Young Talent Fund to support young artists’ participation abroad

A new fund will support the participation of young artists and performers in international platforms such as festivals, competitions, exhibitions and/or performances.

The Young Talent Fund aims to support the mobility of youths to explore, build networks and to engage in international collaborations, to encourage young people to actively engage in international platforms and to facilitate and expose young talent to other international practices.

“Young people are the future of the arts so investing in their creativity goes right to the heart of our arts policy,” said Culture Minister Owen Bonnici. “Through this fund we ensure that, at a time when talent is being shaped and is still largely dependent on family support, all emerging artists can have the same opportunities, at what is often a crucial time of their lives.”

The programme is also open to youths engaged in technical skills within the creative sectors, such as backstage crew, audio visuals, set design, marketing and management. The fund does not cover short- or long-term professional training or workshops.

The fund, which deploys €18,000 for the current year, will support 100% of the costs to implement the project, not exceeding €4,000. An additional €1,000 may be allocated for travel support and assistance to disabled artists. The Young talent Fund covers projects having a maximum duration of one month between October of this year and October 2019.

This fund is competitive and each eligible application will be evaluated according to established criteria, including the artistic merit of the project and the artistic relevance of the opportunity, the value of the platform and of the opportunity and the professional and financial management of the project.

“The Young Talent Fund is in line with Arts Council Malta’s focus on internationalisation,” said Arts Council Malta executive chairman Albert Marshall. Together with community exchange and diversity, business development, research, education and training, internationalisation is one of the Council’s strategic aims as outlined in Strategy2020, the Council’s five-year strategy for the cultural and creative sectors.

“The Fund also helps to address and implement one of Arts Council Malta’s goals as outlined in Strategy2020 – nurturing creative potential and supporting its development into professional activity.”

Applications are currently open and will close on 9 August at noon. Late applications will not be accepted.