The Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival (YSDAF) celebrates a decade of arts and community. Since 2014, Pitch Start has been an integral component of YSDAF and is an avenue for artistes or arts groups to pitch their ideas based on a given theme.

For YSDAF 2025, themed “Community: Side by Side”, Pitch Start is calling for creative and meaningful ideas to engage Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) through the arts and encourage collaboration between people of all abilities.

Successful applicants stand a chance to win a grant of up to RM30,000. The project team is expected to run a 6 to 8-week programme to conceptualise, train and / or devise a presentation or performance with participants comprising PWDs to be premiered at YSDAF 2025 Urban Tour’s Community Stage.

Entry

Deadline for all entries is 30 March 2025, 11.59pm Malaysian time.

Other key dates below:

Criteria & Guidelines:

1. Open to Malaysians and Malaysian residents aged 18 & above.
2. Create a presentation / performance based on the theme “Community: Side by Side”.
3. Open to works in any language (including sign language etc) or genre but must involve Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the presentation / performance.
4. Each project should involve at least 10 participants.
5. Consent must be secured from all participants. Do identify which group or target participants you will be working with before submitting your proposal e.g. visually-impaired.
6. Content should be family-friendly as it will be showcased / performed in a public space.
7. To ensure that the facilitator, process and environment where the programme is held is inclusive, wholesome, accessible and non-discriminatory for all participants.
8. Possible locations to showcase the work include YSDAF 2025 Urban Tour locations PARC (Subang Jaya) and Elmina (potentially outdoor / open space).
9. Ideas must be able to be adapted to different locations.
10. Must be a new work that has not been performed or showcased before.
11. Work will premiere at the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival 2025.
12. Project will be awarded with a maximum budget of RM30,000 which includes development, training, production, staging and performance fee. The budget should not only cover the arts group’s fee but also the participants’ meals, transport and allowances from training to event day.
13. Winning team must undergo compulsory briefing and training prior to the start of the programme.
14. Staff of klpac, The Actors Studio, and Yayasan Sime Darby are not eligible.
15. Shortlisted applicants must attend a compulsory pitching / interview session at applicant’s own expense on 10 or 11 April 2025 at klpac.
16. Committee’s decision is final and no appeal will be entertained.
17. As there is a review process in place, the Committee may provide feedback / suggestions to the winner to take into account.
18. Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival retains the rights to the production as a whole but artistes retain rights to the individual components. However, works can be restaged or showcased again with the permission of the Committee.
19. Only shortlisted candidates will be granted an interview slot.