Year of Stories events fund

The YS22 Open Events Fund has been designed to support new, creative event proposals that will provide high profile content created in response to the 2022 Themed Year of Stories.

This will be a year in which stories inspired by, created, or written in Scotland will be showcased and celebrated. 

The love of stories is hardwired into us all; it is one of the strongest ways we connect with one another and share our experiences. Great stories, well told, can evoke indelible images in our minds and bring contemporary and traditional cultures to life. Every culture has its stories to tell, and Scotland has a particularly rich heritage of stories and storytelling to spotlight and celebrate. These include our local tales, oral traditions, great stories told in books or on screen – all inspired by our country, our culture and reflected back by many diverse voices and across the widest range of forms. Stories are vital to every part of Scotland. 

A programme of activity will be designed and delivered in celebration of the Themed Year to support the nation’s tourism and events sectors. The Year of Stories funded events programme will be central to the overall programme of activity delivered as part of the Themed Year.

The Year of Stories 2022 Open Events Fund

VisitScotland are seeking event proposals that will capture the imagination and help us to tell and to celebrate Scotland’s wealth of unique stories. Successful proposals must provide strong engagement opportunities that create key moments across the year capable of driving high levels of media coverage, audience awareness and attendance. Both brand new and one-off events as well as high profile new programme strands created to provide additionality within existing events or festivals specifically for the Themed Year are eligible.

A total fund value of £600,000 is available for eligible events planned to take place across 2022. Organisers may apply for individual grants of between £15,000 - £60,000. The deadline for all applications is Thursday 12 August 2021.

For full details and how to apply, visit the VisitScotland website.​