Category: General

Graphic with a pink-to-blue gradient background announcing: "New Executive Director at Homotopia: Welcome Isobel!" Subtext reads: "With a career spanning LGBTQIA+ arts, international advocacy and large-scale public events, Isobel brings a bold and collaborative approach to cultural leadership." The Homotopia logo with the words "Art Activism" appears in the bottom right.

New Executive Director at Homotopia: Welcome Isobel!

Homotopia Appoints Isobel Stainsbury as New Executive Director

Homotopia, the UK’s longest‑running LGBTQIA+ arts festival, is delighted to announce the appointment of Isobel Stainsbury as its new Executive Director.
Isobel is a cultural leader, activist and champion of queer arts, working at the intersection of culture, community and human rights. Rooted in grassroots organising, her practice centres the power of queer‑led culture to challenge injustice, build connection and imagine new futures.

With a career spanning LGBTQIA+ arts, international advocacy and large‑scale public events, Isobel brings a bold and collaborative approach to cultural leadership. In her current role as Human Rights Coordinator at the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA), she works with Pride movements and international institutions to resist attacks on LGBTQIA+ rights and strengthen global queer solidarity.

Isobel is widely recognised for bringing extraordinary people together to create vibrant, ambitious queer spaces. She has led bold teams and produced major events that prioritise accessibility, protect the most marginalised, and celebrate the full diversity of LGBTQIA+ communities.

As Executive Director of Homotopia, Isobel will champion daring queer artists and further grow the organisation’s reputation as a vital international platform for queer culture.

Isobel says:

“I’m thrilled to be joining Homotopia at such an important moment for queer culture. Art has always been a powerful space for our communities to imagine new futures, challenge injustice and celebrate who we are. I’m really excited to work with artists, audiences and partners to build on Homotopia’s incredible legacy and keep pushing queer culture forward from Liverpool.”

Laura Hall & John Shortell Co-Chairs of the Board of trustees says:

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Isobel to Homotopia. Her vision, her integrity and her deep commitment to queer communities make her an exceptional leader for this next chapter. The Board was inspired by her bold thinking and her belief in the transformative power of queer arts. We’re confident that under her leadership, Homotopia will continue to grow as a fearless, joyful and internationally significant force for cultural change.”

Open Call: Fact x Homotopia Digital Artist Residences

We’re proud to be partnering with FACT on their 2026 Digital Artist Residencies, supporting emerging digital artists across the North West of England and North Wales! Digital artist? This one’s for you.

Since 2020, FACT’s residencies have supported over 20 early-career artists to create ambitious new digital work, from podcasts and games to live streams, performances and interactive artworks. With the opening of Studio/Lab in 2024, artists now benefit from an experimental production space at the heart of FACT, offering access to mentorship, technical equipment and strong creative partnerships across Liverpool, including us. For 2026, FACT will host three residencies focused on world-building and creative experimentation using Unreal Engine. Artists will receive structured technical workshops led by Lucid Games, alongside curatorial and creative mentoring from FACT and their partner organisations.

No prior experience with Unreal Engine is required.

FACT is seeking artists working across disciplines who are interested in world-building and creating digital artworks that give audiences agency to shape or alter narratives. The works developed during the residency will be presented on FACT’s Studio/Lab Exhibition Wall in Autumn 2026 and hosted online.

Artists can apply with an existing project or idea in development, it doesn’t need to be brand new.

For more information about eligibility, project timelines and how to apply, please visit: https://www.fact.co.uk/news/2026/03/open-call-2026-digital-artist-residencies

We’re excited to support this opportunity alongside FACT, Lucid Games, DaDa and others, and we can’t wait to see the bold, experimental worlds that emerge!

Homotopia x Open Door: T-Shirt Competition!

We’re delighted to announce that we’re teaming up with local Merseyside charity Open Door to present a special Pride Month t-shirt campaign, the competition will raise funds for both charities, providing the opportunity for a LGBTQIA+ creative aged 16 – 25 to submit a t-shirt design for print!

The theme for submissions is ‘Queer Joy’, and finding ways through peer support and positive action to protect the mental health and wellbeing of queer people. The design doesn’t need to include the Homotopia or Open Door logos – if you’d like to incorporate our names into the design, that is completely up to you.

