• Creative professionals/individual artists;
• Entities registered with the Malta Business Registry (including companies, partnerships, foundations, and organisations/associations);
• Groups, collectives, and consortia;
• Registered cooperatives;
• Voluntary organisations enrolled with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.

Click here to download the guidelines and click here to download application template.

Application Deadline: 17th June 2025

Rank Order

Beneficiary: Nico Conti 

Reference number: ARTS90-25-6135 

Project Title: Reflections on Porcelain 

Amount awarded: €10,100 

Reflections on Porcelain is a solo exhibition by Maltese artist Nico Conti, taking place at the Malta Society of Arts from 25 September to 23 October 2025. Through five conceptually distinct rooms, the exhibition traces Conti’s evolving relationship with porcelain as both material and metaphor. Drawing from personal memory, literary influence, and years of technical refinement, the artist presents porcelain not only as a craft but as a vehicle for narrative, emotion, and transformation. Conti uses 3D-printed porcelain – combining traditional techniques with digital innovation – to challenge the perception of ceramics as purely decorative. The exhibition highlights the emotional and psychological depth of working with porcelain, encouraging reflection on care, memory, and artistic vulnerability. A public programme of talks, workshops, and studio tours will support audience engagement, fostering a deeper appreciation for ceramic practice. The exhibition contributes to Malta’s evolving cultural landscape and offers a space for thoughtful engagement with material, form, and artistic process. 

Beneficiary: Studio 18 

Reference number: ARTS105-25-6150 

Project Title: ‘ILMA’ – A new theatre piece rooted in Malta’s Aquatic Sports Scene 

Amount awarded: €30,000 

ILMA is a socially engaged theatre project developed by Studio 18 that transforms real-life experiences from Malta’s aquatic sports community into a powerful, research-based stage performance. Rooted in applied theatre methodologies, this work unpacks complex issues of power, identity, mental health, and silence within competitive sports culture. Developed in collaboration with Ocean Mindset, Għum u Għin, and the Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sports, ILMA blends personal testimony, sound design, physical theatre, and cultural reflection to create a production that speaks to athletes, youth, and broader audiences alike. Through both the performance and its parallel outreach programme, ILMA aims to be more than a show – it is a cultural intervention into how we support, hear, and protect the next generation. 

Beneficiary: Sheldon Saliba  

Reference number: ARTS76-25-6117 

Project Title: Chapters from the Technosphere: Reimagining Ways of Living in the Post-Anthropocene 

Amount awarded: €30,000 

Chapters from the Technosphere is a collaborative, research-led project that culminates in a site-specific exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv (Dec 2026–Jan 2027). Drawing on the concept of the technosphere: a planetary-scale system of human-made infrastructures and material residues, the project treats the exhibition space as a living laboratory for interrogating how contemporary systems of extraction, energy, water and food shape the world we inhabit. Developed by artist Sheldon Saliba and curator Elyse Tonna through a process of fieldwork and speculative archaeology, the project challenges dominant artworld roles by embedding curatorial and artistic collaboration throughout. The exhibition will unfold across four conceptual chapters and evolve over time through material installation, living systems, and collective input. As a laboratory, the project will inherently generate a curated public programme and a publication, bringing together collaborators, contributors, and communities through events, workshops, and critical writing. 

Beneficiary: Gillian Vassallo 

Reference number: ARTS75-25-6116 

Project Title: Opera Nova Project presents W.A. Mozart’s The Magic Flute 

Amount awarded: €30,000 

Opera Nova Project’s co-production with Teatru Manoel of Mozart’s beloved opera The Magic Flute, promises to be an exciting collaboration. This production will feature a local cast, offering a unique platform to showcase upcoming local talent on a major operatic stage. In partnership with the renowned Fames Institute, an orchestra of European and local musicians will blend musical excellence with cultural exchange. The initiative reflects Opera Nova Project’s ongoing commitment to nurturing emerging artists by creating transformative performance opportunities. For the young singers involved, this is a career-defining experience, allowing them to work alongside seasoned professionals, gain exposure, and develop their craft in a high-calibre production. Audiences can expect a vibrant, imaginative and wholly accessible interpretation of The Magic Flute. We hope to retain our established opera audiences whilst opening doors to young people, who may have never experienced the excitement of live opera. 

