigilation, opening event, certificate of participation, promotion via KCCUK channels (Korean and English press release, social media) and a GBP 250 participant support fee per artist; all other costs (production, transport, equipment, install) are borne by the artist, and support may change depending on KCCUK's circumstances. APPLY: one PDF (max. 7MB, in English) with artist bio (max. 200 words), portfolio of up to 5 works (max. 3 images each, with title, materials, dimensions, year, technical requirements) and artwork statements (150 words per work, max. 700 total), emailed to kccuk.opencall@gmail.com. Enquiries: Jaemin Cha, Curator, jaemin.cha@kccuk.org.uk. DEADLINE: Sunday 15 November 2026, midnight GMT.
Cryptic Nights supports emerging Scotland-based artists making work that combines original sound or music with performance, screen or technology, to develop an existing piece and present it in Cryptic's programme. Selected artists receive a fee, residency time, mentoring and travel and access support. No application fee.
One residency for a freelance audio practitioner (composer, sound designer, audio maker, artist or researcher) registered in the Netherlands, to develop an existing project into a spatial, story-led sound work. STRUCTURE: a two-day introductory course in immersive audio, then three days of studio work in IAN's mobile Immersive Audio Lab (a dome with 25 Genelec loudspeakers and 3 subwoofers, Dolby Atmos 9.1.6 and Ambisonics up to fourth order; own computer and software welcome), ending with a public work-in-progress at the IAN Festival at Arnolfini, Bristol. RESEARCH FOCUS: sound-first storytelling, sonic stories for and by multiple audiences including the non-human, and the whole body in space as the site of immersive experience. Mentoring by Prof. Kate Pullinger (NET Lab, Bath Spa University) and Dr Angela McArthur (UCL). The resident also writes an editorial piece for The Writing Platform, published March 2027. ELIGIBILITY: KvK registration required (the fee is paid on invoice); working DAW skills (editing, montage, mixing); no prior spatial audio experience needed and emerging artists are encouraged; available to travel 22 to 30 January 2027. Applications in English. Deadline 21 November 2026, 23:59 CET.
Refugee Festival Scotland (run by the Scottish Refugee Council, festival 11 to 20 June 2027) and Opening Shot invite four first-time filmmakers with lived experience of seeking safety to make a short film of about five minutes. WHAT YOU GET: a GBP 1,500 participation fee, a GBP 3,000 production budget, six in-person workshop days in Glasgow (December 2026 to March 2027), a 14-week supported production period with mentoring, and a premiere screening at the festival in June 2027. ELIGIBILITY: aged 18 and over; you consider yourself a refugee or asylum seeker, or your family has lived experience of seeking safety; you live in Scotland; you are not currently enrolled in full-time formal education; you can travel to Glasgow for all six workshop days. Beginners welcome, no previous experience or script needed. DEADLINE: Sunday 22 November 2026 at midnight. OTHER 2027 FESTIVAL STRANDS: the Artists Professional Development Programme (GBP 1,000 grants) closed on 8 October 2026; the Small Grants round for refugee-led and refugee-focused groups in Scotland (up to GBP 750 in 2026) runs from early December 2026 to mid-February 2027; event registration for organisers opens early December 2026 and closes late March 2027. Contact: festival@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk.
The 17th Open City Documentary Festival takes place at venues across London in April 2027, presenting international contemporary and retrospective non-fiction film, audio and cross-media work alongside filmmaker Q&As, panels, talks and workshops. The festival nurtures experimentation within the expanded field of non-fiction cinema, from artists' moving image to documentary, the essay film, audio and cross-media works; recent artists screened include Sky Hopinka, Onyeka Igwe, Luke Fowler, Ana Vaz, Jessica Sarah Rinland and Morgan Quaintance. ELIGIBILITY: non-fiction film and video, cross-platform projects and audio works completed after 1 January 2026; no strict premiere requirement, but works not yet publicly screened in London are prioritized. All selected filmmakers receive screening fees: GBP 275 for works over 60 minutes, GBP 140 for works over 40 minutes, GBP 70 for works under 40 minutes, GBP 100 for cross-platform projects (all incl. VAT). Submissions via FilmFreeway with tiered entry fees (lower before the early deadline). EARLY DEADLINE: 25 September 2026. FINAL DEADLINE: 27 November 2026; all entrants notified by 22 February 2027.
