Skip to main content

200 Creators

We’re building a network of digital creators to celebrate our 200th birthday in 2024

The open call for 200 Creators has now closed

The National Gallery is a space for everyone, everywhere – where great paintings of the past inspire new ideas for our future.

We’re building a network of digital creators that reflect this to celebrate our 200th birthday in 2024.

200 Creators is your chance to participate in the National Gallery’s celebration of creativity, marking 200 years of bringing people and paintings together.

Being part of 200 Creators will give you the opportunity to meet National Gallery staff, see behind-the-scenes activity and visit out of hours to explore the Gallery’s collection of some of the world’s greatest paintings. We want you to be inspired and to create and share content with your online communities.

There are two opportunities for creators to participate, either as a Creative Collaborator or as part of the 200 Creators network.

Creative Collaborators

There are two stages to becoming a Creative Collaborator with the National Gallery:

Stage 1. Applications for this stage have now closed. We will select 50 creators to participate in an Ideas Lab event at the National Gallery, and then after that event to pitch us your ideas.

Stage 2. Following the Ideas Lab event we will select 20 Creative Collaborators, who will become our social media ambassadors, right across the UK, each receiving £4,000 to create content inspired by any aspect of the Gallery. Creative Collaborators will have access to National Gallery resources, including curators, scientists, conservators, and out-of-hours visits to the Gallery. Inspiration can be taken from our iconic, or lesser known, paintings, our buildings, our staff or something else. The choice is yours.

200 Creators Network

If you aren’t successful at this point, don’t worry, we still want you to come along on this creative journey, you could join our 200 Creators Network instead.

Every creator selected for our 200 Creators network will receive a one-year National Gallery Membership for our Bicentenary year. Membership gives you free access to exhibitions, exclusive online events, and exhibition preview days.

Everyone in the network will be invited to our 200 Creators launch event on 2 July 2024 with social platform workshops, collection tours, and insights from experts across the Gallery. There’ll also be opportunities to connect with lots of other creators on this day.

We are actively encouraging applications from creators who are from communities whose voices and ideas are currently underrepresented in the arts.

About NG200

200 Creators is part of NG200, our programme of activity celebrating 200 years of the National Gallery. Launching on 10 May 2024, NG200 is a festival of art, creativity and imagination.

Application process

Applications for 200 Creators opened on Monday 4 September 2023 and closed on 8 October 2023 at 23.59 BST. A panel of National Gallery experts will select a shortlist of 50 creators from the applicants, who will be invited to an Ideas Lab evening event on Monday 30 October 2023 at the National Gallery in London, with travel bursaries available for each applicant.

The selection panel of National Gallery experts include Amber Akaunu, Video Producer; Lawrence Chiles, Head of Digital Services; Beks Leary, Senior Content Manager; Simon Magill, Senior Marketing Manager; and Ellie Wyant, Social Media and Community Manager.

The Ideas Lab event will give shortlisted applicants the opportunity to hear from Gallery experts on different aspects of the National Gallery, including our paintings, the building and behind-the-scenes activities. Following the event, the shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit more developed creative content proposals by Sunday 12 November 2023 at 23.59 GMT.

The panel will then select 20 applicants as Creative Collaborators, each receiving £4,000. This will cover all fees, and any materials, equipment or expenses needed to develop content for the project.

Successful applicants will be notified in early December 2023 and development of the content will take place from 5 February to 21 April 2024. We anticipate that it will require approximately three to four weeks of work across this period. No content will be released until the 200 Creators launch event on Tuesday 2 July 2024 with subsequent content to be posted throughout July and August 2024 during the National Gallery’s ‘Summer of Creativity’.

Those from the shortlisted group of 50 who are not selected will be invited to become part of the 200 Creators network.

Please note that all participants, the 20 Creative Collaborators and the 200 Creators network will be under embargo until April 2024.

Selection criteria

We are inviting digital creators who fulfil the following criteria to submit an Expression of Interest:

1. Followers and Engagement

You will meet the minimum following and/or engagement rate for at least one of the following platforms. Your account must be public and remain public for the period of the project.

  • YouTube – 50k subscribers
  • TikTok – at least 1m likes on your account and 50k followers
  • Instagram – 100k followers

Please note: These social platforms are our priority but if you are active on an alternative online platform, we will consider applications on a case-by-case basis.

