Supports

• A grant of €3,000 is awarded to each Finalist project

• A co-production of €5,000 is awarded to each Laureate project

Each Finalist team benefits from a 10-day creation residency at a circusnext Platform partner venue abroad. It is an opportunity to work in a new artistic and geographical context, discover different realities of creation, and build connections with professionals and artists from another country. These residencies may be followed by a work-in-progress presentation to the host venue's audience.

Finalist and Laureate projects may be invited to present their work at Platform member venues across Europe — whether as work-in-progress showings or finished performances.

The 2028-2029 season will be dedicated to touring productions from the 2026, 2027 and 2028 editions across Europe.

Laureate authors present their work-in-progress to the public:

• In Paris at the circusnext Revelations

• At a circusnext Platform partner venue in Europe at the Revelations on tour

A public event to discover the emerging voices of contemporary circus

Each year, the four Laureate projects present a fragment of their work-in-progress to the general public at the circusnext Revelations in Paris. Whatever the format of the evenings, the spirit remains the same: to showcase the diversity of contemporary circus forms and create a meeting point between artists and their future audiences.

The Revelations continue each year with the Revelations on tour, hosted by a circusnext Platform member in Europe — giving Laureates a second opportunity to reach audiences and professionals in another country.

Moments that spark connections

For Laureates, these two events are an opportunity to bring their work before a diverse audience — circus enthusiasts, curious newcomers, and professionals — and to gather their reactions and feedback. Artists may also find new support to bring their creative work to completion: residencies, co-productions, and touring dates.

Since 2010, circusnext has been running artistic labs in a variety of contexts to support emerging authors in their creative process. Since 2022, around fifty artists benefit from them each year.

In each lab, 6 to 9 authors work collectively on their respective projects over 10 days at one of circusnext's partner venues. A genuine space for artistic experimentation, these labs are a key form of support that allows artists to:

• Develop their creative writing within a collective of authors, guided by an experienced artist

• Strengthen their ability to talk about and defend their project

• Exchange with artists and professionals from different backgrounds

• Discover a new territory and its local creative landscape

Two types of labs are offered each edition:

Seeding Labs — designed for artists identified during the national preselections but not preselected, these labs offer a first collective working space for promising projects that need more time to develop.

Finalist Labs — designed for the authors of the 10 Finalist projects of each edition, these labs build on the creative support already in place and help artists prepare for the next stages of their circusnext journey.

Mentors since 2022:

Morgan Cosquer, Rafaël de Paula, Kitsou Dubois, Jérôme Dupin, Marion Guyez, Kitt Johnson, Delphine Lanson, Darragh McLoughlin, Gael Santisteva, Claudio Stellato, Marta Tkatchuk, Fatou Traore, Alban Warette, Zed Zanzu

Supporting artists’ professional development

circusnext offers supported artists webinars and online workshops on cross-cutting themes — professionalisation, international mobility, sustainable practices, and safe working environments.

2025-2026 season:

• Producing Yourself: A Reflective Workshop on Circus Production Strategies

• New technologies in contemporary circus

• International cultural mobility: funding opportunities and trends

• Environmental sustainability and mobility in the arts' sector: how to collectively (continue) to act?

• Prevention of sexist and sexual violence and harassment

circusnext is committed to giving concrete visibility to selected projects at every stage of the journey.

For Finalists

circusnext provides artists with professional-quality communication materials and ensures their presence across the network's channels:

• An HD video recording of their work-in-progress presentation, made by Jean-Léo Bost

• Professional photographs taken at the same event by Christophe Raynaud De Lage

• A dedicated page on the circusnext website, with biography and project presentation

• Inclusion in the printed edition brochure, distributed to professionals across Europe

• Regular coverage on circusnext's social media throughout their supported period (residencies, performances, news)

For Laureates, in addition

Laureates receive further support to boost their media presence:

• A video portrait made by Jean-Léo Bost

• A written interview and coaching on how to speak about their work to journalists, by Valentina Barone

Onstage presentations and interviews with the Laureates' Jury

Each year, the Selection of Laureates brings together the Finalist projects in Paris for the final stage of the circusnext Platform selection process.

Authors present a 20-minute work-in-progress on stage before a panel of European professionals: the Laureates' Jury, representatives of European partner venues, and an invited audience of professionals. Alongside these presentations, each author takes part in an interview with the jury that will designate the 4 Laureate projects.

Meetings between artists and professionals

Throughout the week, dedicated exchange sessions are organised to give artists the opportunity to present their projects to professionals and build connections within the European network.

* The Selection of Laureates is a professional event — by invitation only.