With the darkness slowly creeping up on us each day, it is easy to become stagnant and start to believe that there is nothing waiting for us in November. This curated list proves these beliefs wrong, with 8 open calls that offer new opportunities for artists all around the globe.
Whether you are working in digital art, sculpture, photography, painting, printmaking or any other art discipline, these open calls offer you a chance to grow through grants, competitions, group exhibitions and residences.
Artystyczna Podróż Hestii
Hestia Artistic Journey Foundation (Artystyczna Podróż Hestii) announced the fourth edition of its National Grant Programme. Established in 2014, dedicated to creating a platform for social dialogue and aiding the development of the Polish art scene, the foundation offers patronage to exhibitions and events which deal with environmental and social issues. Once again, the programme’s motto is Time of Opening, which highlights one of its main aims — to promote inclusivity and make art more broadly available.
All cultural institutions and artists planning to open an exhibition aimed at broadening and consolidating society’s knowledge of the changes occurring in our social and environmental landscape are welcome to apply for the grant. Additionally, the projects should engage local communities, increase inclusivity, and spark interest in how we shape the world in which we live. Apart from grants for artists, curators and educators, the programme can also fund elements that increase the inclusivity of exhibitions, such as headphones or wheelchair ramps.
Application Deadline: 27 November 2026
Who can apply? Cultural institutions and artists planning to open an exhibition in Poland between 1 February 2028 and 31 January 2029. The topic of the exhibition must be concerned with our shared responsibility for the world.
How to apply? Applications are open here →
Fees and awards:
No application fee.
The total amount of grants available is PLN 500,000. Selected projects will receive individual grants of up to PLN 100,000, but not less than 80% of the submitted budget.
ENERGY GHOSTS: Mensch Maschine VISIT Residency Programme 2027
Mensch Maschine VISIT is an annual fellowship programme that offers four fully funded fellowships to artists from around the world. This year, the applicants will explore the topic of ENERGY GHOSTS.
In our time of accelerated technological development, we mainly associate energy with artificial intelligence, extractivist economies and the demands of hypercapitalism. Mensch Maschine VISIT invites applicants to critically engage with these topics, while also conceptualising energy as something more than a technical resource or economic commodity. How can we see energy if we look at it through the lenses of spirituality, politics, physics or relationships? The applicants are invited to explore this question in their project proposals. A wide range of artistic disciplines are welcome; however, the jury particularly looks forward to submissions at an intersection of art, energy and ecology.
Application Deadline: 1 December 2026, 11:59 pm.
Who can apply? Open to international artists working with visual art, performance, film, installation, sound writing and new media.
How to apply? Applications are open here →
Fees and awards:
No application fee.
The selected applicants will receive 20,000 euros. This grant is intended to be put towards artist fees and production costs of a new project, which may include research and development, travel, material and presentation costs. Additionally, four winners will be granted a three-month residence with accommodation and a studio space.
Aion Digital Art Prize
Organised by Aion Laboratory, this international competition for digital art, media art and artistic practices that use technology welcomes individual and collaborative works exploring the expressive possibilities of digital media.
The Prize aims to support digital artistic expression and introduce creators’ work to an international audience. Works of computer art, electronic art, digital installations, interactive systems, multimedia, video art, animation, sound art, music, AR, VR and other new media practices can be submitted. The judges will consider originality, individuality and new possibilities for digital art, together with the technical ability to realise those ideas.
Application Deadline: March 1, 2027, 23:59 GMT
Who can apply? Artists of any age and nationality. Collaborative works are welcome.
How to apply? Upload your work to a file-hosting or media-sharing service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, SoundCloud, YouTube, Youku or Vimeo. Submit the link and work description here →, then complete payment.
Fees and awards:
There is a non-refundable fee of 3,000 JPY per artwork.
The Grand Prize includes a certificate and a financial reward of 50,000 JPY. Up to 35 applicants will get a secondary prize of an Aion Digital certificate.
