With EFFEA Call #5, the European Festivals Association will once again support around 50 residencies taking place in 2027, each bringing together at least three festivals from different countries to support an emerging artist or collective.
Full guidelines and application details will be published on 1 September 2026.
What is an EFFEA Residency?
EFFEA is a co-production residency scheme through which festivals join forces across borders to accompany an emerging artist in a process of creation and presentation. Artists explore their ideas, whether new works or the development of existing ones, while sharing their professional development needs with partner festivals. These are supported through dedicated time, space, and tailoured forms of mentoring, exchange, and collaboration. The aim is to move beyond a single invitation towards a shared artistic development journey, establishing lasting and meaningful connections between artists, festivals, and audiences.
Each supported project is built around:
- one leading festival working with at least two partner festivals (based in different eligible countries)
- one emerging artist or collective at the centre of the residency
- a combination of artistic development, mentoring, exchange, and audience engagement based on the needs of the artist(s)
- presentations or outcomes shared across the partner festivals
Two main residency formats will be proposed again:
1. Discovery (€8,000 grant):
The residency proposal must include:
- A workshop (live or online) hosted by the leading festival, with at least one programmer from each partner festival
- A work-in-progress presentation at the leading festival
2. Springboard (€15,000 grant):
The residency proposal must include:
- Final presentations/ Production results presented in the framework of each of the festivals (minimum within the leading festival and 2 partner festivals)
- A live masterclass led by the artist(s) at each festival (minimum within the leading festival and 2 partner festivals)
Who can apply?
- Festivals exist for at least one edition and are registered on FestivalFinder.eu. Register here.
- Residency projects must fall within the following artistic fields: Architecture, Ballet, Contemporary Dance, Circus, Design/ Applied Arts, Digital Arts, Film, Folklore and Folk Arts, Heritage, Interdisciplinary, Literature, Music, Opera, Street Art, Theatre, Photography/ Video, Puppetry, Sculpture, Painting.
Info, Networking and Q&A Sessions
A series of EFFEA Sessions will take place in September and October to help you navigate the application process, find partners, and get answers to your questions. All sessions take place on Tuesdays, 11:00-12:00 CEST:
15.09.2026 - Info session #1 Register
29.09.2026 - Networking session #2 Register
13.10.2026 - Networking session #3 Register
20.10.2026 - Q&A session #4 Register
Keep an eye out for additional sessions by EFFEA Platform Members and Creative Europe Desks in your region.
Start shaping your project
The coming months are an opportunity to reflect, connect, and develop ideas. You can already:
💡 identify an emerging artist you would like to support
💡 decide which residency format (Discovery or Springboard) fits your vision
💡 reconnect with partner festivals or reach out to new ones with whom you would like to develop the project. Reach out to potential partners through the EFFEA Facebook Community and FestivalFinder.eu
💡 register your festival edition on FestivalFinder.eu to be visible to others
Learn from previous EFFEA residencies
Across Calls #1 to #4, EFFEA has already supported 619 festivals and 200 artists/ collectives from across Europe and beyond. You can explore all supported residencies on the EFFEA website and discover who participated, what projects were developed, and how collaborations took shape. You can also read residency stories in the news section.
Our Partners
The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists is an initiative of the European Festivals Association co-funded by the European Union.
EFFEA Platform Members
Croatian Composers Society (Croatia), Culture Matters (Czech Republic), PLMF Arts Management (Estonia), France Festivals (France), Festival Friends (Germany), Stichting Caucasus Foundation (Georgia), Summa Artium Kultúra Támogató Nonprofit Kft. (Hungary), Művészetek Völgyén (Hungary), Association of Irish Festival Events (Ireland), ItaliaFestival (Italy), ARC Research and Consultancy Ltd. (Malta), Asociația Centrul Cultural Clujean (Romania), ArtLink (Serbia), Sweden Festivals (Sweden), Development Centre "Democracy through Culture" (Ukraine).
Associated Partners
Culture Action Europe, European Music Council, Pearle* Live Performance Europe, Circostrada, IETM, On the Move, European Dance Development Network.
Connect with us:
EFFEA website
Facebook
EFFEA Facebook community
For more information:
info@european-festivals.eu