Venice Fellowships Programme - Open Call for Fellows 2026

The Venice Fellowships Programme is a key part of the British Council’s presence in Venice, supporting the exhibition as well as being a platform for the development of emerging creative professionals and future leaders.

The Programme offers a unique opportunity for an Axis member to spend a month in Venice during the biennale, alongside a cohort of their peers, broadening their perspective, making new connections, networking and developing their creative practice.

As Exhibition Ambassadors at the British Pavilion, the Fellows invigilate and activate the exhibition. They engage visiting members of the public and expand the impact of the show. 

Alongside this practical residency, Fellows have the opportunity to develop their own research or practical creative projects and use the Biennale as a platform for artistic and professional development. Through these contributions, Fellows elevate the British Pavilion to an important reference point for universities and creative organisations around the world.

For 2026, British Council has a total of sixty (60) Fellowships places available. These Fellows will be selected and divided into Travel Groups. Each Fellow will receive a Travel Grant of £3,300 (three thousand and three hundred British pounds). One fellowship place is available for Axis members who have joined as an Axis member on or before 1 October 2024.

Fellows spend half their time working at the British Pavilion, acting as Exhibition Ambassadors and interacting with visitors and supporting the exhibition. The other half of the time spent in Venice is dedicated to Fellows being able to develop or exhibit their own independent research or creative project, inspired by the Biennale and Venice.

Find the full details from the Venice Fellowship Programme Guide >

What is the Venice Biennale?

The British Council has been the commissioner of the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale since 1937, presenting work by groundbreaking artists and pioneering architects. Now in its 61st year, running from May - November, the Biennale attracts up to 600,000 international visitors annually. A celebration of art and architecture, the Biennale explores themes of politics and contemporary cultural and social issues through performance, sculpture and installations. 

2026 British Pavilion Exhibition

The world-renowned British artist, Lubaina Himid RA, CBE (b. 1954, Zanzibar), will represent Great Britain and deliver a major solo exhibition of new work at the British Pavilion.

Known for a pioneering practice which addresses themes of race, history, feminism, cultural memory and identity, Lubaina Himid frequently employs storytelling and historical research to challenge dominant Eurocentric narratives and highlight the overlooked contributions of Black figures in Western history.

Himid lives and works in Preston, UK and is Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Art at the University of Central Lancashire. One of the pioneers of the Black British Art Movement, Himid curated several significant exhibitions in the 1980s and 1990s, such as Five Black Women (1983) at the Africa Centre, London and The Thin Black Line (1985) at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London, both of which showcased the work of Black female artists in response to their exclusion from mainstream galleries. In 2017, Himid was awarded the Turner Prize and in 2018 she received the honorary title of CBE for her contributions to the arts.

Find out more >
 

Funding

Fellows receive a grant of £3,300 (three thousand and three hundred British pounds) to help support the cost of travel, accommodation and living costs. 

Eligibility

> All paying Axis members are eligible to apply as long as they have joined as an Axis member on or before 1 October 2024. 

> Applications that do not meet this requirement will not be considered.
 
> Applicants must read the British Council Guidance Notes and programme requirements set out in their guide (>available here). If applicants cannot commit to these programme requirements, there is no need to apply. 

Application Process and Key Dates

> Download the application form template from the Venice Fellowship Programme Guide.

> Complete the application form.

> Submit your application through the link available in the How To Apply section at the bottom of this page.

Deadline: 11:59 pm 12 November 2025

If you experience technical difficulties please:

Contact the Axis Team (details below) before the deadline.
Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.
 

Selection

A panel, composed of members from the Axis team, will review all applications against the questions in the application form. Between three and five Axis members will be shortlisted for the available place and will be put forward to the British Council for final selection. Axis aims to inform all applicants as to whether or not their application was shortlisted in December 2025.

The British Council will review the shortlisted applications and notify the final candidate in January 2026. A virtual interview with a candidate may be required.

Pre-Fellowship Training

The successful applicant will receive full training by the British Council prior to beginning their Fellowship. This will include participating in 15 hours of compulsory online training and collaborative workshops to know more about Venice, La Biennale and British Pavilion exhibition content. It also provides a chance to network and meet others in the cohort of Fellows with which you will be working during your time in Venice. 

Through their training and experience in supporting the exhibition at the British Pavilion, Fellows learn techniques for enhancing a visitor’s understanding and expanding their perspectives on the show. The stewarding experience provides them with valuable work experience and confidence in contributing to a gallery setting. 

Post-Fellowship Expectations

After the Fellowship, the member that has been supported will be expected to engage with the Axis events and activities to help encourage other members to take part in future opportunities. These events and activities will be agreed at a later date.

Further Information

Please read the Venice Fellowship Programme Guide for detailed information about the programme and its requirements, and to download the application form template.  General information about the Venice Fellowship is available on the British Council’s website. 

Q&A sessions for interested candidates will be held by the British Council on the following dates via Teams:

This has been rescheduled from 20 October 2025 to take place instead on:
Monday 3 November 2025, 12pm-1pm BST Register here: Teams link

Wednesday 19 November 2025, 12pm-1pm GMT Register here: Teams link

Both sessions will cover the same topics:

> Overview of the 2026 Fellowships Programme Application Guidelines.
> Experiences from 2025 Fellows.
> Support and guidance for completing the 2026 application form.

Please note: A recording of the call will be automatically sent to all registered attendees. Please attend if you would like to receive the information.

Contacts
Sophie Lucas, venicefellowships@britishcouncil.org 
Emma Copley, hello@axisweb.org

How to apply

Applicants must 1) read the British Council Guidance which contains a link to the microsoft word application form template and 2) upload their complete application form and CV to the Axis link below, by the deadline.

1) British Council Guidance and application form template >

2) Application submission >