This page provides guidance for storytellers and artists interested in contributing to the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, including information for Scottish-based and International performers, proposal submission, and accessibility support.
The Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) explores the traditional art of live, oral storytelling in contemporary society. The festival takes place annually in the second half of October, with events in Edinburgh and across Scotland, as part of the Go Local programme. The programme includes adult events, family events, workshops and a digital offer. Events regularly include collaborations between storytelling and other artforms such as music, song, dance and traditional crafts.
SISF is committed to:
SISF mainly supports the work of creative practitioners, aged 18 or over, based in Scotland, who are rooted in the traditional artform of live, oral storytelling. Individual performances, collaborations with other Scottish-based artists and international collaborations are all welcome in the festival programme. The next Scottish International Storytelling Festival will take place from Wednesday 21 to Saturday 31 October 2026 and our annual call for artist proposals is currently live until Tuesday 5th May 2026. To submit a proposal for this year’s festival please go to our 2026 Invitation for Storytelling Proposals.
Since the festival began in 1989, we have invited international guests to Scotland to contribute to the festival theme and connect with both local and global storytellers.
International storytellers contribute a rich repertoire of traditional stories from their own culture and share them with adult audiences across a variety of events. These may include solo performances, shared sessions with other storytellers, and appearances in venues ranging from the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh to local venues across Scotland. They may also be invited to lead storytelling workshops.
International guests are based in Edinburgh during their stay, but are expected to travel to other locations across Scotland for Go Local events. SISF coordinates the travel arrangements and schedules for these performances.
Due to budget considerations and the festival’s environmental commitment to reducing carbon emissions, the number of international guests invited each year is limited.
If you would like to express your general interest in taking part in the festival, please submit your proposal via this Google Form in the first instance.
You will receive an acknowledgement email, and if an opportunity arises to include your contribution, the festival programming team will contact you directly.
We would appreciate if applicants sending proposals for review could fill out our anonymous Equalities Monitoring Form which can be found at the bottom of this page.
If you face any barriers to completing your submission, please contact us via this email storytellingfestival@tracscotland.org. We will do our best to support you and find an alternative way to present your project.
Filling out the Equalities Monitoring Form is completely anonymous and helps us understand more about the diversity of the people who apply to take part in the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Your responses give us valuable insight into who we are reaching and where we can improve. This helps us to ensure that we are accessible to as many people as possible. Complete our anonymous Equalities Monitoring Form.
Contact: If you have any queries about your proposal or need any help in understanding your eligibility, please contact storytellingfestival@tracscotland.org.
TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland SC043009) brings together the Traditional Music Forum (SC042867), the Scottish Storytelling Forum (SC020891) and the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland (SC045085). TRACS is based at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, which is a partnership project between the Storytelling Forum and The Church of Scotland (SC011353).
