Made in Scotland
Made in Scotland is a curated showcase that promotes high-quality music, theatre and dance from Scotland-based artists – find out how you can be part of it.
Alternative formats
Please note: applications for Made in Scotland 2026 are now closed.
What is Made in Scotland?
Made in Scotland is a curated showcase that promotes high-quality music, theatre and dance from Scotland-based artists to international promoters and audiences at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each year. The focus of Made in Scotland is presenting theatre, dance and music performance that has strong international appeal and is ready for international export. You can find information on applying to be part of Made in Scotland 2026 below.
We recognise that there is a wide range of excellent cross-disciplinary work being created in Scotland and we encourage applications from artists making work within one or across a mix of these genres. The showcase is selected with the aim to best represent the rich and diverse work being created by Scotland’s artists.
Made in Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund – awarded to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society for this programme. You can check out the previous showcase awardees and read more about the showcase on the Made in Scotland website.
Made in Scotland Gigs
Made in Scotland Gigs is a project that awards smaller grants to music acts and provides them a slot on a professionally managed showcase event at the Fringe. This project is currently under review for 2026; we’ll share more details as they are confirmed.
Arts industry attendance
Made in Scotland also supports the attendance at the Fringe of visiting international promoters. The Fringe Society will invite international delegates to see participating shows during the showcase focus week (17 – 21 August), when we will also hold networking and pitching events for the showcase participants and industry delegates. As such, all showcase participants should include at least three performances during 17 – 21 August 2026.
In addition to those attending physically, the Made in Scotland showcase will be promoted digitally to industry members who cannot travel to Edinburgh during August. All participating companies will be expected to prepare digital assets (trailers, images, etc) to be hosted on the digital Fringe Marketplace platform.
Onward touring
As well as supporting the showcase of work during the Fringe each year, Made in Scotland has additional funding available to enable any Scotland-based artists to take up new international showcasing opportunities as a direct result of promoter(s) seeing their work live at the Fringe. The Made in Scotland Onward International Touring fund is available to support artists based in Scotland who have presented work live at the Fringe, whether as part of a Made in Scotland showcase or not.
Funding and support on offer
What is the overall Made in Scotland budget and how much can I apply for?
The total budget available for the Made in Scotland 2026 programme will be in the region of £300,000. For 2026, there are three fixed levels of funding that applicants can apply for. These funding levels are:
- £5,000
- £15,000
- £25,000
Applicants should bear in mind that Made in Scotland funding should not be the only source of funding for their Fringe run. We have a responsibility to ensure that these limited funds support the presentation of a varied selection of the diverse work being developed and performed from across Scotland.
What will Made in Scotland support?
A show in the Made in Scotland programme can be new or existing work that is artistically ambitious and demonstrates strong international onward potential. All applicants should focus on articulating their international ambitions and the international appeal for the show being presented.
This funding is not intended to fully fund a run at the Fringe. It is intended to elevate the presentation of the work at the Fringe to maximise international opportunities on offer. The selected Made in Scotland shows will be promoted collectively under the Made in Scotland banner, however they are expected to be independently produced and promoted by the individual artists or companies. Each show is responsible for their own venue hire, marketing, PR, industry engagement, etc. The Fringe Society’s Artist Services team will provide advice and support on all aspects of bringing a show to the Fringe.
Applicants will be asked to provide a full budget for their Fringe run, and must comply with the following:
- That you will pay at minimum the Real Living Wage to all directly employed staff, 16–17-year-old workers and contracted and agency staff from the start of the funded period.
- That Effective Voice for workers is in place in the organisation. This can be aspects of ‘Individual’ voice (for organisations of fewer than 21 workers) and aspects of ‘Collective’ voice (for those with 21 workers or more).
- That their workforce representative has agreed that all workers employed within that organisation have access to effective voice channel.
Support for Made in Scotland artists
Successful Made in Scotland applicants will receive support and advice to help them prepare for participation in the programme.
