CALL OUT: PGR Creative commissions for Light Night 2025
Creative public engagement opportunity for postgraduate research students to bring light to their research.
The Cultural Institute is offering two £1000 commissions for PGRs to develop and present a creative installation, activity, performance or event for Light Night 2025 on campus.
Light Night is the UK’s largest annual arts and lights festival, taking place in Leeds every October. Up to 150,000 people will visit Leeds city centre to experience spectacular artworks and captivating performances.
Last year, over 13,000 people visited the University of Leeds campus to experience light-based performances, installations and events, including two commissioned artworks created by two PhD students:
- Iteration LN2024, by Kelly Cumberland from School of Design
- Imagining Recovery, by Eleanor Craig from School of Sociology
Building on this success, the Cultural Institute is coordinating a range of Light Night activities on campus to attract a family audience for an inspiring, inclusive and welcoming experience on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October 2025.
We are very keen to receive applications from PGRs and therefore this year we have increased the funding available, inviting PGRs to apply for an up-front commission of £1000, plus £250 fee to install and present the work at Light Night. There are two commissions available: one is linked to the Horizons Institute Polycrisis Network, and the other commission is an open call for researchers from any discipline.
The Cultural Institute team will provide creative production support as part of our coordination of the overall Light Night programme on campus.
These commissions are an opportunity for postgraduate researchers to engage public audiences with their research, and also develop and demonstrate employability skills such as creative thinking, project management, public engagement, teamwork, communication and budgeting. For full details, see the commission guidance.
We encourage any PGRs interested in this opportunity to contact the Cultural Institute team before submitting your proposal (contact details in commission guidance). We can help answer any questions, suggest practical solutions to any issues you anticipate, offer advice on technical, sustainability and accessibility aspects of producing creative works, and connect you with collaborators and networks.
Proposals can be submitted via the online application form by Tuesday 6 May.
If you have a creative, engaging and interesting idea to bring your research to a wider audience, we want to hear from you!
