British Council launches open calls for WOW Bangladesh 2025–2026
The British Council has announced two open calls for artists and cultural practitioners based in Bangladesh or the UK, and arts organisations located in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, and Sylhet.
The calls invite proposals for participation in WOW – Women of the World, a global movement celebrating women and girls, and addressing gender equality through art and culture.
Applications are open until 16 November 2025 at 11:59pm (Bangladesh Standard Time). Full details for both open calls are available on the British Council Bangladesh website. An online information webinar for registered applicants will be held on Thursday, 6 November 2025 at 5:30pm.
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The WOW – Women of the World movement envisions a gender-equal world that is both desirable and achievable. WOW Festivals were first introduced in Bangladesh through divisional chapters in 2017, culminating in a national festival in Dhaka in 2019.
For WOW Bangladesh 2025–2026, artists, cultural practitioners, and organisations are invited to submit proposals that engage with gender through artistic or cultural expression, focusing on one or more of the following themes:
- Film, Moving Image and Media Aesthetics
- Hyperobject meets hyperobject: Gender and the climate emergency
- STE(A)M: Science, Technology, (Arts), Engineering and Maths
Under the first open call, WOW Bangladesh Commissions 2025, grants of up to £12,000 (in equivalent Bangladeshi Taka) are available to support artists and cultural practitioners in developing, producing, and presenting new works, exhibitions, performances, or screenings in Bangladesh in 2026.
The second open call, WOW Bangladesh Chapters 2026, will support arts organisations in Chattogram, Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Sylhet to host, curate, produce, and present a day-long WOW Bangladesh Chapter event between 1 January and 30 August 2026. Grants of up to £23,000 (in equivalent Bangladeshi Taka) are available for this category.
Multiple grants will be awarded in both categories, open to all artistic and cultural disciplines. Applicants are encouraged to think boldly and collaboratively in proposing public exhibitions, performances, discussions, screenings, and other creative events exploring gender and contemporary social themes.
