The British Council invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) from institutions, organisations, and registered groups 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)
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.
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 capacity to tackle gender issues.
- Voice and platforms: Women and girls can 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 should 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 the 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 |
|
20% |
| Feasibility and project management |
|
20% |
| Audience/ participant engagement and impact |
|
20% |
| Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Safeguarding |
|
20% |
| Environmental sustainability | The proposal demonstrates a commitment to the environment and thinking of ways to minimise the environmental impact of the activity, incorporating this into the project’s design. | 20% |