Hidden Door is a volunteer-run, multi-arts festival that reopens disused and overlooked buildings in Edinburgh. Its 2027 edition (venue still secret, anticipated early June 2027) runs on the theme "Afterlives of Use", and this open call invites visual artists to propose existing work or work in progress that can be shown in the festival's site-specific spaces. The call does not fund the production of entirely new work. ELIGIBILITY: practising artists who either hold an art-related degree or are self-taught with at least five years of sustained practice, and who are based wholly or partly in Scotland or graduated from a Scottish art school in the last three years. Current undergraduates are not eligible; postgraduates are. SUPPORT: up to GBP 1,500 per artwork/application including all artist fees and expenses, in line with Scottish Artists' Union rates; most awards will be lower. Parallel open calls for dance and spoken word close on the same date, and calls for film, theatre and music are to follow. APPLY via the online form linked from the call page. Notification by 11 January 2027. DEADLINE: Thursday 3 December 2026.
BFI Flare, the UK's longest-running LGBTQIA+ film festival, is open for submissions to its 40th edition at BFI Southbank in March 2027. CATEGORIES (new length bands this year): short films of 35 minutes or less, mid-length films of 36 to 60 minutes and feature-length films over 61 minutes, each open to UK and international work. Check eligibility against the 2027 guidelines and regulations PDF on the BFI page, then submit through the online form. DEADLINE: online forms and screeners by 4 December 2026, 17:00 GMT.
Welcome to the Fringe Palestine is an 8-day festival of Palestinian performance inside the 2027 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, run with Independent Arts Projects and the Workers Theatre Co-operative. WHO: Palestinian performance artists in any discipline, based anywhere in the world. Work must be live (visual art or film needs a live element), small-scale (a team of no more than two, simple tech, everything in reasonable hand luggage), in 60-minute slots (shows of 30 minutes or less may share a slot), and finished or a presentable work in progress; no development or residency support is offered. Non-English shows need a finished translation and surtitles. Past participants may apply, but artists not previously programmed get priority. WHAT YOU GET: a GBP 2,000 fee per artist or company, plus travel and visa costs, accommodation, per diem and bus passes, Fringe registration, marketing and PR, a dedicated venue with simple tech, documentation, and networking events. APPLICATION: Google Form linked from the call page, in English or Arabic; contact sara@i-a-p.net. Results by February 2027. DEADLINE: Wednesday 9 December 2026, 23:59.
Annual award from the Lillias Mitchell Trust recognising craft and visual artists connected to Ireland. AWARDS: EUR 10,000 each to two winners, one in Visual Art and one in Craft + Applied Art (total fund usually around EUR 30,000); shortlisted artists also receive a smaller financial award, amount to be confirmed. ELIGIBILITY: craft and visual artists living and working on the island of Ireland, and Irish-born artists working overseas; any career stage with demonstrated artistic merit; full-time students are normally not considered; previous main-award winners cannot reapply. APPLICATION: online, no fee. TIMELINE: applications open 12:00 noon on 16 October 2026. DEADLINE: 11 December 2026, 17:00.
