Review Criteria and Submission Guidelines

BCA, Signal Kitchen, and an advisory panel will review all proposed events. Proposals will be selected based on the following review criteria:

• PROPOSAL QUALITY & CLARITY: Have you been thorough and complete in your answers? Is your idea clearly communicated?
• FEASIBILITY & BUDGET: Is the budget realistic? Do you have the team and/or other resources necessary to successfully facilitate the idea?
• CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION: Is your idea unique and forward-thinking?
• COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND IMPACT: Regardless of the size, events should provide a meaningful experience for participants. Are you engaging new or underserved communities/cultures? Are you connecting unique groups of people? Does your event encourage participation and offer easy accessibility? Will your event encourage support for a cause?
• PROGRAMMING IMPACTS: Lucky for us, we often get a lot of Bright Idea submissions — many more than we can actually realize in one event. We look at the complete programming picture and consider how your Bright Idea, if it meets the conditions above, might fit into Highlight 2024. To that end, not every truly Bright Idea gets funded due to venue limitations, budget limitations and our overall programming.

Submit your proposal via email to hello@highlight.community. You may submit hardcopy proposals in-person to Burlington City Arts at 135 Church St, Burlington VT. All proposals must be submitted by September 23, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST. Late submissions will not be considered.

Highlight will announce awards on October 1, 2024