Beneficiary: Kimberley Sammut 

Reference number: ARTS80-25-6123 

Project Title: Just For Today 

Amount awarded: €30,000 

Just For Today is an exploration of grief as a living, embodied experience that defies linear progression. Rooted in the beneficiary’s personal journey through the loss of her aunt, this project examines how mourning unfolds in waves—fluid, cyclical, and intertwined with memory, presence, and absence. Through a multidisciplinary approach combining photography, sound, painting, and installation, the applicant seeks to create spaces where grief can be shared, and vulnerability becomes a source of communal strength. This work is fundamentally collaborative; weaving diverse perspectives and practices, it seeks to deepen understanding and create meaningful connections. The team includes curator, therapists, and community members. Together, we question conventional, private models of mourning by embracing bodily practices and collective rituals in an inclusive environment. Just For Today invites audiences to reimagine grief as a connective force that reshapes relationships between body, mind, and community. This project is a meditation on love’s endurance, transformation, and the power of art to hold what is often unspeakable. 

Beneficiary: Culture Venture 

Reference number: ARTS100-25-6147 

Project Title: The Sunshine Girl – A New Musical 

Amount awarded: €30,000 

The Sunshine Girl is a new Maltese musical by Malcolm Galea and Kris Spiteri, set to premiere at Spazju Kreattiv during Malta Pride Week in 2026. Inspired by true events emerging from Malta’s entertainment industry in the 1980s, the story follows a group of characters, centred on the experiences of transwomen as they navigate identity, resilience, and community across generations. Originally developed through an R&D process in 2024, the project has since evolved from a solo piece into an ensemble work, shaped by community engagement and creative experimentation. This production aims to address the urgency of trans stories on stage, celebrate LGBTQIA+ history, and introduce fresh, underrepresented voices to the musical theatre canon. 

Beneficiary: Luke Camilleri 

Reference number: ARTS34-25-6010  

Project Title: Il-Kelma Li Ma Tgħidx 

Amount awarded: €22,624 

This performance project is profoundly inspired by a personal experience of sexual assault occurring a decade ago, perpetrated by three acquaintances. Navigating the subsequent trauma and a complex court process, where a favourable verdict resulted in a limited restraining order and one perpetrator, a minor, went uncharged, highlighted significant challenges. The performance’s core aim is to empower those who have endured similar experiences to break their silence. It serves as a vital platform to educate on and challenge the pervasive stigma surrounding male rape, emphasizing the availability of support and assuring survivors they are not alone. The initiative directly confronts the misconception that men are immune to such experiences or incapable of expressing deep emotions. Furthermore, this performance is a heartfelt tribute to the Maltese police force’s invaluable support, specifically dedicated to the late Superintendent Edel Mary Camilleri. She personally handled the case and provided crucial assistance, leaving an indelible mark on the survivor’s journey, thus honouring her legacy and the vital role of compassionate law enforcement. 

Beneficiary: Matthias Camilleri 

Reference number: ARTS118-25-6161 

Project Title: Collision 

Amount awarded: €30,000 

“Collision” will be a 30 to 40 minute clown-esque circus-dance-theatre performance, developed, created and produced with the help of this funding scheme between January and May 2026. This production will focus on themes of othering, gender dynamics, consent, equality, social justice, environmentalism and saying “no”.  The collaborators will conduct movement research into the poetic potential of acrobatics and develop a movement language specifically focusing on lifting and partnering in which the female lifts the male for prolonged sequences. The research will explore inter- and trans- disciplinary character development with investigation into themes of meeting a stranger, trauma, boundaries, and communication. Previews and performances will be shared with youth, invited audiences, and the general public to receive feedback from diverse perspectives. Primary artistic collaborators are Matthias Camilleri, Paige Allerton, Albert Garzia, Zowij. Makes and Culture Venture. 

