Frequently Asked Questions about our Sponsorship

The Migros Culture Percentage Story Lab supports the early development of material. We are looking for audiovisual projects that want to tell a socially relevant story. They must exhibit a willingness to experiment with new materials and new processes in the development of ideas and take novel approaches to the subsequent production and evaluation.

We always focus on the narrative, seeking to tell stories that are socially relevant across different formats. The funded projects reflect and represent many perspectives and backgrounds.

Any creative mind who meets the formal criteria can submit an application. This includes authors, directors, producers, and other creative professionals.

You can find the entry deadlines for the current year here.

We mean the first development stage of a project. In the early phase of material development, the basic idea, the concept, and the first drafts are worked out. You figure out which format makes sense for your project and which basic elements the story contains. You also plan the steps for the further development process.

We are looking for projects that have outlined an initial idea or approach. The main work during the phase funded by Story Lab is the creative development and exploration of this initial approach. If you already have an elaborate script, your project is too advanced.

No. Only projects that have already been funded at Level I are eligible for submission at Level II.

The modules stand for specific working methods you wish to use during the material development process. You decide how you plan to develop the material and how high the grants for this approach or module need to be. Fictional application examples for Level I can be found here; examples for level II are here.

The funding period is set to 8 months. During this time, you will implement the selected modules independently. At the end of the 8 months, you must submit a final report including a final invoice. In the following year, you can apply for Level II funding.

We are looking for projects that blaze new trails in the three fields of format, process, and material and break with traditional approaches. We are interested in new narrative formats (e.g. interactive media), unusual working processes, original themes and contents that remain underexplored to date (new perspectives and new narratives)

Projects with traditional approaches are not excluded, but they should offer a special perspective or a fresh approach.

No. The quality and originality of the project are decisive. A clearly focused project can be just as successful if it has strong creative and content-related features.

Socially relevant projects address issues that are of importance to society. These can be, for example, social justice, gender issues, environmental and climate protection, health, or cultural diversity. Such projects help to identify and reflect on social challenges, develop solutions and strengthen social cohesion.

Diversity and inclusion are very important to us. Breaking with traditional approaches also means questioning common narratives and accounting for social diversity. To this day, many groups are not or inadequately represented in the positions of cultural creation and in the materials themselves. That is why the Migros Culture Percentage Story Lab places a special focus on projects that break down barriers and promote self-representation, participation and inclusion.

No, projects that have already been rejected by the Story Lab are not eligible.

As an individual applicant, you must be resident in Switzerland. We make an exception for Swiss nationals based abroad whose project is mainly implemented in Switzerland. Applicant organizations must have their registered office in Switzerland.

At Level I, individuals can submit a maximum of one project per submission deadline; production companies can submit several projects if the producer is not the same. Multiple entries from production companies are accepted at Level II.

Yes, please mention any use of AI in your project development.

Projects that are at a late stage of development. Projects seeking financial support only. Projects that do not try anything new in terms of format, process, or content. Projects that have already been financed for production.

In the first part of the application form, we ask for personal data that we need for the formal check. This information is anonymized for the jury. Make sure that the remaining questions in the application form are answered in such a way that the identity of all project participants remains unknown. The names of those involved in the project must not be mentioned in the two synopses, either (this also applies to actors). It is important not to disclose who is behind the project and who is involved.

Our application form is currently only available in German and French. However, you can answer the questions in German, French, English, or Italian. The two synopses may also be written in any one of the four languages.