This will include:
- advice on performing at the Fringe, finding a venue and registering your show
- advice on marketing your show at the Fringe and taking advantage of the showcase to raise your profile
- support in setting realistic goals and building strategies to achieve them
- guidance on understanding and taking advantage of international opportunities
- support with networking and building relationships with international industry and promoters
- access to the Made in Scotland alumni and opportunities for peer-mentoring.
While guidance is provided, shows should be independently produced and promoted by the individual artists or companies.
Who can apply?
- Applications can come from individual artists, companies, organisations, promoters and / or venues.
- All applicants must be based in Scotland. It is not necessary for your entire team to currently be based in Scotland, but the lead applicant and lead artist(s) should be based in Scotland and the work should have been / be produced in Scotland.
- Student and non-professional companies are not eligible to apply.
- Organisations already in receipt of Creative Scotland Regular Funding or other Targeted Funds are eligible to apply but need to clearly demonstrate the additional benefits that support from Made in Scotland will present.
- Applications can be from companies new to Made in Scotland, or those who have taken part previously but are applying with a new show.
How to apply
What are we looking for in an application?
This programme is focussed on raising the international profile of talent based in Scotland, and export potential is therefore the key selection criteria. All applicants should focus on articulating their international ambitions and the international appeal for the show being presented.
Specifically, we want to support:
- high-quality, artistically ambitious productions or performances which promote the work of artists based in Scotland and are export-ready for international markets
- productions or performances which involve Scotland-based artists and companies in international co-productions or in collaboration with international festivals
- applicants who demonstrate how the funding will enhance the quality and ambition of the project in ways that would not be possible without this support.
How to apply
All applications are to be submitted via our online application form.
Submit the completed form before the deadline (10:00 BST, 27 October 2025). Once submitted you will not be able to amend your application so ensure you thoroughly review and check before submission.
Upon receipt, you will receive a confirmation email with your application reference number.
Timelines
It is important to understand the timescales involved in being part of the Made in Scotland showcase. You will hear about the outcome of your application in December 2025 and therefore must be ready to approach your preferred venue. For more information on finding a venue see our venue guide.
The deadlines for inclusion in the Made in Scotland brochure and Fringe registration are in April 2026 (specific dates tbc). While your show might not be fully made by this deadline, it is important that you have images and footage available for your Fringe listing, the Made in Scotland brochure and associated promotional videos. We will provide further details on this to the successful applicants.
- Funding guidance launched: 10 September 2025
- Online applications open: 10 September 2025, 10:00 BST
- Online information session: 17 September 2025, 15:00 – 16:00 BST
- Applications close: 27 October 2025, 10:00 BST
- Selection panel meets: early December 2025
- Applicants informed by: end of December 2025
- Brochure and registration deadline: April 2026
- Made in Scotland programme launch: May 2026
- Fringe 2026: 07 – 31 Aug 2026
- Made in Scotland focus week: 17 – 21 Aug 2026
Deadline for submissions
Applications for Made in Scotland funding should be submitted by 10:00 BST, 27 October 2025.
Application requirements
For applications to be eligible it is essential that you provide supporting materials.
Supporting materials may included:
- A 5–10-minute excerpt of the proposed work.
This is to give the panel a sense of the quality and style of your work. If you do not have footage of your proposed work, you can instead submit footage from a previous piece of work. Please note you are required to edit your footage to 10 minutes maximum. There is an opportunity to also submit a full recording, but this needs to be separate to the 5–10-minute excerpt. - A 1–2-minute video of you / the creative team talking about the work.
This is a good alternative if you do not have any quality footage of your work / previous work, or as a way to compliment your other supporting materials. - Up to four images of the work.
If you do not have images of your proposed work, you can instead submit images from a previous piece of work. - Up to 10 minutes of audio recordings of the proposed work.
