The British Council invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) from institutions, organisations, and registered group of artists and cultural practitioners based in the cities of Chattogram, Dhaka, Rajshahi and Sylhet to host, curate, produce, and present a day-long WOW Bangladesh Chapter event between 1 January to 30 August 2026.
Grants of up to £23,000 in equivalent local currency are available. The open call for EOIs is now open.
EOI submission deadline: 16 November 2025 (23:59:59 Bangladesh Standard Time)
What is WOW- Women of the World?
The WOW Foundation exists to build, convene, and sustain a global movement that believes a gender equal world is desirable, possible and urgently required.
WOW- Women of the World was founded by Jude Kelly in 2010, when the first WOW Festival took place at Southbank Centre. Since then, WOW Festivals celebrating women and girls, and taking a frank look at the obstacles they face, have taken place across the globe, reaching more than two million people.
Through festivals, events, schools' programmes and more, WOW challenges the belief that gender equality has already been achieved - and hopes to join the dots between people, movement and ideas to change the world.
WOW Programme in South Asia:
The British Council's work in South Asia regarding gender aims to deliver the following outcomes:
- Raising awareness and changing perceptions: Women, girls, men and boys positively change their perceptions and attitudes towards gender norms.
- Building capacity and skills: Arts organisations and creative professionals have increased skills and capactiy to tackle gender issues.
- Voice and platforms: Women and girls are able to contribute to all aspects of life, including civic engagement and artistic expression.
- Allies and partnerships: An increased number of organisations work together to promote gender equality.
Interested institutions, organisations and groups are encouraged to engage in their EOIs with the intricacies, counterarguments, and active questions of the local, discursive traditions of how experiences of society are, should, or hsould not be determined by gender in Bangladesh through one or more of the following perspectives.
- Film, Moving Image and Media Aesthetics
- Hyperobject meets hyperobject: Gender and the climate emergency
- STE(A)M: Science, Technology, (Arts), Engineering & Maths
WOW Bangladesh Chapter event concepts that centre artistic and/or cultural work and practices that connect to the diverse people, movements, and ideas in the arenas of arts, culture and media that are engaged with the urgent global challenge of gender inequality are welcomed. Proposals that engage with the work of recent British Council grantees and partners in either Bangladesh or the UK who demonstrate a track record of engagement with these themes are of particular interest. For information about recent grant initiatives and programmes involving grantees from the UK and Bangladesh, visit webpages mentioned below.
Assessment criteria:
All applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria and weighting:
| Evaluation criteria |
Description |
Weighting |
| Quality and artistic/ creative approach |
- The Chapter event proposal demonstrates strong curatorial insight in response to one or more of the following themes:
- Film, moving image and media aesthetics
- Hyper object meets hyper object: Gender and the climate emergency
- STE(A)M: Science, Technology, (Arts), Engineering & Maths
- The Chapter event proposal demonstrates applicants' previous track record of delivering and developing high quality work in Bangladesh.
|
20% |
| Feasibility and project management |
- The Chapter event proposal is realistic, well-planned, and achievable within the given timeline.
- The budget is clearly justified and equitably distributed between organisers, artists, speakers and all other contributors.
- Roles and responsibilities of all key participants in delivering the Chapter event are clearly defined.
- The Chapter event proposal has considered risk and has strong risk mitigation plans.
|
20% |
| Audience/ participant engagement and impact |
- The Chapter event proposal clearly defines its intended audience(s) and/or participants and articulates what strategies will be implemented to reach these effectively.
- The Chapter event proposal articulates its intended impact and how success will be achieved assessed, considering engagement, outcomes, and relevance.
- The Chapter event proposal considers the potential legacy of the proposed event and the possibility of delivering future WOW activity.
|
20% |
| Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Safeguarding |
- The Chapter event proposal demonstrates a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion - including the participation of men and boys - and incorporates this into the project's design.
- The proposal demonstrates how it understands, values and will work with diversity and inclusion to enable inclusive, fair and full participation in the proposed Chapter event.
- The proposal demonstrates how it understands, values, and will implement Safeguarding measures to create a safe environment in which no child or adult will experience harm or exploitation during their participation in the proposed Chapter event.
- The proposal encourages action that promotes equality and plays a part in removing barriers and redressing imbalance caused by inequality and unjustified discrimination.
|
20% |
| Environmental sustainability |
The proposal demonstrates a commitment to the environment and thinking of ways to minimise the environmental impact of activity, incorporating this into the project's design.
|
20%
|
Each application will be scored from 1 to 5 for each criterion, using the following scale:
5 – Excellent: Exceeds expectations; highly relevant and impactful.
4 – Good: Strong alignment and feasibility, with minor areas for improvement.
3 – Satisfactory: Meets the basic requirements but lacks depth or clarity in key areas.
2 – Weak: Falls short in key areas; lacks a clear strategy or justification.
1 – Poor: Does not meet the criteria or is insufficiently developed.
EOI submission deadline: 16 November 2025 (23:59:59 Bangladesh Standard Time)
