circusnext Platform
circusnext Platform is a European program which identifies and supports emerging circus artists within a network of 25 partner venues across Europe (festivals, creation and touring venues) based in 16 countries.
The platform is coordinated by the Paris-based circusnext association, and shares the same core mission: to identify and support emerging circus authors with original, unusual, and peculiar writings. It wishes to offer space for artistic risk-taking, research and experimentation.
Each year, around fifty emerging artists benefit from the platform’s initiatives, whether through artistic laboratories, training, creation residencies, or the presentation of work-in-progress or performances.
Calendar
2026 Edition
National preselections
22 April – 13 June, 2025
Selection of Finalists
24 – 26 September, 2025
Selection of Laureates
3 – 10 September, 2026
2027 Edition
National preselections
16 March– 1st May, 2026
Selection of Finalists
3-5 June, 2026
Selection of Laureates
September, 2027
How does the selection process work ?
What circusnext Platform is looking for ?
circusnext Platform looks for contemporary circus authors who develop long-lasting artistic innovation while embracing artistic risk-taking.
We define 'author' as someone who can develop a unique artistic signature, position themselves and their work within the field of circus arts, and demonstrate authorship of their work.
To identify these innovative circus authors, the circusnext jury reviews the artistic projects submitted in response to an annual open call, using the same criteria throughout the entire selection process:
Uniqueness of the project
Dramaturgical interest, paying attention to writing (content), composition (coherence), and how the work addresses the public
Quality of the performance
“There is no preferred aesthetic, there is no preferred subject, form, spatial arrangement, discipline, duration or target audience. All creative contexts, all forms, aesthetic formats, all disciplines and all interdisciplinary endeavours between circus and other art forms are admissible, without any exclusion.”
Quote from the The Artistic Jury’s editorial for 2023
Selection process and supports
Each year, circusnext Platform organises a three-step selection process, leading to the selection of 10 Finalist projects and finally 4 Laureate projects. Different types of support are provided at each step.
Call for projects
- Seeding Labs
(for candidates who are not selected for the next step)
National pre-selections
- Online trainings
Selection of Finalists
- Financial support 3000 €
- Artistic lab & residency
- Online trainings
- Networking and Communication
Selection of Laureates
- Co-production 5000€
- Residency
- Touring (including Revelations)
- Communication
Ethical commitments
circusnext Platform activities are guided by a shared charter that sets out its core values and commitments of all members.
circusnext and its Platform members share a responsibility towards the circus sector and the artists they work with. Our primary goal is to support emerging artists and companies in the best way possible — not only through working space and financial support, but as counsellors, connectors, and ambassadors for the field.
These commitments reflect the values we hold collectively: transparency, direct communication, and a genuine concern for the conditions in which artists create and circulate their work across Europe.
Who is part of circusnext Platform ?
Coordination team
A small team in Paris, along with their board members and a wide network of artists and partners across Europe, work together to promote contemporary circus.
Platform members
25 partner venues across 16 European countries, participate in every step of the selection process and support selected artists through residencies, presentations, and audience encounters.
Jury
Three jury entities — bringing together Platform members, experienced artists, and local professionals — take part in the selection process.