Hay Festival - Platform artist
Hay Festival Closing date: Fri, 10 Apr 2026
- Full time
- Under £10K
- Apply now
Mon, 23 Mar 2026 "> published -
Job Summary
Job Description
"I have never felt so encouraged and welcome as an artist' - Bradley Taylor 2024 - Platform Artist
Launched in 2024, The Platform is an initiative to promote, support and develop young creative talent. Open to a range of art forms - performance (theatre, dance, street), poetry, digital art, film, audio, visual art and literature - it aims to offer new routes into the arts.
Successful artists will have the chance to share their work with Festival audiences on Friday 29 May around the Festival site, plus meet and network with established artists over a three-day visit. All Festival expenses will be paid (travel, accomodation and meals for two nights) and each artist will receive an event fee of £350 for their work.
We are looking to select five artists for this year's programme. While the final shape of The Platform will be guided by the submissions we receive, we are particularly seeking:
Three pieces suitable for sharing or performing across the wider festival site
Two pieces that can be presented within the Creative Hub
Past participants have included poet Bradley Taylor, writer and director Paul Koloman Kaiba, writer, producer and performer Grace O'Brien, theatremaker and visual artist Eden Peppercorn, visual poet and producer Alfiah Jade Brown and writer and performer Sabine Wilson-Patrick
Job Requirements
We are passionate about bold, original ideas and want to hear yours. Our hope is that The Platform will offer an exciting creative development opportunity for all participants, supporting their individual artistic ambitions. The Festival's unique gathering of cultural industries provides selected artists with the chance not only to share their work, but also to connect with both emerging and established creatives and further develop their careers.
Your proposal might be poetry or spoken word, live art or visual art, dance, street theatre, or performance. It could be an existing piece you have previously presented, an extract from a larger work, or something entirely new that you would like to debut.
Job Responsibilities
Context is key. The festival takes place in a green field environment, and there are certain practical limitations. Space and time are restricted, and we cannot accommodate large casts, complex lighting setups, or substantial sets. As all pieces will sit within a much wider festival programme, excessive noise or disruption must be carefully considered.
For indoor performances, the number of performers should not exceed three per event, unless all participants are within daily travelling distance of Hay, as budgets for travel and accommodation are limited. Please note that digital projection can be challenging to facilitate on site , but if you have ideas for projection please do still apply - we have screens across the site which we may be able to utilise
Abiding by all Hay Festival policies, particularly health and safety, will be mandatory as will an understanding of any age restrictive content.
Useful Links
Job Overview
- Job Title: Hay Festival - Platform artist
- Salary: Under £10K
- Hours: Full time
- Artform: Combined arts
- Role: Performer
- Contract: Temporary
- Closing date: Fri, 10 Apr 2026
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Location:
| view on Google MapsWest Midlands
Job: Hay Festival - Platform artist
Job: Hay Festival - Platform artist
Organisation: Hay Festival
Postcode: HR3 5AD
How to Apply
We invite submissions from all creatives between the ages of 21-28 working across diverse art forms, including performance (theatre, dance, outdoor), poetry, digital art, audio, spoken word, sculpture and literature.
The digital application form asks for the following:
• A short outline of your proposed project (no more than 500 words).
• A CV/biography - including any professional experience (no more than one side of A4) – please attach to the online application or send with the large print form if applying that way.
• Please write a statement outlining your creative ambitions and goals as an artist. (no more than 150 words).
• Please supply links to a website, YouTube, social media, publications, Soundcloud or photographs related to your work.
Only digital applications are accepted either via the digital application form, the Word doc version or by a video/audio application that addresses the same questions
- Contact name: Adrian Lambert
- Contact email: [email protected]
About Hay Festival
Hay Festival is one of the worlds’ leading art and literature festivals, bringing readers, writers, and artists together to share stories and ideas in events, both live and online. The festivals inspire, examine, and entertain globally, inviting participants to imagine the world and take action to live differently.