In association with the National Theatre of Scotland, PTBO will award three £1,500 commissions to Scotland based artists or groups of artists working in poetry or a related art form. Each will produce a new piece to be performed on the Sunday of our 2024 festival (22nd to 24th November 2024) in Edinburgh's iconic Summerhall.

PTBO is an environment where all variations of poetry are encouraged to grow, evolve and collide with other vital art forms. The programme features a vibrant mix of poetry, spoken word, lyricism, music, performance, discussion and installations across our three-day festival. PTBO aspires to be a catalyst for new work and encourage work that challenges the boundaries of poetry and explores intersections with other art forms.

This commission responds to feedback on a lack of opportunities to develop and platform longer poetry-led pieces fitting these aspirations. Artists are asked to propose works of 15-20 minutes in length. These works should be ‘in conversation’ with another art form, and we actively encourage collaboration. Any artist living and working in Scotland in poetry or a related art form may apply and submissions are welcome from artists working in any of Scotland’s indigenous languages or BSL, and from people under-represented in the literature sector.

The National Theatre of Scotland will offer bespoke support based on the needs of successful applicants.

Artists will be paid £1,500 for their commission including presentation of their work at PTBO Festival (22-24 Nov 2024).

Push the Boat Out is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland, the William Grant Foundation, City of Edinburgh Council and the Edwin Morgan Trust.

Find out more here. 

Any questions or requests for informal conversations should be sent to Emma Collins, Director, PTBO: emma.collins@pushtheboatout.org

Deadline for application: Monday 15th July 2024