Edinburgh TV Festival 2026: get involved
The Edinburgh TV Festival is proudly delivered by the industry for the industry. Each year we work closely with professionals across television to shape the themes, topics and sessions, ensuring a programme that reflects the conversations the industry wants to be having.
Beyond attending the Festival, there are plenty of ways to get involved: submit ideas for sessions or speakers, apply to be a session producer, or join one of our nationwide town halls to share your thoughts directly with the Festival team.
SUBMIT A SESSION IDEA
Do you have an idea for a session that you’d like to see as part of the Edinburgh programme this year? Is there a subject you’d love to see debated, an important industry issue you’d like to see raised or just a favourite show that you’d like to see dissected? Submit the idea to the team and it could be selected to form part of this year’s Festival programme.
We are also keen to hear from you if you would like to suggest a topic or host for a Round Table or Meet-Up networking session.
A lot goes in to making a great Festival session, before you submit your idea, please read the Submission Guidelines in full so you’re prepared to put together the best proposal possible.
We’re fortunate to receive a very high number of proposals for Festival sessions. Before submitting your idea, we recommend you take a look at the types of sessions we’ve programmed in recent years to see whether your proposal is a good fit for us.
We’re open to a wide range of ideas, and we’re particularly interested in proposals that explore the following areas:
- International
- Indies
- Frontiers (new technology, AI)
- New funding models
- Audiences
- Scripted
We’d appreciate it if you propose sessions where you have access to the key speakers you’re suggesting, as this helps us assess feasibility.
Please note the deadline for submissions is midnight on Sunday 29 March.
NOMINATE A SPEAKER
We welcome speaker suggestions across a range of formats, including keynotes, fireside chats and expert panel contributions. If you or someone you know has a strong perspective or passion for a particular area of the industry, we’d love to hear from you. We’re keen to feature voices that challenge thinking, share lived experience and spark meaningful debate across the Festival programme.
What we’re looking for:
- Visionary thought leaders that are experts in their field
- underrepresented voices
- inspiring creatives
- international figures we can learn from.
APPLY TO BE A SESSION PRODUCER
Being a session producer is a chance to help shape industry-leading conversations, while building your profile and network. In return for their time and expertise, producers receive a free Festival pass.
Some sessions will be produced by the people who pitched them, while others will be assigned a producer to develop the idea further.
We aim to select up to 30 producers with a range of specialisms and interests. If selected, you may be assigned a session to produce at any point between April and June. While being part of the producer pool doesn’t guarantee a session, all selected producers will receive a discount on a Festival pass.
TOWN HALLS
Once again we will hold a series of nationwide Town Hall meetings where we can hear from the industry directly. This will be your opportunity to put forward any themes or topics you’d like to see discussed and learn more about how you can get involved with the Festival this year.
Keep an eye on our social channels and sign up to our newsletter to be updated as soon as dates and locations are announced.
