Why artists should submit to The Story Trail
Artists from Sussex and beyond have started working on their BookBench designs for our Story Trail. These BookBenches will be scattered around the city to be enjoyed by both tourists and locals alike.
We spoke to Emma Fish—Amaze’s artists coordinator—to find out how local artists can get involved ahead of the deadline on Sunday 4th January 2026.
How Emma got involved in The Story Trail
Being a part of Wild in Art sculpture trails is something Emma is more than familiar with. Before working on The Story Trail, she collaborated in all three of the previous Wild in Art sculpture trails in Brighton & Hove. She is now working with Amaze to bring The Story Trail to life.
Most recently, she has painted ‘Benchy’, a BookBench based on The Story Trail’s mascot. The creative process for Benchy was pretty unique: “The circle design was actually done with potato printing, to give it randomness.” She shared that she typically would meticulously mark out details, so she used a technique to make Benchy’s spots random.
Art trails are a unique, exciting way to both improve the community and to promote local artists: “The trails raise awareness of the charity, and the artwork can be inspiring to people. It encourages people to get out and have a look at the trail. It’s just a really nice project.”
Emma explained that beyond raising awareness for charity, the trails encourage the community to get outside and explore the city—a feat which can prove quite difficult in Brighton & Hove’s harsh autumns.
Advice on getting involved
Applications are currently open for artists are encouraged to design their own BookBenches to be placed around the city. There is an open application process, which closes on Sunday 4th January 2026.
In her experience, Emma shared that it can be daunting to work on a larger scale than you’re used to. One thing Emma wishes she knew before starting on the project was “how long it takes to paint a bench, or any sculpture. You have to layer up the paint and leave it and come back to it.” She described the challenges of working on a scale so large, and with media some artists have never used before. Emma encourages artists of all forms to join in because “it’s a really good thing to get involved in, but you need to be aware of how long it will take.”
Artists of all media types have been involved in the city’s previous art trails, even the digital kind! Blending different forms of art is part of the fun of the project. Emma says: “What’s really interesting is the variety of ideas you get from artists because everybody’s different, and it’s such a wealth of ideas.” One of the reasons art trails like The Story Trail work so well is because the different styles of art appeal to the community’s different tastes.
A community of artists
Getting involved in The Story Trail can be a great way to promote yourself as a local artist, and it’s a great way to make connections too: “A lot of artists don’t know each other beforehand, then they get to know each other while they’re promoting the sculptures, and it becomes a very nice community of people.”
There are several artists working on designs for The Story Trail submission process who have been involved in previous art trails, but previous involvement isn’t necessary. Emma described the best aspect of being involved to be the community that comes from it.
Both community members and local artists can benefit from The Story Trail: “For [the artists] to have that exposure of their artwork being out on the streets and being recognised, and to get people to see their amazing talent… It’s a really great thing.”
Find out more
Artists have until 23.59 on Sunday 4th January 2026 to submit their designs to be a Story Trail artist. The design must be submitted on the template and accompanied with an artist form.
Each artist can submit up to three designs, but it is likely that only one design will be chosen. After artists have submitted, Amaze and The Story Trail sponsor’s will decide which artists have been successful.
Prior to submitting, artists are encouraged to read the artists pack and the terms and conditions of entry.
- To find out more about The Story Trail check out our Story Trail page
- To find out how to get involved, visit out our artists page for details
- Download our artists pack
Banner image by Victoria Dawe Photography.
