To join, you must be over 18 years of age, and have a genuine interest in joining the themed entertainment industry as a professional career.

This program is not for established themed entertainment professionals.

Content will be delivered in English only, so you must have a good understanding of English.

You will be asked to provide a CV / Resume & Cover Letter after signing up, and you must be willing to commit around 8-10hrs per week to the project. It is possible to take part alongside work or studies, but you must be able to manage your time effectively.

From 2026, there will be a small administration fee to join our program. Further information will be released prior to applications opening in November 2025.

Optional events are offered at minimal cost, excluding travel expenses.

We are a non-profit organisation run by a small team of volunteers, with support from industry sponsors.

We’re looking for mentors to support our participants with any questions that they may have throughout the program, acting as a professional guide for their projects. You would be expected to meet with your group every week or so, for the duration of the 10 month project.

We also host weekly educational webinars, and we would love to hear about your area of expertise. Let us know if you have something that you would like to present!

If your company is interested in sponsoring NextGen Showcase and supporting our volunteer-led program, please get in touch to see our sponsorship benefits.

Please send us an email for more information on any of the above: info@nextgenshowcase.com

Each team will receive the same design brief, which is open to interpretation and ripe for creativity. It will be focused on themed attractions, but not limited to theme parks. See our Projects page for examples of past work.

The time commitment for the project is significant, but flexible; it has been designed to be undertaken alongside higher education or work over the course of ten months, and we expect participants to commit around 8-10 hours per week.

We actively encourage you to partake as much as possible, to make the most of your time on the project.

No, this is a Showcase of talent!

There are no winners or losers. The Client Panel will give constructive feedback on everyone’s projects, but they do not choose favourites.

The project is about creating portfolio pieces for our participants, and helping them to enter the industry, not to win awards.

Each team is led by 2 mentors who offer regular input, as guidance toward each of the three formal progress submissions. These submissions take place at the end of the Blue-Sky, Concept Design, and Schematic/Detail Design phases. The Client Panel will review your work at the end of each phase, and provide constructive feedback.

The NextGen Showcase management team is based in The United Kingdom and The Netherlands.

Almost all events will take place online, but we host optional in-person events in locations determined by the locations of our participants.

Online events such as webinars and feedback sessions are recorded whenever possible, to allow participants to watch them after they have occurred.

Participants may join from anywhere in the world, however all content is delivered in English.

Applications for the 2026 Program will open in November 2025. Register your interest here to be emailed once applications open.