Connect ZA is an arts programme from The British Council that aims to build cultural connections between young people in the UK and South Africa.
The Young Creative Entrepreneur Initiative is a year-long awards programme for leaders shaping our creative future.
The initiative forms part of the Young Creative Entrepreneur (YCE) series that supports and connects entrepreneurs from across the world who are innovating creative and cultural industries.
To kick off the initiative, Connect ZA is calling on entrepreneurs between the ages of 20 and 35 in digital publishing and live music to send their entries.
Through an online application and interview process, the judging panel will identify emerging leaders in creative businesses who are able to make international connections and use these to benefit communities through positive economic, cultural and social means.
The prize is a curated trip to the UK to meet industry experts, interact with international peers, pick up practical business skills and attend key industry events.
Connect ZA is offering five awards over the course of 2014.
Young Creative Entrepreneur Award in digital publishing
Connect ZA is looking for exciting new pioneers in digital publishing that are using new technology to engage and respond to readers, as well as people using cross-media ideas to bring publishing to life, and companies building innovative businesses in the sector.
The winner will travel to London in April 2014 to meet with winners from other countries, including China, Malaysia, Spain, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, China, Egypt, Malaysia, Columbia, Brazil, Russia and Spain. A major part of the tour will be attending the London Book Fair where the winner from each country will be asked to pitch their business to a panel of experts.
Applications close on February 24.
Apply here.
Young Creative Entrepreneur Award in live music
Connect ZA is looking for exciting young live music promoters that are looking to present music in innovative ways and spaces, who are using new or old technology to engage with and respond to their audiences, festivals that are looking to do more than bring people to a field to party, organisations using live music to engage on cultural and social issues and companies building innovative businesses in the sector.
Winners will participate in a shared tour of the UK’s live music industry, including three days at The Great Escape, Europe’s leading festival for new music. The programme allows winners to gain unique access to the UK industry and acts as a springboard for future business collaborations with the UK.
The tour will run from May 4 to 12.
Applications close on March 10.
Apply here.