Digital artists’ opportunity 

The Medieval Ideas Creative Lab Digital Artists’ Bursaries offers digital artists a unique opportunity for playful experimentation and the space to create. The Creative Lab Digital Bursaries are conceived as transformative artistic grants, for digital artists to explore new approaches and ways of thinking through engaging with the Middle Ages and medieval collections in Cambridge. The digital bursaries are designed to develop new artistic work-in-progress and introduce artists to new sources. 

The opportunity is open to digital artists internationally and is not confined to any single aesthetic or theme, except that the artists are expected to engage with medieval primary sources in Cambridge collections, including in facsimile (medieval manuscripts, images, narratives, objects and other materials). Artists with no previous experience of working with the Middle Ages are particularly encouraged to apply. We seek adventurous artists and those whose work will open up the exploration of the Middle Ages to a diverse range of communities.  

Practical Information 

These are envisioned as three-month Bursaries and will begin in January 2026 and end in December 2026 (successful Bursary holders will be able to decide the precise dates of their bursary). The residency is mostly ‘virtual’; it does not require a residency period in Cambridge, but they will require the artist to visit Cambridge in person at least once during the Bursary for a minimum of three days and for a creative conference in early 2027. We hope to award 5 bursaries. 

The Bursary will provide selected artists with the opportunity to work closely with medieval materials in Cambridge collections. It is intended to encourage digital artists to experiment with new approaches to their practice and to make progress in developing new work that will be presented during the Bursary and beyond. Technical support may also be available from Cambridge Digital Humanities. Rights to work produced will remain with the artist (although see the note on the Lab’s GIPHY channel below). The expectations are that the successful artists will 

• visit Cambridge at least once during their Bursary for a minimum of three days to engage with medieval collections in the university 

• Participate in a creative conference in Cambridge in early 2027 [date to be confirmed] 

• Produce at least one short digital GIF on a medieval theme for the Medieval Ideas Creative Lab’s GIPHY channel, to be made available to the public. Document about the work produced may also be displayed on University of Cambridge website as a way of disseminating information about the scheme and the Lab. 
   
  The Bursary is financially supported by: 

An award of £6,000 GBP will be paid to the successful candidate. This amount is a contribution towards the artist’s living costs and expenses and will be paid at the beginning of the project. 

A production budget of £1,000 GBP will be made available against expenses to support the development of new work. 

A travel budget of up to £2,500 GBP depending on where the artist is based, will be available against expenses to support the cost of travel to/from Cambridge at least once during the Bursary and to attend a creative conference in Cambridge in early 2027. This budget should be used to cover any visa fees if relevant. Travel expenses will need to be in line with the University’s expenses policy (including economy class travel in normal circumstances).  

The deadline to apply is 5pm British Summer Time on 1 October 2025. The application form can be found below. 

The Selection Panel is looking for adventurous digital creatives who  

• are curious about the Middle Ages and how the medieval period might interface with digital creativity  

• can demonstrate high quality artistic ideas and outcomes 

• are open to experimentation and to learning from academics working in medieval scholarship 

We may wish to interview a short-list of candidates via Zoom or Teams.  

A studio and workspace are not provided. However, a production budget is available and successful Bursary holders will receive a Cambridge email login, access to Cambridge University Library and associated online resources. 

Any digital artist can apply for the Bursary regardless of nationality or country of residence, as long as the artist is out of full-time education by the start of the Bursary, over the age of 18 and willing to travel to Cambridge.  We actively encourage applications from artists with no previous experience of working with the Middle Ages or in an archival environment. The University of Cambridge is committed to non-discrimination and equal opportunities for all, regardless of sex, race, colour, religion and belief, ethnic or national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment, gender identity, gender expression or disability. Please refer to the University of Cambridge’s Equal Opportunities Policy for further information. 

The application form, as a PDF with text fields, can be found here:

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