Selection Process and Jury Work
Every project that applies for the circus arts creation programme is unique. With each edition, the jury and the programme team face new situations that raise questions, stimulate debate within the alliance and give the creation programme the opportunity to develop further. These new situations are actively discussed and voted on at the alliance meetings. Decisions are made by consensus with at least 10 of the 17 alliance partners present (as of early 2024). As a result, the Call for Proposals, the application documents, the list of criteria and the Zirkus ON profile become more defined year by year.
In 2022, a think tank was established to encourage dialogue and best practices with experts. The think tank discussed criticism, reviewed examples from other processes, developed new approaches to project selection and decision-making and presented them to the partners at the Alliance Conference. The think tank laid the groundwork for drafting a mission and an optimized selection process.
The Jury
For each edition, new individuals who represent specific expertise in their professional activity/artistic practice are proposed by a work group and commissioned by the Creative Alliance. These perspectives as defined by the Alliance are:
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perspective of Zirkus ON alliance partner as a venue
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perspective of Zirkus ON alliance partner as a festival
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perspective of artist / Zirkus ON alumni
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perspective dramaturgy, research, theory
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perspective outside the circus, art and society
By rotating the jury members, varying (social/political) insights, priorities and artistic expertise is integrated into the selection process.
To this end, the jury is invited to a discrimination sensitization workshop prior to the jury conference in order to identify potential blind spots and lacking awareness and to develop a code of conduct.
Selection Process
The application documents are checked for formal correctness by the team. Complete applications are made available to the jury.
In a first jury conference, all applications are discussed, statements for the subsequent feedback for applicants are documented and a shortlist is selected. In the second jury conference, shortlisted applications are discussed by the jury and the final 3 projects for the 6th Zirkus ON edition 2024-25 are selected. The list of criteria is public, part of the open call and the basis for the jury selection.
The alliance partners will be allowed to read submitted applications if permission was given in the application form. This allows projects that have not been selected by the jury to receive support from individual alliance partners should they be interested.
Examples of questions that (have) come up during the development of this element:
What connection to Germany should the applying project team have in order to be eligible for funding?
How can the balance between the international circus world and the mission to promote circus arts in Germany be resolved?
What should the balance between art and inclusion be?
Is it fair if an artist works with the Alliance or the programme team and continues to apply to Zirkus ON?
Who can apply?
Individual artists and companies can apply with the plan to implement a pioneering contemporary circus art creation in Germany in 2024-2025.
The creative alliance for circus arts - Zirkus ON is looking for new, open-format circus creations that strengthen and inspire the existing and future repertoire of contemporary circus art productions in and from Germany.
The following are excluded from applying: Graduation pieces, revival and project plans of apprentices/students or of artists and authors who have already been supported by Zirkus ON, as well as projects involving which participation of Zirkus ON employees.
Application Conditions
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Professional, freelance solo artists, companies and groups with a billing address or registered office in Germany
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The project deals with circus arts (open format)
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Creation has already begun
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Creation is primarily taking place in Germany
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Availability on the dates of the opening and stage presentations