Here are some general ideas to get you started, however we’d love you to do this in your style and with your own personal approach to the theme:

•What does queer joy mean to you in the current political climate?
•What spaces in Liverpool make you feel queer joy and acceptance?
•What people do you find your joy with?
•How finding queer joy can positively influence your mental health and wellbeing

We are offering a £250 prize to the winning design, and the deadline for submissions is 5pm on Monday 30th March. You will be notified of the outcome via email.

The winning t-shirt design will be promoted during pride month by Homotopia and Open Door Charity, and sold via Everpress, with all profits being split equally between charities to be used in the facilitation of their projects and programmes. We will aim to launch the campaign on Monday 18th May.

The requirements for the design are as follows:

– The maximum print area is 396mm width x 490mm height.
– Any colour included in your design (such as white backgrounds, for example) will be printed onto the garments. If you need help adding a transparent background, follow the step-by-step guide on the Everpress Creator Toolkit.
– Your artwork should be in PNG format, 300 DPI resolution, and max 10MB.
Please note that anything lower than 300 DPI will not be detailed enough. You can check the DPI on Photoshop by selecting ‘image’, then ‘image size’. Bear in mind that when a file is exported as a PNG (instead of being re-saved as a PNG) it automatically saves at 72 DPI, so be sure to ‘save as’ (not ‘export as’) when saving from Photoshop.

For more information about the competition, or to submit your design, please visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSca0ROdAyoWwYtM1JVh8Y77HkTOygUkU7tLAnZBATRA6kMz9w/viewform

Good luck – we can’t wait to see your designs!

The Pansy Project – call out for submissions!

In March, in association with Open Eye Gallery and Homotopia, Paul Harfleet will be returning to Liverpool to plant pansies at sites of homophobia and transphobia. Before he presents a talk and takes part in a Q&A session at Open Eye Gallery, he will host a ‘Planting Tour’. This gives a chance for participants to witness the artist planting and documenting the pansies at sites where a hate crime has occurred. On the day, a small selection of locations will be made within walking distance of the gallery; the participants will then return to the gallery for conversation. This unique experience is a community-affirming action of resistance and gentle protest that always generates a strange sense of joy, as those that attend share their stories and experiences. If you would like to attend the planting tour, visit the event page on our website to book your free place!

For this event, Harfleet is seeking further locations to mark with pansies that come directly from the local LGBTQIA+ community. If you have a location that you would like to be marked with one unmarked pansy planted at the location where an LGBTQIA+ hate crime has occurred, please get in touch.

Here’s the information you need to know:

– Supply the nature of the experience; this can be a quote from the assailant or a short description of what happened.
– Supply the exact location (postcode is useful); the artist will find the nearest source of soil to plant the pansy.

The subsequent photograph will be entitled after the quote or after what happened; this title should be as brief as possible. Locations can be supplied anonymously or on someone’s behalf.

To submit a location for Pansy planting, visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebsG9OM9zLVKgZ_sM0r335gnev06O6ZWpN59u-oc_wBS4CBw/viewform

This event is in partnership with Open Eye Gallery.

This event is part of LOOK Climate Lab 2026, a biennial programme by Open Eye Gallery.

LGBTQIA+ dance artist or collective – this is for you!

Homotopia is proud to announce that we are co-commissioning the LGBTQIA+ strand of new dance commissions as part of the return of Leap Dance Festival later this year! Working in partnership with Culture Liverpool and Leap Dance Festival, this opportunity will support the creation of bold, exciting new dance work across Liverpool, with individual commissions ranging from £1,000 to £2,000.

The commissions will be awarded across three categories:

•Work by LGBTQIA+ artists (co-commissioned by Homotopia)
•Dance film commissions
•Community commissions working with global majority women

We are inviting dancers, dance artists and organisations based in, or working within, the Liverpool City Council area to apply. This programme offers an opportunity to develop new work that responds to communities, place and creative innovation, and we are particularly excited to support LGBTQIA+ artists through our co-commissioned strand. This opportunity is made possible thanks to support from UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF), Culture Liverpool, Liverpool City Council, in partnership with Leap Dance Festival, with Homotopia proudly co-commissioning the LGBTQIA+ element of the programme.

