Applications close 1 Avgust - ten days of songwriting, studio work and industry connections across three Bulgarian cities, with travel and accommodation covered.

Bridging Balkan Borders, the regional songwriting camp connecting artists from across Southeast Europe, returns this October for its sixth edition – and Slovenian songwriters and producers are among those eligible to apply.

Presented by Indie Balkans and the SoAlive Music Conference, the 2026 camp takes place from 5 to 13 October across three Bulgarian cities: Sofia, Plovdiv and Koprivshtitsa.  Selected participants will spend ten days writing original music in professional studio teams alongside regional peers, experienced mentors and sound engineers.

This year's edition puts the Balkans' living musical heritage at its core – the region's rhythms, instruments, vocal techniques and ornamentation – reworked into contemporary sound designed to travel well beyond the region.

The programme

The camp is structured around five full songwriting days in Sofia, with intensive studio sessions timed to coincide with the SoAlive Music Conference. Two additional "open work" days take participants on the road: first to Plovdiv, Europe's oldest continuously inhabited city, and then to Koprivshtitsa, the historic Revival-era town whose cobblestone streets and colourful 19th-century houses provide the backdrop for hands-on work with authentic folk rhythms, instruments and local tradition-bearers.

The camp closes with a Listening Session, where participants present their newly written songs to a panel of international industry professionals – A&Rs, music supervisors, festival bookers and sync agents — for direct feedback and concrete opportunities to push their music forward.

What participants receive

The organisers cover return flights, accommodation, daily lunch, professional studio time and mentorship, plus free PRO+ accreditation to SoAlive Music Conference 2026, granting full access to panels, showcases, workshops and networking.

Participants should budget for dinners, personal expenses, travel and health insurance, any visa costs, and local transport at home and from Sofia airport to the hotel.

As an optional add-on, camp participants can have their songs professionally mixed and mastered by Sound Ninja Collective at up to 30% off, should they wish to finish and release the material after the camp.

Importantly for artists: the organisers claim no publishing or master rights over any music created during the camp. All rights remain with the creators.

Who can apply

The call is open to songwriters and producers from fourteen Southeast European countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Cyprus and Turkey. Applicants must be available for the full camp dates (arrival 4 October, departure 14 October 2026) and able to travel internationally.

The camp is supported by Bulgaria's National Culture Fund through the "Creation – Large Projects" 2025 programme.

Applications are open until 1 August 2026 at www.indiebalkans.com.

Indie Balkans is a free, open-access platform serving as a one-stop database for the regional music ecosystem, bringing together verified contacts for venues, studios, labels, media and key industry players across the Balkans to support cross-border collaboration in Southeast Europe.