The International Puppet Fringe Festival, New York’s only international fringe festival dedicated to puppetry, returns August 12th to 16th, 2026, and will once again feature performances by leading puppet makers and troupes from around the world.

For the 39th edition in 2026, we plan to invite between 12 and 14 theatre companies to participate in the competition programme.

We warmly encourage submissions that reflect form theatre. Such works should be open to artistic exploration, innovative means of expression, and diverse theatrical aesthetics.

On behalf of UNIMA-USA, we extend our warmest congratulations to Dr. John Bell on receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Connecticut. This honor is a testament to his remarkable contributions as a scholar, artist, and mentor in the field of puppetry. John’s dedication has not only advanced academic study but has also enriched the global puppetry community. We celebrate this recognition of his lifelong impact.

The Montreal International Performing Arts Conference is a unique opportunity to present your work to programmers from around the world!

Submit your application from September 22 to November 24, 2025.

For the 8th consecutive year, AVIAMA is launching its “Puppets and Mobility” International Grants — a program designed to support mobility for artists, researchers, and professionals in the field of puppetry.

These grants aim to facilitate travel and accommodation, often the main obstacles to realizing creative and research projects, and to encourage artistic collaboration across borders.

The 39th edition of the International Theatrical Festival ‘VALISE’ will be held from 25 to 28 June 2026 at the Puppet and Actor Theatre in Lomza, Poland.

UNIMA International is currently launching an solidarity campaign for Gazan Puppeteers.

Call for Performances: Puppet Fair - International Festival of Street and Puppet Theatre 2026 in Sofia Bulgaria.

Gofundme to help puppeteer in Gaza,

In September, Mid Atlantic Arts received confirmation from the National Endowment for the Arts that a new federal grant would support the 2025-2026 year of the USArtists International (USAI) grant program. With this support, a new deadline for the program has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 25, 2026.  

The Stanisław Wyspiański Academy of Theater Arts in Krakow, Wrocław Branch, announces open recruitment for the third edition of the LALKA NOVA 3 International Performing Arts Conference, which will take place on November 26–28, 2025, in Wrocław at the Puppetry Department.

Applications for an ERASMUS exchange at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette (ESNAM in Charleville-Mézières, France) for the spring semester are open.

The Happiness Commission is delighted to launch a competition for a song or anthem to celebrate the 100th anniversary of UNIMA in 2029.

On Monday, September 22, UNIMA invites you to a Friendship toast at 5 p.m. in the courtyard of the Maison des Ailleurs (7 quai Arthur Rimbaud) as part of the Charleville-Mézières World Puppet Theater Festival. + More Activities throughout the week

UNIMA Türkiye warmly invite applications from all puppet theatres to participate in Türkiye’s largest puppet festival.

We Wiggle Dolls: On Tour! at Rhizome on October 1st, 2025

Dramaturges, artistic directors, theatre educators and facilitators and other performing arts professionals are invited to take part in the Hi PerformanCZ: Visitors’ Programme of Puppet Productions. The programme will take place on November 6 – 9, 2025 in Prague in cooperation with the One Flew over the Pupeteer’s Nest festival organised by the Czech UNIMA Centre and Loutkář/Puppeteer Magazine.

 A stunning collection of extravagant szopki puppet theaters in Poland.

Lize Puppet Art Colony (Taiwan) Artist in Residence Open Call 2026