Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund: 250th USA Independence Anniversary Digital Project Call
Date Posted: March 14, 2025
Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund: 250th USA Independence Anniversary Digital Project Call
To mark the Ulster-Scots role in the foundation of the United States of America as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2026, the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund proposes the creation of a landmark digital project.
The 250th anniversary of the founding of the USA will be a national celebration with global resonance. This proposed digital project will tap into that narrative by recounting the often- overlooked story of the role of the Scots-Irish in American Independence. It will also celebrate three centuries of close cultural connections between Ulster and the USA.
The 250th anniversary of the founding of the USA will be a national celebration with global resonance. This proposed digital project will tap into that narrative by recounting the often- overlooked story of the role of the Scots-Irish in American Independence. It will also celebrate three centuries of close cultural connections between Ulster and the USA.
The project could take the follow existing Ulster-Scots pocket trail map and online content as its source. A company could create a multi-media version of an updated map and text, potentially presented as an app guiding users to locations around Ulster and learning about the people and places associated with the story along the way.
Additional potential interactive elements should be designed to appeal to children and adults to tell the story of the Scots-Irish in an engaging and innovative way. This could include animation, gaming, podcast, VTs, VR and quizzes.
As the key financial stakeholder, the USBF will oversee the creation of a team of Ulster-Scots consultants/writers whose work will form the editorial foundations of the digital resource. The USBF would like companies with a strong track record in delivering historically significant multi- media projects to work with this team to ensure delivery of a high-quality project.
WHY THE USBF?
This anniversary has huge Ulster-Scots significance and the USBF is extremely keen to play a role in ensuring delivery of a definitive overview of the role of the Ulster-Scots with an online digital resource. Not only will this help reach an international audience, but it will also ensure a robust depiction of the Ulster-Scots/Scots-Irish story – past and present – with a nuanced and detailed telling never before seen or heard on a global stage.
The 250th anniversary is the ideal opportunity, not least with Vice President JD Vance’s Scots-Irish (aka Ulster-Scots) heritage portrayed in Hillbilly Elegy, his best-selling autobiography and subsequent film directed by Ron Howard and streaming on Netflix. Moreover, the US government has launched Task Force 250 to oversee anniversary events and commemorations in the USA.
Submission Guidelines & Application Details
Download the full USA 250 Digital Project Call here.
Click here for further details including how to apply.
