AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award (Landscape South Hub)

What you get

You get a PhD scholarship worth about EUR 24,000 per year (£20,780), plus your Home (UK) tuition fees paid in full and extra money for research and training costs. Full-time funding usually runs for 3.5 years; part-time study is possible over a longer period. The University of Brighton offers three of these places each year, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). You also join a shared training programme run across the Landscape South Hub, a group of 11 universities in southern England. It focuses on working across disciplines and building your career inside and outside academia. The first group starts in October 2026.

Who can apply

• Degree level: You want to start a PhD (doctorate) and meet Brighton's entry requirements, usually a good master's degree or an equal qualification. Extensive work experience in the arts, community wellbeing or design and technology also counts as a valid route in.
• Field of study: Your project fits arts, architecture and humanities. Brighton especially welcomes topics like oral and material histories, community-engaged design, medical humanities, comics and visual narratives, creative industries and heritage, creative ecologies, and creative technologies and AI. Other themes and interdisciplinary or practice-based projects are welcome too.
• Where you study: You study on campus at the University of Brighton. Distance learning is not allowed.
• Nationality: UK (Home) applicants are the main target. International applicants (EU and non-EU) may apply, but the award only covers Home tuition fees, so you would have to pay the difference up to the international fee yourself.
• Not already started: You have not yet begun a PhD. Current doctoral students cannot apply.
• Supervisor backing: A Brighton academic must agree to supervise your project, and you name them in your application.

How to apply

First, email a potential supervisor at Brighton with a short outline of your project (up to 300 words) to secure their support. Then submit your application through Brighton's online portal by Sunday 22 February 2026, 23:59. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed in early April 2026.

How realistic are your chances?

With only three places a year at Brighton and a clear focus on arts, architecture and humanities, this award is narrowly targeted, so the field is smaller than for open scholarships. Your real hurdle is landing a supervisor's backing first, which acts as an early filter. A well-matched project and an early approach to staff matter most. If your topic fits Brighton's strengths and you qualify for Home fees, your prospects are solid.