Sheffield DocFest, the UK's leading documentary festival, is open for film entries to its June 2027 edition, for feature, mid-length and short documentaries and non-fiction series. ELIGIBILITY: world premiere after 1 April 2026; at minimum a UK premiere; not available on any online platform accessible to UK audiences; previously submitted films only if significantly changed; English dialogue or English subtitles; series up to 120 minutes; one form and fee per film. DEADLINES AND FEES (12:00 noon GMT): early 20 November 2026 (features GBP 40, shorts GBP 30), standard 29 January 2027 (GBP 48 / GBP 38), final late deadline 19 February 2027 (GBP 58 / GBP 48), plus VAT as listed. Notification late April 2027. NOTE: the festival's Alternate Realities strand (immersive, interactive and digital non-fiction) had not announced a 2027 call as of 2 November 2026; past AR calls closed in January or February. Rules PDF linked from the entries page; contact films@sheffdocfest.com.
The Daiwa Foundation Small Grants support projects that promote interaction between the UK and Japan in any field, including arts exchanges, exhibitions, conferences, grassroots and educational exchanges and research travel, with travel between the two countries as the main focus. New initiatives are encouraged, and gender equality and SDG themes are welcome; continuing or regular events (such as an annual festival edition) are unlikely to be funded without a strong reason or special occasion. NOT ELIGIBLE: commissions of artworks, capital costs, consumables, salaries or professional fees, tuition and commercial activity. WHAT YOU GET: GBP 2,000 to 9,000 (most awards GBP 3,000-4,000), with flights funded up to GBP 1,200 each and subsistence up to GBP 100 per person per day, plus GBP 50 extra per flight for environmental projects in Japan. APPLICATION: read the Application Notes, then apply via the Foundation's online portal (separate forms for UK- and Japan-based applicants); advice from grants@dajf.org.uk. Decisions by late May or early June 2027. DEADLINE: 31 March 2027 (the following round closes 30 September).
The British Council's standing Travel Grant Fund helps early to mid-career UK filmmakers and XR creatives represent their work abroad, build networks, reach new audiences and raise the international profile of new and emerging UK film and immersive talent. Supported by BFI National Lottery funding in partnership with BFI NETWORK and the BFI International Fund. WHAT IT FUNDS: travel to attend international film festivals, showcases, training and development labs, and co-production forums, across five strands: short film festival grants, feature film festival grants, interactive/XR grants (including VR, immersive storytelling experiences and installations), lab grants and co-production forum grants. AMOUNTS: short and feature festival grants GBP 150 to 1,500 (typically up to GBP 750); XR travel-only grants GBP 150 to 1,500; large XR grants GBP 1,500 to 5,000; lab grants up to GBP 6,000; co-production forum grants up to GBP 2,000. WHO CAN APPLY: UK residents or citizens aged 18+; applicants can be directors, producers or writers attached to the selected project. KEY CONDITIONS: the festival, lab or forum must appear on the British Council's Key Lists of eligible events, and the project must be registered on the British Council's UK Project Database. DEADLINE: rolling, no fixed deadlines; submit at least two weeks before the event starts (retrospective applications for past events are not accepted). Free to apply.
The Audience Projects Fund distributes GBP 19.7 million of National Lottery money over three years to widen UK audiences for film and immersive work, covering exhibition, distribution, festivals, touring programmes and sector-support initiatives. It reopened in November 2025 and runs continuously with no closing date, which makes it one of the more accessible large BFI pots for organisations working on the audience-facing rather than production side. AWARDS are tiered: small pilot projects receive GBP 10,000 to GBP 20,000, while full projects can receive GBP 20,000 to GBP 500,000 per year, with immersive projects permitted to include up to GBP 150,000 of production cost inside that envelope. ELIGIBILITY is strictly institutional. Applicants must be legally constituted organisations centrally managed in the UK and not more than 50% foreign-owned. Eligible types include limited companies (not classed as 'large' under the Companies Act 2006), community interest companies, LLPs, UK local or statutory authorities, and registered UK charities or trusts. Individual practitioners cannot apply. Applicants must evidence experience in marketing, festivals, distribution, immersive installations, cultural programming, touring or sector support. TIMING: there are no deadlines but lead times are enforced. Single-film distribution projects must apply at least 10 weeks before release; all other projects at least 16 weeks before the project starts.