Beneficiary: Du Theatre Foundation 

Reference number: ARTS49-25-6052 

Project Title: Ħobżna ta’ Kuljum 

Amount awarded: €30,000 

Ħobżna ta’ Kuljum is a new original play written and directed by Simone Spiteri, produced by Dù Theatre, and set during Malta’s 1977 nationwide bread strike. Blending fiction and oral history, it explores gender, survival, and social change through the collapse of a Maltese family set against national unrest. Rooted in testimonies from women and bakers of the era, the production offers an emotionally resonant portrayal of womanhood across generations. Alongside the performance, the project includes school workshops, post-show discussions, and a documentary collaboration with Maypole on traditional breadmaking. 

Beneficiary: Joseph Smith 

Reference number: ARTS91-25-6136 

Project Title: Still Time 

Amount awarded: €28,640 

Multi-disciplinary exhibition to mark the applicant’s 50th year as a practicing artist and will feature works from this artistic journey. 

Beneficiary: Michelle Gruppetta 

Reference number: ARTS99-25-6146 

Project Title: Urban Wildlife 

Amount awarded: €29,954 

This proposal outlines a 12 month-long project dedicated to the design and creation of a series of approximately 40 risograph printed illustrations, designed and printed by around 10 local artists. These illustrations will depict local flora and fauna that are either endangered, extinct or have been successfully rehabilitated. These illustrations will be accompanied by researched information about those species, as well as information as to what we, the public, can do to bolster and protect Maltese nature. The final outcome will be exhibited for 4 weeks at the Malta Society of Arts. This will be a collaborative group exhibition of 10 artists (including the applicant.) We will create an Open Call to find the other 9 artists. Each artist will be expected to create 4 illustrations. A list of which flora and fauna we will illustrate will be compiled, by consulting NGOS such as Nature Trust and BirdLife, as well as by consulting a list of local publications, which are listed below. 

Beneficiary: Miriam Galea 

Reference number: ARTS25-25-5990 

Project Title: Ġewwieni 

Amount awarded: €20,240 

Ġewwieni is an art exhibition that explores the dialogue between text and image and writing and drawing in contemporary drawing and speculative narration. This project investigates the intersections where writing transforms into drawing, and where drawing embodies the rhythm and gesture of handwriting. It aims to challenge the traditional boundaries between these disciplines, inviting the audience to experience a space where visual and verbal languages merge, overlap, and echo one another. The exhibition also explores non-linear and speculative narration. As with the title of the exhibition, Ġewwieni, this project treats the female body both introspectively and physically. Other themes include delusional love, men and masculinity and autoportraits and the female gaze, presenting a narrative inspired by the artist’s own personal archeology resonating with contemporary universal themes. 

Beneficiary: Vince Briffa 

Reference number: ARTS92-25-6137 

Project Title: For Want of (not) Measuring 

Amount awarded: €22,207 

‘For Want of (not) Measuring’ (FWo(n)M) is an eclectic exhibition that brings together a group of local and international artists who explore the problematic and poetic use of systems and measurement. The exhibition will be held at the upper floor galleries at Spazju Kreattiv. The show’s narrative will take a metaphysical approach to exploit the corporeal use of what we deem to be the measuring apparatus. It will include the practices of drawing and painting, photography, film and sculptural installation. In attempting to understand the world through measurement, we often overlook how imprecise and fallible our systems really are. While numbers and metrics provide a framework for analysis, they frequently fail to capture the full complexity of lived experience. This gap between quantitative measurement and qualitative reality reveals itself in countless ways – from the limitations of pain scales in medicine to the inadequacy of standardised testing in education. The space between what is measured and what is actually experienced suggests that our understanding often emerges from uncertainty rather than precision. When we acknowledge the limitations of quantification, we begin to see how measurement systems are useful tools rather than absolute truths. This recognition matters not just for scientific accuracy, but for how we approach knowledge and understanding across all fields – from data analysis to personal experience to artistic expression. 

