2025 Call for Emerging Artist Ambassadors

BC Culture Days is now accepting applications to the 2025 Ambassador Program. Emerging artists of all disciplines (from visual and media artists to dancers, musicians, poets, writers, actors, and more) are invited to apply to the 2025 program. This annual professional development program is for emerging artists in B.C. who desire an equitable opportunity to advance their artistic career by developing event planning, facilitation and community engagement skills, participating in a mentorship, and growing their professional network. It is a predominantly self-directed program with support from BC Culture Days staff and requires both in-person (in your local area) and online participation through the months of May to October 2025.

As part of the Ambassador Program, six emerging artists from across the province will:

1. Receive an event budget and artist fee totalling $2,000 to present a free community-based arts event in their local area, featured as part of the BC Culture Days CARE (Community Arts Reimagining Equity & Wellness) Series for Culture Days (between September 19 - October 12, 2025).

2. Participate in a paid 3-month mentorship ($1,500 total for approx. 8 hrs/month) with an established artist of their choice.

3. Participate in professional development workshops in Trauma-informed Art Practices, Event Planning and Accessibility, and Indigenous Relations and Allyship.

4. Receive media training and act as a Culture Days media spokesperson for their community from August-October.

Given the importance of regional representation for this program, priority will be given to applicants from outside Metro Vancouver or rural and remote communities. Artists who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), Black, a Person of Colour, disabled, Deaf, hard of hearing, chronically ill, mad, trauma-impacted, neurodivergent, gender diverse, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ are strongly encouraged to apply. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list of racialized, disability, and equity-deserving identities.

Applications close March 3, 2025 at 11:59pm PT.

Please read the full call for artists for information on eligibility and the application process: https://culturedays.ca/en/bc/2025-call-for-ambassadors.

Have questions or need more info? Please register to join BC Culture Days on Tuesday February 18 at 12:00PM PT via Zoom for our Ambassador Program info session—https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvduysqDkiH9C2w64zAvIQ-4l1022j9Fe_#/registration. ASL Interpretation will be available as well as Zoom closed captioning.

For assistance or additional inquiries, please contact [email protected].

Photo credit: 2024 BC Culture Days Ambassadors, Jesse Medrano-Ramos and Harmeet Kaur Virdee. Photo by Mallory Gemmel.