Key information:

•2-4 commissions are expected to be awarded
•Applicants must reside within the Liverpool City Council area, or demonstrate that the work will be created in or have a clear impact within the area

Timeline:

•Thursday 22 January: Applications open
•Thursday 26 February, 12 noon: Application deadline (late submissions will not be accepted)
•10-13 March: Applicants notified
•March-April: Making of work

To apply, please complete the application form and ensure you read the guidance carefully before submitting. The guidance is embedded within the application form.

Application form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_kzsGf-f-BUT1lW8jQtOpAWOjtdVmxUq6xVNi5eZ3XOtJxw/viewform

We can’t wait to see proposals from LGBTQIA+ artists and the wider dance community as Leap Dance Festival returns, and to supporting work that reflects the creativity, diversity and ambition of Liverpool’s dance scene – get your dancing shoes on!

Homotopia 2025: Wrapped!

A Year of Courageous Queer Art, Community and Impact

As the UK’s longest-running Queer arts and culture festival, we have spent more than two decades commissioning, creating and championing courageous LGBTQIA+ art. This year was no different, and we’re proud to share the impact of what we achieved together across our vibrant year-round programme and Homotopia Festival 2025.

Rooted in the Liverpool City Region and reaching beyond borders, our work continues to centre Queer stories, heritage and activism. From supporting artists and young people to collaborating with grass-roots organisations and venues, everything we do is driven by the belief that art transforms lives, and that Queer culture deserves to remain visible, accessible and fiercely celebrated with open arms!

In 2025, 70% of festival events were free and open to everyone, ensuring that Queer art and culture could be experienced by as many people as possible. During the festival, we reached 48,000 creatives online, extending our reach and audience significantly.

Supporting Artists

Over the past year, 100 artists worked with us across commissions, performances, exhibitions and development opportunities. As a Queer-led organisation, we remain committed to embracing artists locally, creating space for bold storytelling, bringing queer stories into the heart of the city, and creative risk-taking that challenges injustice and amplifies untold stories.

Our work with our incredible Young People

Our year-round programme continues to prioritise young people and emerging creatives. This year, we worked with 19 young people across four projects, supporting creative development, confidence and self-expression through Queer-affirming performance opportunities and mentorship.

Building Stronger Communities

Standing with communities is fundamental to Homotopia’s mission. Over the year, we supported four grass-roots organisations, including Asylum Link, Protect Scouse Dolls, Visual AIDS, Liverpool Trans Pride, recognising the vital role they play in caring for communities pushed to the margins. We also collaborated with 25 venues and organisations across Homotopia Festival, reinforcing the collective power of partnership in shaping the future of Queer arts and culture. One big highlight was collaborating with the incredible Sophie Green on a campaign to encourage arts spaces, venues and businesses to display inclusive signage, “Trans Women Welcome”, in their buildings to provide visibility for safe spaces for trans women in the city. Thanks to FACT for helping us distribute them!

2026 and beyond…

Homotopia has always used art as a tool for visibility, resistance and care. As a registered charity and National Portfolio Organisation supported by Arts Council England and Culture Liverpool, we remain committed to creating a future where LGBTQIA+ art and culture are celebrated, beyond borders, and placed at the forefront of meaningful activism.

Thank you to every artist, partner, organisation and audience member who stood with us this year. Together, we continue to build bold, inclusive and unapologetically Queer spaces, and we’ll be iconic whilst we do it…

If you haven’t already, we’d love to hear how your experience of Homotopia Festival 2025, please share your thoughts with us here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=MVElUymxEECG4UdL_X6AdpgT3p37lU1JpFpBD8h0AE1URUpWRUdDQVdRRktLS1pTVEdXVEU2UDdRUC4u&route=shorturl

Be sure to stay connected to us as we announce exciting opportunities in the New Year – we want you beside us!

We’re half way through Homotopia Festival 2025!

Homotopia Festival 2025: Uprising – Right Here. Right Now.

We’re over halfway through Homotopia Festival 2025! This year’s theme UPRISING has sparked bold and rebellious art across Liverpool and Merseyside, celebrating queer joy, resistance and community pride.