Beneficiary: Yasmin Kuymizakis 

Reference number: ARTS97-25-6142 

Project Title: Ġiżimina Album: Reviving Maltese Folk Through Contemporary Sound 

Amount awarded: €16,051 

This project, led by Maltese musician Yasmin Kuymizakis under her alter ego Ġiżimina, centers on creating an album inspired by traditional Maltese folk music, particularly għana and Maltese guitar sounds. The work reimagines these elements through contemporary and accessible production, incorporating archival samples and field recordings from Malta. The project aims to blend heritage with modern songwriting to engage younger audiences and renew appreciation for Maltese musical culture. By bridging traditional Maltese sounds with today’s music landscape, Ġiżimina seeks to preserve and revitalize local heritage, making it relevant and appealing to new generations. 

Beneficiary: Pete Galea 

Reference number: ARTS42-25-6034 

Project Title: Ħoss Project – Debut Album 

Amount awarded: €29,976 

Ħoss Project is a queer-led jazz fusion quartet currently based in Rotterdam, featuring a diverse lineup of Maltese and international artists. Their debut album offers a sonic representation of bandleader Pete Galea’s experience as a Maltese person navigating life between Malta, London, and Rotterdam. Rooted in a rhythmic approach shaped by studies in various rhythmic cultures, the music blends influences from modern jazz, electronic, and metal scenes. Following their debut tour in April 2025, the album will showcase intricately arranged compositions interwoven with spontaneous improvisation and rhythmic interplay. Ħoss Project’s sound is both personal and progressive—honouring Malta’s cultural identity while reaching outward to global creative currents. Accompanying the album is a visual campaign featuring a mini documentary that offers insight into the band’s collaborative process. Through this work, Ħoss Project aims to contribute to the development of Malta’s musical identity, blending different approaches to contemporary, boundary-pushing expression. 

Beneficiary: Lucia Hunt 

Reference number: ARTS73-25-6113 

Project Title: BLOW-UP by City of Art 

Amount awarded: €30,000 

BLOW-UP takes Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 film of the same title as its starting point. It is a multidisciplinary project which will include an exhibition of contemporary artworks with historical artefacts; a film series; a fashion and music installation; an extensive catalogue publication and a series of satellite events including lectures, talks and curatorial tours. The intention is to create an immersive and multi-pronged experience with diverse socio-cultural and educational aims for audiences of different ages and demographics. The project —like Antonioni’s film—explores the juxtaposition of reality and fantasy, violence and glamour, sound and silence, darkness and light. It is interested in the notion of spectacle and the way modern life is dominated by images and representations. It is focused on the act of looking and the gaze through a photographer’s or director’s camera, as well as the ambiguity of pictorial reality which originates from the volatile period of the 1960s. 

Beneficiary: Simone Ellul 

Reference number: ARTS45-25-6040  

Project Title: Improvizza! 2026 

Amount awarded: €24,780 

Improvisational theatre is gaining ground in Malta, and this project supports that growth by offering workshops and performances that explore the creative potential of unscripted theatre. Led by Improvizza in collaboration with Spazju Kreattiv and local partners such as Two Black Cats Comedy, the project also engages with drama schools to open up access to emerging performers. Participants from different backgrounds—locally and internationally—come together to co-create, learn, and connect. Maltese improvisers will benefit from the opportunity to train with leading international teachers and build artistic networks that extend beyond borders. Rooted in the Right to Culture framework, the project promotes inclusion, creativity, and cultural participation through performance and collaboration. 

Beneficiary: Gwilym Bugeja 

Reference number: ARTS04-25-5947 

Project Title: Coming Out As A Magician 

Amount awarded: €23,287 

“Coming Out As a Magician” is Malta’s first theatrical comedy-magic show, created and performed by Gwilym Bugeja and directed by Malcolm Galea. This original one-man show follows a man “coming out” to his family and friends—not about his sexuality but about abandoning his full-time career to become a magician. Blending storytelling, stand-up, character impressions, and live illusions, the show explores the awkward hilarity of pursuing an unconventional dream. The production offers a unique and engaging live experience that fuses humour, magic, and personal narrative. It invites audiences into an intimate and entertaining reflection on identity, ambition, and the courage to be unapologetically yourself. 

