Ignition Awards

Developmental support to put the spark into ambitious projects

Ignition Awards are the fund for exhibitors who want to take their audience development to the next level. 

They're for organisations who have the ability to pilot new film programmes, trial focused audience outreach work and build their successes into sustainable activity.

In 2020, our Ignition Awards are focused on supporting projects that meet one or more of our key strategic objectives. These are: developing young audiences, promoting inclusivity and showcasing screen heritage. We're also committed to improving access to independent, British and international film right across our region, and are looking for proposals that will provide a valuable cultural resource to audiences in areas with limited access to cinema.

Ignition Awards are open to a range of organisations and supported projects can vary in length, scale and format. You can find examples of work we've supported in the past below and elsewhere on our site. All activity should take place between May 2020 and March 2021. Successful proposals should have ambitions to continue beyond this period; serving audiences in the long-term and continuing after the initial phase of Film Hub North funding.

The Ignition Awards submission process is designed to help you develop your ideas into successful proposals. In the first instance, there's no application form or intensive administration - just a brief project outline to kick-start a conversation with our team. Take a look at the Funding Guidelines for more information on how to get involved.

Ignition Awards will open for a second round of proposals in July 2020. This second round of proposals may be smaller, so if your project is sufficiently developed at this stage we encourage you to apply by 23 March 2020.