2. Proven international reach with your community. Please state the top five countries of your followers or subscribers with statistics.

3. Experienced in collaborating and creating content for online communities, brands or organisation (not specifically cultural).

4. Demonstrable strong creative direction for collaboration with the National Gallery that engages with their own online community.

Shortlisted applicants – Ideas Lab

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an Ideas Lab evening event at the National Gallery in London on Monday 30 October 2023, where they will have the opportunity to hear from National Gallery experts, including curators, conservators, educators, scientists and researchers. You will also hear about the full NG200 Programme, including National Treasures and Art Road Trip. A travel bursary of £200 will be given to each shortlisted applicant to attend this event.

The Ideas Lab is a springboard for the shortlisted applicants to develop their proposals. Following the event, you will have two weeks to develop and submit a more detailed proposal. This proposal should indicate the themes, or work(s) in the Gallery’s collection, which you would like to focus on, and an indication of what form your content will take.

Application timeline

  • Launch Open Call: Monday 4 September 2023
  • Extended deadline for Open Call: Sunday 8 October 2023 (23.59)
  • *Ideas Lab: Monday 30 October 2023 (evening)
  • Proposal Submission deadline: Sunday 12 November 2023 (23.59)
  • Successful Creative Collaborators informed: Early December 2023
  • 200 Creators network confirmed: Early December 2023
  • Creative Collaborators production period: Monday 5 February – Monday 22 April 2024
  • *Production deadline: Monday 22 April 2024 (23.59)
  • National Gallery Content sign off: Monday 29 April 2024
  • Announcement of Creative Collaborators: April 2024
  • *Launch event at National Gallery, London Tuesday 2 July 2024
  • National Gallery Membership (one year) Tuesday 2 July 2024 (starts from)

* Applicants must be able to commit to these dates

You will need to complete and submit the Expression of Interest form in order to make an application. Please make sure you have read and accepted the project terms and conditions before submitting your application.

If you would like to, please also complete our optional equality, diversity and inclusion form in addition to your application.

The deadline to submit your interest is Sunday 8 October 2023 (23:59).

Due to the volume of applications, we are unable to provide feedback on individual submissions. If you have practical or access-related questions on the application process, we can help you by email and telephone. Please contact us via 200creators@nationalgallery.org.uk

The £4,000 fee for the Creative Collaborators will cover all fees, and any materials, equipment or expenses needed to develop the content.

We are looking for individual creators for this project. However, if you run a social media account as a joint venture we will consider applications on a case-by-case basis.

No, the fee is the same amount whether you apply as an individual or as a team. It covers all fees and expenses.

Yes, please contact us via 200creators@nationalgallery.org.uk to discuss and agree an alternative format for your application.

Applicants must be based in the UK.

Yes, applicants must be 18 years and over.

Expressions of Interest will be assessed and scored by a team from the National Gallery based on the selection criteria outlined in the call-out. The applicants with the highest scores (maximum 50 applicants) will be invited to attend an Ideas Lab event at the Gallery to further develop their ideas. Following a development period, each applicant will then submit their proposal to the National Gallery team. They will select 20 proposals that they agree are the most likely to engage and impact target audiences, including mass audiences, which demonstrate imagination, and which they have confidence will be delivered on time and on budget.

We will shortlist 50 creators to attend this first event, all of whom will then be invited to join the 200 Creators Network. From this shortlist of 50, we will select 20 creators to be our Creative Collaborators.

The 50 creators shortlisted as Creative Collaborators will be invited to attend the Ideas Lab by email no later than Monday 23 October.

The 200 Creators network will be confirmed in December 2023.  

Please note that if you are shortlisted as one of the 50 applicants invited to the Lab event and are not successful following the submission process, you will automatically be invited to be part of the 200 Creators network.

We are encouraging creators from across the UK to enter 200 Creators. To make this possible, we are offering each of the 50 shortlisted applicants £200 for travel and per diems to attend the Ideas Lab on the evening of 30 October 2023.
Please get in touch if the cost to attend the Launch event on 2 July 2024 is prohibitive. We have a limited number of travel bursaries available.

The Ideas Lab and Launch events are designed for in-person connection, so you can meet us, and we can meet you, and so you can be inspired by visiting the Gallery and exploring the collection. It won’t be possible for us to offer virtual access to these events.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an Ideas Lab event at the National Gallery on Monday 30 October, where they will have the opportunity to hear from National Gallery experts, including curators, conservators, educators, scientists and researchers. They will also hear about the full NG200 programme, including National Treasures and Art Road Trip.

