Menu

 

Sussex Festival of Ideas 2025

Call for proposals from Media, Arts & Humanities researchers for inspiring events as part of Brighton Festival!

Deadline to apply: Friday 25 October, 5pm.

Would you like to propose an event for the 2025 Sussex Festival of Ideas strand of the Brighton Festival? Small pots of funding are available to support up to 4 events, alongside marketing and organising support! Read below to find out more. 

Now in its fourth year, The Sussex Festival of Ideas aims to harness the transformative power of the arts and humanities to build a more inclusive and creative world by bringing lively and stimulating research-informed events to a wider public under the internationally recognised Brighton Festival banner.  

Researchers in the Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities are invited to propose events to be part of the University of Sussex Festival of Ideas strand in the Brighton Festival 2025 between 3rd and 26th May 2025. 

Events can be performances, talks, workshops, conversations, film screenings,  masterclasses, or anything you would like to realise which meets the below criteria. The events will take place at sites and venues across Brighton. 

Proposals will be reviewed and selected by a panel including representatives from Brighton Festival 

 

What we are looking for: 
Proposals should meet the following criteria:   

  • Proposed by a researcher in the Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities on a Teaching and Research contract. 
  • Links to your research with the activity supporting or developing the potential impact of your work 
  • Is creative, engaging, experimental, dynamic and (ideally) interdisciplinary  
  • The event format can include (but is not limited to) panel discussions, workshops, screenings, conversations, and performances. Please avoid lectures or papers – this is a festival, not a conference! 
  • Your event can be inspired by the theme set by this year’s Brighton Festival guest director Anoushka Shankar which is: 

New Dawn, encompassing artists' perspectives on a new way forward for our world. This can be interpreted across any theme such as spirituality, the environment, peace, old ideas and systems we need to leave behind, existing cultures or beauty we need to preserve, etc.    

  • Is connected with the Festival’s mission to harness the transformative power of the arts and humanities to build a more inclusive and creative world (please also see our Vision and Mission, below) 
  • Is aimed at a general public audience, to engage both existing Brighton Festival audiences and be accessible to those who might have little prior experience of cultural activities and/or academia 
  • Is able to be realised within a budget of up to £1,000 – (noting that the Faculty pays external speakers/performers/workshop leaders a standard fee of £250 plus up to £75 for expenses) 
  • Can be realised with minimal technical requirements 
  • We would also like to hear if your event can be based at and/or is linked to communities in East Brighton 

 

How to apply: 

If you are interested in contributing to the 2025 Festival of Ideas programme at Brighton Festival please submit a short proposal using this online form. 

What you will need to submit: 

  • Name of organiser/s  
  • Email address 
  • Proposed event (title can change) 
  • Who will be featured in the event (external guests/students/staff?) 
  • Event duration 
  • Space requirements 
  • Short description (150 words) outline relevant of the activity to the Festival theme and how it draws on your research 
  • Social media handles (if you have them and would like to share)  
  • Any member of staff you have spoken to about your proposal (not a requirement) 
  • Outline budget (a list of estimated costs up to a maximum of £1,000 per event – please contact lauren.church@sussex.ac.uk if you need support writing this) 

 

The deadline for proposals is Friday 25th October, 5pm. 

We will respond to everyone by Friday1st November and invite those successful in the first stage to discuss their proposals with the Festival of Ideas selection committee (members: Lauren Church, Medeni Fordham, Margaretta Jolly, Mat Dimmock and Bea Colley (Brighton Festival Literary Producer). This session is currently scheduled for w/c 4th November. 

Decisions will be taken by the selection committee based on the quality of the events proposed, the way in which they respond to the criteria above, the research strategies of the Faculty,and the need to develop a balanced programme. 

 

Commitment, benefits and support received: 

  • If your proposal is selected there will be a minimum commitment of 3 days across Nov-April expected from each organiser.  
  • Each organiser is also expected to attend one coffee/tea meet up with the other festival organisers (coffee/tea will be provided) in January 2025 (venue tbc). 
  • You will be required to supply a promotional image for your event, and a brief description of your event for promotion (this will be used by Festival of Ideas and Brighton Festival). 
  • You may be asked to respond to requests from the media/Brighton Festival to speak about your event 
  • You will be expected to carry out small tasks in the organising and running of your event, such as liaising with guest speakers, writing an event plan, liaising with Producer-in-Residence to book in venues etc  

 

Festival of Ideas organisers will receive: 

  • Profile through the Festival of Ideas and Brighton Festival  
  • Support from the Festival of Ideas Producer-in-Residence Lauren Church, who will meet with you at least twice in the lead up to the event and support you with any external speaker liaison / booking of spaces 
  • Each organiser will be asked to create an event plan with expected costings, ( a simple document outlining what your event involves, that the Producer-in-Residence will support you to create) 
  • Each event organiser will be invited to take part in a short video interview, which will be created by a student digital content creator to promote your event and the festival (participation is not mandatory). This will be shared on the UoS social media channels 
  • Experience organising an event within a professional Festival context with support from an experienced producer 

If you would like to have a discussion about your proposal, have any questions or need support with writing your proposal please contact lauren.church@sussex.ac.uk (Producer in Residence, Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities) 
   

Sussex Festival of Ideas 
  
Our Vision 
‘An Inclusive Future that Values Experimentation, Creativity and Collaboration’. 
  
Our Mission 
‘The Festival will connect students, staff and the community to harness the transformative power of the arts and humanities’.