 

“At a time of increasing hostility towards queer and particularly trans people, it’s more important than ever that we rise up, fight back, come together and celebrate in spaces that nurture queer joy… and we’ve got much more to come.”

Sinéad Nunes, Interim Director

 

There’s still plenty ahead: Writers Prize Showcase, Scouse Sunday Dinner, Laugh-O-Dil Comedy Night, Unity Scratch Night, the sold-out Rebel Dykes Screening & Afterparty, and Day With(out) Art and many more.

Join us for our final week of the festival and check out some loud and unapologetically queer art and events this November!

For all event and ticket information, follow Homotopia Events

Homotopia Writers’ Award 2025: Announcing the winner and runners-up!

Homotopia and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse are delighted to reveal the winner and runners-up of this year’s Homotopia Writers’ Award!

We called on Liverpool’s LGBTQIA+ playwrights to send us their boldest, brightest new plays – and, after much reading and deliberating, we’re thrilled to announce that our 2025 winner is: Elinor J Boult with The Days Between Spring and Summer. Elinor receives a £1,000 award and a rehearsed reading of an excerpt in the Playhouse Studio on Saturday 22 November.

And there are two more writers to celebrate! The runners-up are:

Sean Patrick with Sanity Circus and Marcella Rick with Soft Lad

Excerpts from both runners-up will also be performed at the showcase event!

Here’s what the three fabulous writers had to say:

Elinor J Boult:
“I am beyond honoured to have been chosen as the winner… This play is a big piece of my soul… Thank you so much to the Everyman & Playhouse and to Homotopia for the opportunity to share my work and its message.”

Sean Patrick:
“Sanity Circus is a heartfelt ode to all the things I adore… an unapologetic celebration of authenticity, chaos, and joy.”

Marcella Rick:
“My new play, Soft Lad, holds so much personal exploration of queerness, family and politics… I can’t wait to share an excerpt with audiences.”

The Homotopia Writers’ Award Showcase is at 7.45pm on Saturday 22 November at the Playhouse Studio.
https://everymanplayhouse.com/event/homotopia-writers-award-showcase-2025/

QueerCore Residency 2025

QueerCore Residency 2025 at Bidston Observatory

This year’s QueerCore Residency took us back to the magical surroundings of Bidston Observatory, where a group of early-career LGBTQIA+ artists came together for a weekend of learning, exchange, and creative exploration.
The residency was filled with workshops led by QueerCore mentors and alumni, who guided us through themes of uprising, self-care, play, and experimentation. Together, we explored how creativity can be both a tool for personal resilience and a catalyst for bold, new ideas.
From poetry to puppetry, character work to creative writing, artists experimented with different forms of expression, testing out new ways to take risks, nurture imagination, and strengthen their practices.

Reflections from the weekend:

“For our 2025 QueerCore residency, we returned to the beautifully unique Bidston Observatory for a weekend of learning, exchange and creative exploration. A series of workshops facilitated by QueerCore mentors and alumni delved into themes of uprising, self-care, experimentation and play, offering our artists practical and imaginative tools to strengthen their practice. We explored how poetry, creative writing, character development and puppetry as artistic forms can help us structure ideas, take creative risks and nurture resilience. The weekend not only deepened our artistic practices but also strengthened our bonds as a group, creating a supportive community that will continue beyond the residency.”

Ashleigh Owen, Development Producer, reflects on the experience.

About QueerCore

QueerCore is Homotopia’s talent development programme for early-career LGBTQIA artists. Running for six months, it offers tailored support, mentoring, and creative opportunities for artists based in the Liverpool City Region.
The residency weekend is a highlight of the programme — a chance to come together, share practices, and build connections that extend far beyond the residency itself.

Homotopia & Sahir House: Access Pride 2025

Access Pride 2025, presented by Homotopia and Sahir House:

Join us at The Brink on the 26th of July to celebrate LGBTQIA+ creativity, community and connection in a space built with access and care at its heart. We are delighted to present open mics with lots of incredible performers and a bunch of workshops to get stuck in to – come and soak up the queer joy in a safe, joyful space! Homotopia are delighted to have collaborated with Sahir House to present this event.

Details:

📅 Saturday 26th July
🕚 Time: 11am – 5pm
📍 The Brink, Parr St, L1 4JN
💫 Free, inclusive & accessible