This is to give the panel a sense of the quality and style of your work. If you do not have audio from your proposed work, you can instead submit audio from a previous piece of work. Submissions of more than 10 minutes will not be included, and we cannot guarantee the opportunity for you to resubmit. - Up to three review excerpts of the proposed work or of a previous work.
Further advice and information
We will run an online information session for potential Made in Scotland applicants at 15:00 BST on 17 September 2025. It will be available afterwards to watch as a recording if you are unable to attend. If you have any general enquiries about the application process, please contact [email protected].
Budget
We have guidance on how to present your budget and finances.
You must provide a comprehensive budget, detailing overall expenditure, box office projections and any additional sponsorship / fundraising income whether secured or projected. You should bear in mind that Made in Scotland funding should not be your only source of funding. While your budget is not formally scored by the selection panel, it does help them to get an understanding of the scale of the work and considerations for touring – which can be a key driver of the panel’s decision-making.
If applying for £15,000 or £25,000 your budget should demonstrate the need for that level of funding.
We ask that you pay particularly close attention to the costs you allocate for paying the people involved in delivering your project. Made in Scotland is committed, through any activities we support, to ensure that artists, staff and other creative professionals are paid appropriately for their time and effort. We therefore expect applications to reference relevant industry standards on rates of remuneration where they exist. Guidance on rates of pay is available on the Creative Scotland website.
Inclusion and accessibility
Made in Scotland is committed to ensuring that activities we fund are actively inclusive and accessible. We expect that your project will be accessible to as broad a range of artists, participants and audiences as possible. This could include enhancements such as captioning, audio description, touch tours, BSL-signed performances and / or relaxed performances, and measures to ensure audiences are aware of these enhancements through marketing. The Made in Scotland brochure highlights accessibility features of performances.
Once you’ve submitted your form, what happens next?
Immediately
Upon submission of your application, you will receive your application reference number via email. Please keep this safe and quote it if making any enquiries about your submission.
Within the first two weeks
Your application will be checked for basic eligibility and completeness, and to ensure that you’ve supplied all the required supporting materials. If at this stage your application is considered to be ineligible, we will email you and explain why. If your application is considered incomplete, we will get in touch to explain this and seek any missing information from you. You will have two working days in which to respond – failure to provide this information at this time will mean your application is incomplete and therefore ineligible. We will advise you of this by email.
Decision-making process
Early December 2025: Panel meets
All complete and eligible applications will be considered by an independent panel of advisors drawn from all relevant art forms. The panel meeting will be independently chaired by a member of the Fringe Society management team who will not have a vote. The panel makes the final decision on who is awarded funding, and therefore has responsibility for programming the Made in Scotland 2026 showcase.
The panel will consist of both Scotland-based and internationally recognised industry professionals and is appointed by the Made in Scotland partners: Creative Scotland, Federation of Scottish Theatre and Scottish Music Centre.
Late December 2025: Decisions sent out
All applicants will receive an email from the Fringe Society confirming whether their submission has been selected for the 2026 showcase. We will issue contracts to all successful applicants; these will need to be signed and returned to the Fringe Society before the first payments can be issued. Information on when payments will be made will be shared with successful applicants in their contracts.
Frequently asked questions
The Fringe Society collect and administer applications. The final decision is in the hands of an independent selection panel who curate that year’s programme. The panel is made up of independent expert advisors from the UK and abroad (programmers, critics etc).
The focus of Made in Scotland is presenting theatre, dance and music performance. However we recognise that there is a wide range of excellent cross-disciplinary work being created in Scotland and encourage applications from artists making work within one or across a mix of these genres. The showcase is selected with the aim to best represent the rich and diverse work being created by Scotland’s artists.
A company can apply for inclusion in the Made in Scotland showcase with a different show, or the same show if not previously selected. We do not accept applications for work which has previously been presented as part of the showcase.
It is the applicants’ choice whether they apply for the £5,000, £15,000 or £25,000 level of funding. The panel will select a range of work across these levels, and we recommend shows consider their scale and funding needs when selecting the level, and include their reasoning in their application.