Beneficiary: imagin-Arts Productions 

Reference number: ARTS86-25-6130 

Project Title: L-Aħħar 13 

Amount awarded: €19,660 

Experience the gripping theatrical adaptation of Ivan De Battista’s powerful Maltese novel, “L-Aħħar 13.” Published by Merlin Publishers, this profound story delves into the tragic life of a man whose destiny is shaped by relentless hardship and the will of others. He navigates a turbulent existence, marked by struggle and fleeting hope, ultimately facing a fate he cannot escape. This stage production promises to immerse audiences in the novel’s emotional depth and raw, poignant storytelling. Will bring to life themes of love, loss, broken hearts, abuse, sorrow, mental and physical illness, animal and people cruelty, resilience, and an unwavering human spirit through a tragic narrative where the protagonist’s existence is shaped by external forces and relentless hardship. The “L-Aħħar 13” stage adaptation will be a unique and impactful theatrical experience, reflecting the very heart of Maltese literature. 

Beneficiary: Malta Chamber of Scientists 

Reference number: ARTS38-25-6022 

Project Title: Past Forward 

Amount awarded: €24,800 

The Past Forward Festival on the 26th and 27th September in Valletta, is an inclusive initiative that seeks to establish a dynamic platform that celebrates and amplifies science and the arts in all communities. By integrating individuals from diverse backgrounds—including those with disabilities, refugees, and marginalised groups—this project aims to foster a culture of inclusivity, empathy, and social cohesion. Participants will engage in collaborative workshops, culminating in public performances and installations that not only showcase the importance of research and creativity but also have the potential to highlight their unique stories and talents. 

Beneficiary: Clare Ghigo 

Reference number: ARTS18-25-5977 

Project Title: Crepuscule 

Amount awarded: €30,000 

Crepuscule is a music preservation initiative dedicated to reviving Malta’s forgotten chamber songs from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The project focuses on restoring and recording vocal works by Maltese composers such as Giuseppe Camilleri, Paolino Vassallo, Carlo Diacono and Jose Mallia Pulvirenti, whose chamber music contributions have been overlooked despite their historical and artistic value. Through careful archival research, professional recordings, and digital distribution, we aim to bring these compositions back to public attention. The project will make the music freely available online with informative content and translated materials. In hosting public launches and similar events both locally and internationally, this program makes itself attractive for its inclusion in existing ECoC and National activities, thus underlining Malta’s important cultural legacy across European cities. With support from Arts Council Malta, Crepuscule will safeguard these musical treasures while celebrating Malta’s unique position in European cultural history. 

Beneficiary: Stephanie Galea 

Reference number: ARTS12-25-5960 

Project Title: Nisa 

Amount awarded: €30,000 

NISA is a stylised photography and film-based project that explores Maltese identity through seven acts, each centred on a female protagonist or culturally significant practice. The work reimagines various Maltese traditions and ways of life through a feminist and cinematic lens, celebrating strong, unconventional women while collaborating with Maltese and international creatives across costume, film, sound and performance. Through richly layered visuals and storytelling, NISA seeks to reframe the female narrative in Malta—moving beyond stereotype to offer new representations rooted in beauty, humour, rebellion, and power. The final outcome will be a series of short video works to be presented in a screening exhibition in Malta. A book and multi-media exhibition will follow with additional funding. NISA is a love letter to Maltese women and an invitation to see our island in a bold, new light. 

Beneficiary: Samira Damato 

Reference number: ARTS81-25-6124 

Project Title: Birżebbuġa Days and Nights: Promenade Walks 

Amount awarded: €21,352 

B’Bugia Days and Nights blends elements of oral history, documentary filmmaking, and site-responsive public art. At the heart of the project are three carefully selected interviews, each featuring a local resident who guides us—through story and memory—on a walk along the Birżebbuġa promenade. These individuals (an elder person, a young freeport worker, and a resident with a migratory background) become informal narrators of the town’s past, present, and future. As they walk, they stop at specific points of personal and communal significance, sharing stories that speak to both their lives and the wider transformation of the town. These stops are not random—they are geographically and historically charged locations that reflect critical shifts in the town’s identity. Each location is physically marked with a QR code, enabling visitors to access the corresponding video story at the exact place it unfolds. The promenade itself becomes both stage and archive.