Events

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Sunday, March 8, 2026 (11:59pm Atlantic) SUBMIT TO: thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com with subject line Third Watch 2026 THEME: CHANNELS NEED HELP? Application assistance is available for anyone who faces disability-related barriers to completing an online application and/or Indigenous applicants facing language, geographic and/or cultural barriers within the online application process. Please contact us at thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com and we will be happy to help! Applications are available in French and English at the bottom of this page.   FESTIVAL INFO SESSIONS Open to everyone / Small presentation followed by Q&A Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8620591126  Meeting ID: 862 059 1126 Password: THIRD All times in Atlantic

• Wednesday, February 18, 7pm-8pm
• Thursday, February 26, 7pm-8pm
• Sunday, March 1, 7pm-8pm

  CONTACT: Manny Travers Executive Director, Third Space Gallery thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com (506)566-7434   ABOUT THIRD WATCH Third Watch was established in 2023 as a new program within the THIRD SHIFT Festival. This back-to-back evening of screenings highlights audio-visual content that is exploratory, challenging, and critical in nature. Works included in this lineup may not be of commercial nature, or not always suitable for an installation as a part of THIRD SHIFT, so this event is reserved to bring these pieces to the big screen and give them their time to shine! Submissions must be complete and up to 15 minutes in length. Content may be narrative, documentary, experimental, animated, or anything in between. If you can project it, we can select it!   FESTIVAL PRIORITIES

• We encourage proposals that reflect Third Space’s objectives as an alternative, non-commercial, contemporary artist-run centre: https://thirdspacegallery.ca/mandate/
• We encourage all genres of audio-visual work to apply.
• We encourage emerging artists, creatives, arts workers, and makers to apply—even if you have never made art in a formal capacity before, you are welcome.
• We aim to support efforts that are exploratory, challenging, and critical in nature.
• We encourage proposals that are relevant to our community in Saint John, New Brunswick.

  COMPENSATION Successful applicants will be paid a screening fee ($150.00) in accordance with the 2026 CARFAC fee schedule, section A.2.1 Single screenings, ≤15mins. The charm of participating in Third Watch is being able to grow your CV without the financial barriers that come with travel and lodging to attend a screening or event. We aim for this component of the festival to be as accessible as possible, providing opportunities for emerging and professional artists without the hassle of physical participation. At this time, we are unable to provide financial support for travel and accommodations to Third Watch artists, but this is something we are actively working towards for future editions of the festival!   APPLICATION ACCESSIBILITY Applying to THIRD SHIFT is free! In addition to the online application, THIRD SHIFT will also accept proposals via phone, video, or audio file as needed by the applicant. Please get in touch with us at thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com to arrange. This process will be a 10-15 minute recorded interview that takes place between the executive director and the applicant where we will go through each section of the application verbally. The conversation will be recorded and shared with the jury via video or transcription. You may submit your application in English or in French. Please note that the selection process will take place in English, so your application will be translated.   FESTIVAL FRAMEWORK Tentative schedule: Friday, August 14th: Third Watch, mini festival of audio-visual works Saturday, August 15th: Evening exhibition of installations, performances, etc.  Sunday, August 16th: Morning and afternoon of artist talks, panels, and workshops   FESTIVAL ACCESSIBILITY THIRD SHIFT takes place in various venues and various outdoor locations with differing terrain. Third Space is committed to organizing a barrier-free festival and will host Third Watch in a venue space that meets accessibility requirements from our artists and community. Third Space can arrange for closed captioning, ASL interpretation, translation of artworks at the applicant’s request, or any other accessibility requirement up to $200. Please indicate if you expect to utilize one or more of these services in your proposal, or if you require access to accessibility funds.   PLEASE NOTE

• Artworks will not be for sale, please submit proposals for non-commercial artwork only
• Applicants may only submit one submission for consideration

  2026 FESTIVAL THEME: CHANNELS THIRD SHIFT: CHANNELS aims to explore, dissect, and interact with the overlapping avenues where we work, create, and play. The theme, “channels”, suggests a variety of ways in which we navigate the world around us, whether it be through waterways, roads and desire paths, internet streams, radio signals, love letters, circuits, emails, among other things. We are seeking proposals for artwork that explores different ways of communication, interaction, and connection, or presents ideas in unique or abstracted manners, like the intersections of language, movement, and togetherness. Proposals may also present artwork that refers to physical or geographical channels, such as such as shared experiences in rural areas or with borders, the proximity to waters and navigational systems, explorations of reality and consciousness, or investigations of real and perceived power dynamics. We encourage applicants to share experiences of navigating the channels of a situation, community, or industry, and/or critically examine our personal and collective connections.  This theme is intentionally broad and, as such, can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. The proposed projects can take almost any form, from installation to performance. We encourage applicants to interpret the theme creatively. We value experimentation and collaboration.    HOW TO APPLY Submit your application before Sunday, March 8, 2026 (11:59pm Atlantic) Send the following documents to the email address thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com with the subject line Third Watch 2026

1. Completed application form
2. Relevant video file (Please include a preview or the full audio-visual work via hyperlink, Google Drive, or downloadable file)

Third Space will also accept submissions via phone, video, or audio file if email or text-based format is not accessible to the applicant. Please get in touch via email at thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com or give us a call at (506)566-7434 Application assistance is available for anyone who faces disability-related barriers to completing an online application and/or Indigenous applicants facing language, geographic and/or cultural barriers within the online application process. Please get in touch via email at thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com or give us a call at (506)566-7434. You may submit your application in English or in French. Please note that the selection process will take place in English, so your application will be translated.   THE SELECTION PROCESS

• The Executive Director and Third Space Board President review the submissions to flag anything that does not align with our festival priorities and application criteria.
• The Executive Director sends the applications to the Third Watch Jury, comprising past Third Watch artists representing diverse identities and communities.
• The Jury selects between 10-15 submissions to recommend based on the following criteria:

1. 1. Impact / artistic merit (in terms of content)
   2. Relevance to local communities
   3. Is exploratory, challenging, and critical in nature
   4. Portrays a cohesive and unique perspective
   5. Centres an underrepresented issue or identity and is culturally sensitive, well-considered
   6. Connection to theme
   7. Respectful of time constraint (under or at 15 mins in length)

  INFORMATION ABOUT THE JURY

• Each jury member must sign a confidentiality and conflict of interest agreement.
• Notes about the jury discussion will be kept on file, applicants may request feedback on their application.
• If the jury has any questions or concerns, the Executive Director will contact the applicant to clarify any necessary details about their submission before making a final decision.

  NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS

• Late April 2026: All applicants will be notified of the status of their application.
• Early May 2026: Successful applicants with approved submissions will be officially invited to take part in Third Watch during THIRD SHIFT!
• Mid May 2026: Participating artists are to send their full video file to the festival team if not already done so.

  NEW TO THE APPLICATION PROCESS? NO PROBLEM! We encourage folks who are new to the process to attend one of our info sessions to chat about THIRD SHIFT and clear up any questions or concerns. Application assistance is also available  for anyone who faces disability-related barriers to completing an online application and/or Indigenous applicants facing language, geographic and/or cultural barriers within the online application process. Please get in touch via email at thirdspacesubmissions@gmail.com or give us a call at 506-566-7434. Not sure how to get started? Check out this example of a THIRD SHIFT Application!