Hay Festival has today announced the return of The Platform, an open call for creatives aged 21–28 to submit their new work to be showcased in Hay-on-Wye, 22 May–1 June.

Launched in 2024, The Platform is an initiative to promote, support and develop young creative talent, funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Artists can find out more about the programme and submit their ideas at hayfestival.org/the-platform – deadline is at noon on Thursday 3 April 2025.

Successful artists will have the chance to share their work with Festival audiences on Wednesday 28 May in the Festival’s Creative Hub space, plus meet and network with established artists over a three-day visit. All Festival expenses will be paid and each artist will receive an event fee for their work.

The Platform is open to a range of art forms, including performance (theatre, dance, street), poetry, digital art, film, audio, music, and literature and focus on bringing together a diverse and representative group of artists from across the UK.

Applications will be assessed by a panel of artists that represent the work submitted and Hay Festival’s creative team.

Last year’s participants included poet Bradley Taylor; writer and performer Emma Rogerson; theatre maker Grace Waga Glevey; writer and producer Martha Bird; writer and director Paul Koloman Kaiba; poet and film maker Elliot Waloschek; writer and editor Sabine Wilson-Patrick; spoken word artist Samuel Mansell aka DeSide; actor and playwright Tayla Kenyon; and theatre collective Harry Clayton-Lucey, Flynn Mchardy and Arthur Bickers aka Moving Feet.

Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch said: “Hay Festival Global is a charity built on creative collaborations. We are delighted that The Platform is back thanks to funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

“Designed to support young artists in building connections, on stage and off, The Platform showcases their work to our Festival audience while facilitating creative collaborations with established artists. Please help us spread the word about this opportunity. We cannot wait to see the submissions!”

Hay Festival Hay-on-Wye 2025 takes place 22 May–1 June in the world’s first booktown, Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Launching the best new fiction and non-fiction, the 2025 Festival will offer insights and conversation around big global issues along with a diverse programme of entertainment.

A handful of earlybird events are out now, including appearances from writers Fflur Dafydd, Matt Haig, Susie Dent and Elif Shafak; explorer Levison Wood, Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood, historian Tom Holland, actor Tuppence Middleton, R&B legend Billy Ocean, songwriter Tim Rice; and comedians Al Murray and Katherine Ryan.

Events will take place across eight stages in the free-to-enter Festival site at Dairy Meadows in the Bannau Bryncheiniog National Park, offering a range of spaces for audiences to explore and enjoy, including the Bookshop, BBC Marquee, Wild Garden, Make & Take Tent, a host of exhibitors and market stalls, cafés, and the Family Garden ¬– as well as venues around Hay-on-Wye, including St Mary’s Church and Hay Castle.

Projects and themes woven through the programme will include the News Review each morning; the return of the Hay Festival Sports Day on Wednesday 28 May; South-to-South conversations; Hay Festival Green, prompting innovative solutions to the climate crisis; celebrations of 250 years of Jane Austen and 20 years of Hay Festival’s work abroad; global collaborations with NBO Litfest in Kenya and Lviv BookForum in Ukraine; and a vibrant programme for families and young people, beginning with the free Schools Programme, 22–23 May, and including events throughout the half-term week.

Late nights at the Festival are given over to great music, comedy and entertainment, while a host of free pop-up activities and performances around the site keeps audience entertained between sessions.

The full programme of 600+ events will be released on 11 March.