The Ideas Lab is a springboard for the shortlisted applicants to develop their proposals. Following the event, they will have two weeks to develop and submit a more detailed proposal.

The selection panel of National Gallery experts will include Amber Akaunu, Video Producer; Lawrence Chiles, Head of Digital; Beks Leary, Senior Content Manager; Simon Magill, Senior Marketing Manager; and Ellie Wyant, Social Media and Community Manager.

You will be required to create content in the following formats on your channel that meets the minimum criteria and is specified in your creative proposal:

  • YouTube – Produce 1x Longer Video (10mins +) and a Short
  • TikTok – Produce 3x Videos
  • Instagram – Produce 1x Reel, 1x Set of Stories

It would then be expected that you would share this content you have created on all social media accounts that you are active on.

Please note: If you are working on an alternative online platform, we will agree deliverables with you on a case-by-case basis.

Shortlisted Creative Collaborators: If you are shortlisted as a Creative Collaborator, you must commit to attend the Ideas Lab event at the National Gallery in London, on the evening of 30 October 2023.

Successful Creative Collaborators: If you are selected as one of the 20 Creative Collaborators you must also commit to attend the launch event on 2 July 2024.

Content commitment:

  • Initial content to be posted on 2 July 2024 at the launch event, with an exclusivity period of 24 hours where no competing content will be posted on your channels.
  • Subsequent content to be posted throughout July and August 2024 during the Summer of Creativity which includes Summer on the Square.
  • Tag the National Gallery in all posts on Instagram and TikTok.
  • Link to the National Gallery’s channel in your YouTube descriptions.
  • Sustained engagement through the one-year National Gallery membership period, relating to NG200 and Bicentenary events.
  • Content to be posted on the channel that matches the selection criteria.
  • Content to be cross-promoted across your other active social media channels.
  • Notify the National Gallery content team with links when you have posted.
  • Provide analytics from your content after one month, including impressions or reach, engagements, and video views (where applicable).
  • Each successful Creative Collaborator will receive £4,000, which covers fees and any materials, equipment or expenses needed to develop content. 
  • A travel bursary of £200 to attend the Ideas Lab on 30 October 2023. 
  • We will post your content to National Gallery channels and tag your accounts, subject to content suitability. 
  • You will receive access to National Gallery resources, subject to availability, including curators, scientists, conservators, and out-of-hours visits on specified days to the Gallery. 
  • National Gallery Membership for one year, which includes exclusive access to events and exhibitions. 
  • Invitations to attend 200 Creators events, including the Ideas Lab on the evening of the 30 October 2023 and the 200 Creators launch event on 2 July 2024. 
  • You will have a contact in the National Gallery’s content team to support you as you create your content. 

There is no obligation to post content as a member of the network, unless you are appointed as one of the 20 Creative Collaborators. However, we hope that over the one-year National Gallery membership period, you will feel inspired to post about ten times.

If you are invited to be part of the 200 Creators network, you must commit to attend the Launch event at the National Gallery in London, on the evening of Tuesday 2 July 2024.

We anticipate that you will be engaged as a Creative Collaborator until July 2025. This includes the year-long Membership that will be activated from July 2024 – July 2025. 

  • You will be given National Gallery Membership for one year, which gives you exclusive access to events and exhibitions.
  • We will communicate opportunities to engage with the Gallery including NG200 projects around the UK, preview days and members’ events.
  • You will receive an invitation to attend the 200 Creators launch event on 2 July 2024.

Please contact 200creators@nationalgallery.org.uk if there are valid reasons why you are unable to attend either of the events – the Ideas Lab or the Launch event.

The 20 Creative Collaborators will each need to sign an agreement. View the terms of this agreement.

The 20 Creative Collaborators and the 200 Creators network will be under embargo until April 2024.

You can work with other brands/organisations while you are a Creative Collaborator. However, there will be a period of exclusivity for the launch of all content on 2 July 2024 where we will require no other content to be posted on your channel that competes with the activities and objectives of the Gallery. The exclusivity period will be from 7pm BST on 2 July 2024 until 7pm BST on 3 July 2024.

You can work with other brands/organisations while part of the 200 Creators network.