Expand Horizons

We are thrilled to introduce you to DG Unlimited’s new award for creatives!

Expand Horizons

Application Guidelines

Please read these guidelines carefully before applying.

Expand Horizons is DG Unlimited’s new award. It replaces the previous Innovate, Create, Cultivate Award Fund. The Awards are currently funded by DG Unlimited, supported in part by our partners Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Expand Horizons are awards of up to £500 for young creatives from 11 – 18 years old, and all creative practitioners or freelancers of any age working in the creative sector in Dumfries and Galloway. Applicants can be engaged in any creative practice but must be able to demonstrate their exceptional talent in their chosen creative practice and a clear commitment to their creative practice.

The Awards can be used to contribute toward the costs associated with attending galleries and exhibitions, professional events, professional development seminars or workshops, conferences, or as a contribution toward the costs required to visit other events, artists or projects anywhere in Europe.

The purpose of our Expand Horizons Award is to enable emerging creatives and creative practitioners to:

  • Research and develop their practice by learning from others outside of Dumfries and Galloway.
  • Generate bold new ideas and potential cross-border professional connections, partnerships and potential collaborations which will be of direct benefit to the award recipient, the quality of their work, and ultimately the creative sector in Dumfries and Galloway.
  • Be inspired by and learn from the work of other artists, makers, and creative projects outside Dumfries and Galloway.
  • Expand creative thinking to positively influence your own approach to your creative practice or work within the creative sector.

Who Can Apply

This award is open to DG Unlimited Members only. If you are not a member, we warmly invite you to become a member here.

When you apply, please tell us which membership group you are registered with. Members from the following membership tiers are eligible to apply:

Rising Stars | Comet | Meteor

Applicants are required to provide strong evidence of their creative practice and development.  We ask that any applications from members are for activities that are not linked to, or part of any formal education programmes or courses you are currently enrolled in or plan to enrol for. Rising Star Applications must be made by a Mentor, Teacher, Parent or Guardian.

The Awards are for creative development, and to encourage you to expand your horizons and look beyond the region for your creative inspiration.

Applicants must currently live and work in, or have strong links with Dumfries and Galloway:

If you grew up in Dumfries and Galloway and attended school in the region but now reside anywhere in Scotland as a student or working creative practitioner, we will consider your application.

Recipients of previous DG Unlimited funding awards including ICC or Bright Sparks awards are not eligible to apply for three years from date of receipt of their last award.

Applications are for awards of up to £500 per person. If you are applying for an award in order to attend specific events or to travel, quotes e.g. entry and/or travel ticket prices and dates need to be provided.

These are rolling awards

This is a rolling award and there is no set closing date. However, please note that awards are for activities which must take place and be completed before 31st March 2026. One member will be awarded with an expanding horizons award per month.

The Impact Our Award Will Make

We will consider awards for applicants who can clearly demonstrate:

  1. how the award will expand their creative practice, ideas, and build their knowledge and confidence in creative areas they are not currently experienced in.
  2. how the award will help them build their own creative practice and positively contribute to Dumfries and Galloway’s creative sector.

We also appreciate that you may wish to and encourage you to use this award as leverage by using it as match funding for other funding applications that you may be applying for.

How we Assess the Applications

Decisions are made regularly by a panel of DG Unlimited Trustees and independent panelists. Successful applications should:

  • Demonstrate commitment to your chosen creative practice and work via a portfolio, CV, or suitable evidence.
  • Provide a clear budget with a detailed breakdown of costs.

Some examples of what we will fund

The types of activities and costs that this fund can contribute to include:

  • attending galleries and exhibitions
  • attending professional events or conferences
  • attending creative professional development seminars or workshops
  • visiting an artist studio or creative project if you can demonstrate how it will expand your practice
  • contribute to the costs required to visit events, artists, or projects

We will consider applications for activities anywhere in Europe.

Some examples of what we will not fund

The types of activities and costs this award cannot contribute to include:

  • Academic (school, FE, HE, or above) or professional course or school fees.
  • Self-publishing, manufacturing or and distribution costs for creative products.
  • Requests for equipment art or crafts materials.
  • Childcare/nursery costs.
  • Projects part-funded from another DG Unlimited funding source.
  • Activities already completed by the date of the application.
  • Contributions to daily living expenses in Scotland.
  • Activities in Dumfries and Galloway.

Our decision-making process

You will receive a decision within 4 weeks of us receiving your application. Please bear this timeline in mind when you are applying. If we need to clarify any details this may extend the time required to complete your application. 

Payment of the Award

100% of the award will be released on meeting all conditions of the award and the signing of your funding award acceptance letter. Conditions of the award are that you, as the recipient, will agree to submit a report and images to DG Unlimited on your funded activity which will be used for our Expand Horizons Blog and featured in our FOCUS magazine. We will also ask you to display a special Expand Horizons Award logo on your socials and website if you have one. We want to know how this award has helped you expand your horizons! Your experience will inspire other DG Unlimited members and creatives from our region. You will also be invited to an annual event of all the recipients of the Expand Horizons Award.

Subsequent applications

Successful applicants will be limited to one award every three financial years.  You are eligible to apply for other DG Unlimited funds when they are available, providing you have not been in receipt of any of them within the last three financial years (April to March of any given year). This ensures everyone has a fair and equitable chance and opportunity to apply for our funding while also making sure different creatives benefit from the funding every year.

Contact details

Please contact comms.dgu@gmail.com to request an application form.