As spring settles in, it’s been another energising month at Collective Wisdom, with major announcements, premieres, festivals and strategic projects keeping the team busy across the arts, publishing, tech and cultural sectors. From literary prizes and festivals to groundbreaking immersive work, digital storytelling and education initiatives, the past few weeks have showcased the full range of what we do and the talent within our collective. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to…
This month we worked with the National Museum of the Royal Navy to launch its national fundraising appeal to secure the final £2.5 million needed to open the new Royal Marines Experience at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard this summer. The announcement revealed an immersive new centre honouring more than 360 years of Royal Marines history, including a free‑to‑enter Remembrance Room for families, veterans and the public. High‑profile supporters such as Ross Kemp and Dan Snow backed the campaign, highlighting the importance of preserving these stories “in the voices of the people who lived it.”
The story was well received in national, regional and trade press, with pickup on BBC Breakfast, The Express, BBC News, ITV News Meridian, Portsmouth News, BBC South and Museums Journal.
The Queen’s Reading Room announced the return of its flagship literary festival to Chatsworth, taking place in September 2026. Marking the charity’s fifth anniversary, this year’s programme brings together an exceptional line-up of authors including Clare Balding, Harlan Coben, Lee Child, Meg Mason, Elif Shafak, Cecelia Ahern, Louise Penny and Ann Cleeves. The festival also expands its offer with the new Poetry Room and the return of The Writers’ Room, alongside continued community outreach.
The team secured strong national and arts‑sector coverage, with the announcement covered in print in The i, and PA Media picked up the story which resulted in over 30 pieces of national and regional coverage such as The Mirror, The Independent, Oxford Mail, Belfast Telegraph, Yorkshire Post and Daily Echo.
In March we supported the European Bank for Redevelopment and Development (EBRD) in announcing the ten-book shortlist for the 2026 EBRD Literature Prize, celebrating outstanding translated fiction from across the Bank’s regions. The selection spans nine countries with titles exploring themes of conflict, displacement, memory, and near‑future technological anxieties. Titles and authors shortlisted are as follows, People and Trees: A Trilogy — Akram Aylisli translated by Katherine E. Young (Azerbaijan), Death and the Gardener — Georgi Gospodinov translated by Angela Rodel (Bulgaria), In Late Summer — Magdalena Blažević translated by Anđelka Raguž (Croatia), Bedbugs — Martina Vidaić translated by Ellen Elias-Bursać (Croatia), On the Greenwich Line — Shady Lewis translated by Katharine Halls (Egypt), Eye of the Monkey — Krisztina Tóth translated by Ottilie Mulzet (Hungary), Sololand — Hassan Blasim translated by Jonathan Wright (Iraq), Ice — Jacek Dukaj translated by Ursula Phillips (Poland), Rock, Paper, Grenade — Artem Chekh translated by Olena Jennings and Oksana Rosenblum (Ukraine) and We Computers — Hamid Ismailov translated by Shelley Fairweather-Vega (Uzbekistan).
We secured international and trade press with the announcement including articles from BookBrunch, Publishing Perspectives, ArabLit, Večernji List, Mezha Net and Turan. The finalists will be announced later this month, and the winner ceremony will take place on 2 July.
Collective Wisdom worked with Norwich Theatre on the announcement of three high‑profile Non‑Executive Directors to its wholly owned commercial subsidiary, Norwich Theatre Services, marking a significant step in the organisation’s next phase of growth. The new appointees include Data, Analytics & AI leader Chaminga Chandratillake, Helen Phipps Commercial Director at Comparethemarket.com and Business Director for Northern Europe at Apple Matt Key. The three new board members bring significant expertise in commercial development, data driven insight and entrepreneurial strategy, bolstering the organisation’s long-term resilience and ambition as it prepares for its next chapter.
We secured coverage of the story in The Stage, Broadway World and Arts Professional.
In addition to a month of good news, it was also announced that Stephen Crocker, Chief Executive & Creative Director at Norwich Theatre, will be joining Creative UK’s UK Council.
We were excited to see this year’s Future Art & Culture programme, produced and curated by British Underground, land so well at SXSW, where four UK‑led immersive and AI‑driven projects had their world premieres. The Baby Factory Is Closed, Ascended Intelligence, loss·y and Lost Love Hotline each explored empathy, agency and human connection in an age shaped by surveillance and emerging technologies. Presented within the SXSW XR Experience Competition, the works showcased the UK’s leadership in boundary‑pushing creative tech, with audiences responding enthusiastically to their ambition, emotional depth and technical innovation.
Some of the coverage leading up to and from SXSW included an in-depth interview with Deepa Mann-Kler, curator of The Baby Factory is Closed, for Asian Voice. Black Girl Nerds highlighted Ascended Intelligence in a round up, The Times explored the best bits to see at the festival and BBC Tech Now covered Future Art and Culture’s showcase in depth.
We were pleased to support Big Creative Education as they held their latest Employer Steering Group, bringing together industry partners from across the creative sector to discuss skills, careers and the realities of working in today’s creative landscape. The session offered employers the chance to share insights on emerging roles, industry expectations and the qualities young people need to thrive. Big Creative Education uses these groups to develop their own creative courses ensuring that the curriculum for young people is up to date with industry standards.
We attended to capture interviews with employers and alumni, gathering their reflections on pathways into the sector, and we also produced a blog post for BCE highlighting the key themes and takeaways from the discussion. Have a read here: Employer Steering Group.
Alongside this, we have been working on securing speaking and comment opportunities for Big Creative Academy Principal Sacha Corcoran, resulting in a wonderful profile piece in Arts Industry. Sacha was also recently interviewed on Hoxton Radio, discussing her career path and the courses offered at the Academy.
English PEN returned to The Salon at London Book Fair 2026 with a powerful day of conversations on freedom of expression. The programme featured panels covering urgent topics such as books being banned in libraries and the importance of small presses, with speakers including Juno Dawson and Selina Brown.
We invited an array of journalists to attend the talks including Ella Creamer who did a brilliant round up of the day in The Guardian.
