Animate Projects invites expressions of interest from animation artists based in England to take part in our early career programme, Roam.

We will be supporting three artists to make short animated films inspired by campaigning organisation Right to Roam, and their vision of “a future countryside in which people not only enjoy the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of nature but serve as its guardians too”.

Each artist will undertake a period of research and development, with support from Right to Roam organiser Jon Moses.

As with our previous projects PLANTING and Mortal, the Roam artists will each receive production and editorial support from Animate as they develop and produce a short, animated, single-screen film. The films will be shown at a public event, online and on Instagram.

There is a £4,000 fee for each artist to cover all production costs and fees. Some additional travel expenses and creation of deliverables will be covered separately.

We are not asking for a fully developed treatment at this stage but would like an indication of what you would be interested in exploring, and why, and what your creative approach might be.

We encourage you to consider experimentation, learning, and creative risk-taking. We expect you to factor in environmental sustainability as part of your process. 

Follow this link to find out more about what Right to Roam does, and why.

Access to nature is essential to our physical and mental health and without a connection to the natural world we’re less likely to care about it and unable to act to protect it. Yet we’re excluded from much of what surrounds us.
 
There’s a right to roam in only 8% of England, much of it in remote areas of mountain, moor, heath and down, rather than the places the majority of us live. Many of the access rights and freedoms we have taken for granted are under threat.

Over 49,000 miles of historic paths have disappeared from the official maps. 32,000 rights of way have been blocked or obstruced.

Related subjects, themes, and experiences that you might consider include:

• Connection to nature - rewilding, environmental stewardship, environmental defenders, land activists
• Access - enclosure, land ownership, access to rivers, access islands
• The history of mass trespass - Kinder Scout, Winter Hill, Latrigg Fell
• Science, psychology, wellbeing, physical and mental health benefits

What are we looking for?

We are looking for artists who make visually strong, experimental animation, and are interested in engaging with the theme and with our partner.

We want to commission distinct and varied approaches. We’re interested in digital, analogue, and/or hybrid animation techniques.

Whilst the work might have a documentary element, we are not looking for straightforward documentaries, explainers, promotional or campaign films.

We ask that you consider sustainability in your production process. Check out Cardiff Animation Festival’s Planet Positive initiative, with information and resources about what the animation industry can do to fight the climate crisis.

There will be curatorial and practical support from the Animate team  with regular online meetings.

We expect the artists to document their development and process, and share their experience with each other, and to take part in a public presentation of the project.

Timeline

• 29 May - deadline, noon
• 20 June - artists selected
• July - initial online meeting with Animate, Right to Roam, artists
• July - September 2025 – R&D, treatments submitted, pre-production
• October 2025 - March 2026 - production
• April - May 2026 – post-production, delivery
• Summer 2026 - live launch event, films shared online, online talk

Throughout the project period, we will schedule online individual mentoring meetings with each artist, and group peer review sessions.

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to early career artists based in England with:

• An experimental animation practice
• An interest in exploring a theme related to Roam
• A willingness to engage with the partner, be part of the project community, and share their experience in person and online 

You must be resident in England with the right to work in the UK.

Students in any formal education at the deadline are not eligible.

You may apply for this opportunity if you previously applied to PLANTING or Mortal and were unsuccessful. Applications from artists that Animate has previously commissioned will not be considered.

This opportunity is for early career artists at a critical moment in developing their artistic practice, with curatorial and practical support from the Animate team.

We define “early career” as artists who have gone some way to establishing their practice, and who have some had some public showcasing experience, but who are still in the early stages of a career.

We recognise that an artist who has been practising for several years, with breaks for personal reasons, may still be considered early career.

To apply

Please read these guidelines. Find out more about what Right to Roam does below, and on their website.
Submit your application through CuratorSpace.

We ask you to provide:

• a brief statement about your artistic practice and relevant experience (up to 300 words)
• a brief statement about why you are interested in Roam, and what approach you would take to participating in the programme, including any particular theme or subject you might be interested in exploring, and why (up to 300 words)
• a short statement on how you would consider sustainability in participating in this programme (up to 100 words)
• A CV (maximum two sides of A4)
• Links to relevant examples of previous work (maximum of three previous works)

If you would prefer to record a 2-3 minute video or voice memo rather than send a cover letter, please send a link to the video on Google Drive or Vimeo or another platform.

The deadline is noon, Thursday 29 May 2025.

If you have any questions, please contact us through CuratorSpace.

We expect to inform applicants of our decision by 20 June 2025.

We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications from individuals from low-income backgrounds, those who are ethnically diverse or disabled, and anyone else who considers themselves under-represented within the visual arts. 

We ask all applicants to complete an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form. We will send this to you upon receipt of your application. The form will not be shared with anyone involved in assessing your application.

If you have any access needs, or barriers to access that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to let us know either before applying or as part of your application.

Right to Roam

Since 2021, Right to Roam has been organising peaceful trespasses into some of the vast areas of countryside from which the public are currently excluded.

Led by botanists, ornithologists, astronomers, dancers, singers, citizen scientists, outdoors specialists and poets, Right to Roam follows the tried and tested access code which governs Scotland’s right of responsible access, respecting privacy, crops and nature – all while seeking to leave a positive trace and practising deep care for the natural world: a concept they call Wild Service.

Their vision is of a future countryside in which people not only enjoy the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of nature but serve as its guardians too.

https://www.righttoroam.org.uk/

Jon Moses

Jon is a writer and campaigner. He has published features, essays and profiles on environmental and other issues for The Guardian, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Lead, The Great Outdoors and in 2024 co-edited Right to Roam’s book, Wild Service: Why Nature Needs You.

He joined Right to Roam in 2021 after completing a doctorate in GeoHumanities and realising he knew almost nothing about where he actually lived.

A lengthy river trespass followed, and he’s never been the same since. At Right to Roam, Jon focuses on policy, communications and the ground campaign.

Animate Projects

Animate champions experiment in animation. Our mission is to engage the public with the creativity and craft of the artform. We do this through supporting artists to create thought provoking projects, engaging with audiences across digital and physical contexts, and promoting critical debate.

https://animateprojects.org/