Hay Festival unveils emerging stars to debut new work

The Hay Festival has today unveiled the final selection for ‘The Platform’ – an opportunity for creatives aged 21–28 to showcase new work at the world-famous event in Wales.

The five successful artists whose work will be featured this year are:

• Alfiah Jade Brown – visual poet and producer (London)
• Alexis Maxwell – interdisciplinary storyteller (Lancashire)
• Grace O’Brien – writer, actor, producer (Rhymney, South Wales)
• Eden Peppercorn – writer, theatremaker and visual artist (Nottingham)
• Safiyah Zanabi – writer, performer (London)

Free tickets to The Platform events are available here.

Creative

These chosen artists will each share their work with audiences on Wednesday 28 May in the festival’s Creative Hub, plus network with established artists over a three-day visit.

Supported with funding from the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust and Martin Smith Foundation, The Platform is a Hay Festival initiative to promote, support and develop young creative talent.

Applications to The Platform were open to a range of art forms, including theatre, poetry, digital art, live arts, film, audio and literature, with a focus on bringing together a diverse and representative group of artists from across the UK.

Artists

Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch said: “Hay Festival Global is a charity built on creative collaborations.

“The Platform is designed to support young artists in building connections, on stage and off, showcasing their work to our Festival audience while facilitating creative collaborations with established artists.

“We are delighted to present these five exceptional new works at Hay Festival 2025 and
cannot wait to see what this next generation of artists has in store for us!”

The Hay Festival runs its 38th spring edition in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, with more than 600
events over 11 days between 22 May–1 June 2025.

Launching the best new fiction and non-fiction books, while sharing insights around global issues, the programme sees hundreds of artists, policymakers, pioneers and innovators take part from around the world.

The festival begins with the free Schools Programme, 22–23 May but also includes a vibrant strand for families throughout.