Push the Boat Out, Edinburgh’s International Poetry Festival, is partnering with Little Sparta on a new residency programme supporting the creation of collaborative, poetry-led performance work inspired by the work of Iain Hamilton Finlay, the gardens at Little Sparta, and this year’s festival theme, The Space Between.
Applications are invited from pairs of artists living and working in Scotland. The lead applicant must be a poet with at least one published work. Submissions are welcome from artists working in any of Scotland’s indigenous languages or BSL, and from those currently under-represented in the literature sector.
The three-week residency will support the development of a new 20–30 minute collaborative performance piece to be presented at Little Sparta in September 2026 and at Push the Boat Out Festival in Edinburgh in November 2026.
Selected artists will receive:
- £2500 artist fee
- Up to £700 in travel and accommodation support
- Rehearsal space and technical support
- Optional coaching and development support
Application deadline: Monday 29 June 2026
Further information and the full information pack are available on the Push the Boat Out website –
https://pushtheboatout.org/residencies-at-little-sparta-call-for-applications/