Applications for Glasgow Science Festival 2026 are now open
2026 marks a significant milestone for Glasgow Science Festival as we reach 20 years old! This year’s festival will run from Thurs 4th to Sun 14th June 2026. When I set up the festival in 2007, I could not have imagined how much we would grow over those two decades. Engaging with 860K+ people at our in-person events and over 1 million+ when we include digital engagements. Thank you to everyone who has been involved over the years, some of you for nearly all 19! We felt this warranted a deviation from our usual ‘themes’, so our title for this year is:
Glasgow Science Festival 2026: Cheers for 20 Years!
As always, we leave things open to interpretation, but we are looking at a retrospective on the festival, what outstanding ways has Glasgow-based research contributed to their respective fields over the last 20 years, and what could the next 20 years look like?
Glasgow will again host the Commonwealth Games throughout July and August 2026. For those at the University of Glasgow, there will be celebrations around the 575th anniversary. Content linked to either of these would be very welcome.
Our partners have a very broad research base, so as always, please don’t worry if you have a great idea that doesn’t fit with the theme. Not all our activities will, and we would still want to hear from you. GSF is a STEAMS festival, encompassing Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, Mathematics and Social Science. Proposals from all fields are very welcome.
We have made the decision to cease the digital arm of the programme ‘Science on the Sofa’ due to a reduction in demand. With a year-round SotS offering available on the GSF website.
Find out more about this years plans, how to apply and the festival timeline in the GSF26 Content Proposal Info pack. Access the GSF26 Online Proposal Form using the link below. Deadline to submit is midnight on Monday 12th January, 2026.
GSF26 Content Proposal Info Pack
Submit your idea via our GSF26 Online Proposal Form
If you would like to discuss your idea ahead of submitting, please contact us on sciencefestival@glasgow.ac.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
GSF26 Proposals Info Sessions
We are hosting GSF26 Proposals Info Sessions, these will consist of a short intro from the GSF team about the festival and how to apply with time for questions at the end. Sign up for one of our three sessions through Eventbrite.
Wednesday 29th October 2-2:45pm
Thursday 20th November 10-10:45am
Wednesday 10th December 10-10:45am
Find our more about previous Glasgow Science Festivals