For detailed advice on budgeting for a Fringe run please contact [email protected]. However, it is recommended that you assume no more than 30% of your (likely) venue capacity when estimating Fringe ticket sales and remembering that these may be a mix of full and concession price.
No, we understand that you are unlikely to have your Fringe venue confirmed by October. However, the panel will be looking for you to demonstrate a level of understanding of where your work would fit within the Fringe. Venues tend to start programming in November for the following year so it is always good to get discussions underway as early as possible if you would like to secure a programmed slot.
Some music promoters or venues have previously presented work in a session format. This generally features multiple musicians hosting performances across the festival plus one session show featuring all artists. This can work for many genres, and we welcome applications for this style of work. If you are applying as a session, performances from each act involved must take place within the focus week to ensure that it is most likely to be seen by promoters supported by Made in Scotland.
Activity can take place across the whole of the Fringe, but for any shows being presented for a more limited run (fewer than six performances) we expect you to have at least three performances take place during the focus week. Made in Scotland provides an excellent opportunity to promote your work to international promoters and producers, who often attend at different times through the festival, not just within the focus week. Therefore, it is our recommendation that you strongly consider a full run if selected for the showcase, particularly if you’re applying for £15,000 or £25,000.
In line with increased environmental sustainability efforts, working and collaborating internationally no longer just means touring your work. There are alternative ways for sharing Made in Scotland work internationally. You need to have considered what international ambitions you have, such as touring, sharing digitally, licensing or other methods. You do not need to have toured internationally previously or have an international tour already booked. However, if working internationally is not an ambition, then this programme is not for you.
Yes, Made in Scotland encourages Scotland-based artists to work in international collaboration.
As Northern Ireland, England and Wales are part of the UK, they are not considered international markets. The Republic of Ireland is deemed international.
Made in Scotland will not fully fund the creation of new work – it is intended to add to your existing funding to help create the best possible presentation of your show to potential international bookers. It is possible to apply for funding for a show which, at the point of application / decision, is still being developed and has not yet been fully created. In such cases, the panel will be looking for evidence that the project proposal holds merit and that the creative team behind the show could deliver a high-quality piece of work.
Yes, but only if it will provide the panel with an insight into certain aspects of the proposed piece. Based on feedback from previous panels, relevant digital assets are incredibly useful when panel members consider a proposal and are therefore strongly encouraged. However, providing material which does not relate to or offer an understanding of your work will hinder your application. Please note that you will be required to provide high-quality video material of your show by April, as the Made in Scotland team will put together promotional material for the showcase. More information on this will be provided to successful applicants.
Fringe Marketplace was created to connect international programmers, presenters and commissioners with professional artists and tour-ready work at the Fringe without the need to be physically present in Edinburgh. Made in Scotland companies will be expected to prepare material to host on Marketplace. These can include images, trailers, interviews, ‘making of’ footage and rehearsal recordings, reviews, tour packs and more. The creation of these can be included in your funding request.
You should demonstrate that you have considered the practicalities of sharing the work internationally, including plans for alternative models to physical touring. Research into specific international markets for your work is expected. In particular, you should be able to demonstrate the appeal of your show on an international level and demonstrate why your show stands out and would be of interest above a local company doing similar work. It would further benefit your application to identify specific international venues, festivals or programmers who you think would be interested in the work. You may also wish to include the details of any existing international links you have.
Made in Scotland will market the programme as a whole, but not individual work within it. Every company performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is ultimately responsible for their own promotion. It is important to understand how highly competitive it is to attract audience, media and promoter attention. Made in Scotland encourages international promoters to attend the Fringe and to programme high-quality work produced in Scotland in their venue and festival programmes. However, their decision to see your show will also be influenced by how appealing your marketing is. As such, it is recommended that you invest a great deal of planning (and potentially professional support) into your marketing campaign. Read the Fringe Society’s guidance on marketing your Fringe show.