ThisGen Fellowship 2026

The stories which shape our future must reflect the richness and diversity of the communities we live in.

ThisGen Fellowship empowers a focused cohort of diverse mid-career IBPoC (Indigenous, Black, Person of Colour) creatives, to transform the cultural sector with bold, creative approaches to leadership.

The program is built to break down the barriers keeping these visionary artists out of traditional leadership circles. Through an immersive program of paid training, hands-on residencies and labs, and peer support, mentorship from industry leading producers and directors, Fellows will develop methods, approaches, and insights that ripple beyond individual projects into the wider cultural ecosystem.

How does it work?

ThisGen’s transformation begins with the Fellows themselves, as they formulate a research question to explore and expand their own process, with guidance from expert cultural leaders and mentors. This is not a Fellowship designed around producing a finished work. It is about rigorous, reflective, and experimental inquiry.

The research question is carried throughout the project, acting as a focus while the Fellows explore and expand their practice through:

• recognition and peer connection to build confidence and share learnings

• skill-building through keynotes, mentorship, and industry placements

• networking with organisations ready to develop and respond to the Fellows ideas.

As they enter industry placements, they spread that transformation outwards through our partnerships with leading festivals, theatre companies and arts organisations.The result is stronger organisations, creating boundary-pushing, resonant stories that reflect our diverse community more vividly than ever before. 

2026 Cohort Breakdown:

ThisGen 2026 will offer two streams (Director & Cultural Leader) and will have a 6-10 person cohort made up of WA, interstate and Asia-Pacific/national artists. We encourage particularly artists from Indonesia, India, Korea and the UK to apply.

Why now?

As leading storytellers, driven to find invisible stories and make them visible, Encounter understands the responsibility to revolutionise how the industry operates. ThisGen is not just about our desire for change; it is a necessary step for the sustained growth and vibrancy of the arts sector in our region. With this Fellowship we are connecting communities globally, fostering intercultural understanding, and creating a healthier, more transparent, and more accountable industry. 

And this is an effort which cannot wait for the next generation – we need to start immediately. It’s vital to establish a turning point and address the lack of leadership pathways for talented, diverse artists before they leave the local cultural sector, seeking opportunity elsewhere. We’ve already observed a mass exodus of talent as our creatives grow out of the amateur space. We must take action and retain those voices within our communities if we want to be prepared for the challenges that are facing our society.

ThisGen is a Climate Solution

Through ThisGen 2026, the Fellows’ creative wisdom and cultural insight will help advance culture-based solutions that protect and regenerate the Earth, support communities and centre climate justice. The Earth’s life-supporting systems are in collapse, threatening biodiversity and the wellbeing of societies everywhere. Yet despite culture being central to all our lives, the arts and creative industries remain largely unrecognised as part of the climate solution. Through mentorship, collaboration and leadership development, ThisGen 2026 will empower artists whose work drives environmental action, amplifies community knowledge and centres First Nations leadership in caring for Country. By placing arts and culture at the heart of climate response, Fellows will help transform the systems that shape our world — leading change that allows life on Earth to thrive.

Timeline