Visual Art Open Prize
With a mission to celebrate and showcase the diverse talents of artists at every stage of their journey, the 12th edition of the Visual Art Open Prize is now open for submissions. This prize is an opportunity to gain exposure, connect with collectors and art enthusiasts, and advance your career.
Artists are welcome to submit works which fall under one of five competition categories: painting; sculpture; drawing and illustration; mixed media, collage & printmaking; photography & digital art. A winner will be chosen for each of these categories. Additionally, there are two separate categories for students’ and art educators’ submissions.
Application Deadline: Early Bird – 17 December 2026, General – 25 March 2027
Who can apply? Open to artists of all levels globally.
How to apply? Applications open here →
Fees and awards:
There are three tiers of entry fees: Early Bird, Standard and a discounted one for Student Artists and Art Educators. The fees range from £10 to £20 per artwork. You can find the full pricing here →
The main prize grants a £2,000 financial award and a solo show in London. Additionally, there is a secondary prize of £250 for each category. The works of all the winners will be showcased at the London Art Exhibition of Finalists.
The Dumfries House Residency
Organised by the Royal Drawing School and Glasgow School of Art, the Dumfries House Residency invites Scottish artists and students of Scottish art schools for a stay in art studios situated in an 18th-century estate. All artists who use drawing in their practice, including painters, textile and furniture designers, illustrators, practice-based researchers and printmakers, are encouraged to apply for the residence.
This residency has an emphasis on working from observation and the development of new work. The residents are free to roam the entire estate and its gardens and have access to a large collection of Flemish and Scottish paintings.
Application Deadline: 19 November 2026, 5 pm GMT
Who can apply? Open to alumni and faculty of the Royal Drawing School, Scottish artists and applicants through Royal Drawing School’s partner organisations, for whom drawing is part of their practice.
How to apply?
Applications for alumni open here →
Applications for Scottish artists open here →
Fees and awards:
No entry fee.
The winners will be provided with a private studio and self-catering accommodation on the Dumfries House Estate.
First Plinth: Public Art Award
The goal of the biennial First Plinth: Public Art Award is to acquaint artists working in three dimensions with the public-art commissioning procedure. It is designed to closely replicate this process and challenge, yet support the sculptor throughout it.
This edition’s theme is RENEWAL, and applicants are to create and present a maquette of a sculpture exploring this theme, which will be displayed on the sculpture terrace of the Dora House. The winning sculptor is awarded £20,000 to realise a large-scale sculpture based on their maquette.
Application Deadline: Early Bird – 17 November 2026; Standard – 12 January 2027
Who can apply? All artists working in three dimensions.
How to apply? Applications open here →
Fees and awards:
There are two tiers of entry fees: Early Bird and Standard. The fees range from £17 to £34.
Up to 5 artists will be shortlisted and will receive a £1,000 award to create and present a maquette. The winner of the main prize will be awarded £20,000 to produce a large-scale sculpture for the sculpture terrace at Dora House.
INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION – BEYOND BORDERS
iTravelPoetry invites all photographers to submit their work for the international photography exhibition which will be presented in Athens, Paris and Rome. The chosen works will create a shared international presentation of contemporary photographic expression.
The theme BEYOND BORDERS invites artists to explore the concept of visible and invisible boundaries that shape our lives, or to challenge the idea of borders altogether. The theme can be interpreted freely in any photographic style and technique.
Application Deadline: 30 November 2026
Who can apply? All photographers aged 18 and over.
How to apply? Send your photographs via e-mail.
Fees and awards:
There is no entry fee. There is a participation fee of €150 for artists whose works are selected for the exhibition.
To find out more, visit the iTravelPoetry website →
International Studio Program
Established in 1994, the International Studio Program announced the 33rd open call for the annual residence programme organised by ACC Galerie and the City of Weimar. This year, artists are invited to submit proposals for projects which explore the topic of ‘absence’, rethink it in new ways, challenge it aesthetically, or use it as a tool for social critique.
The winners will be provided with a monthly stipend and an apartment with an attached studio at Städtisches Atelierhaus Weimar for the duration of their residence. Additionally, the ACC Galerie offers yearly support to the artists-in-residence.
Application Deadline: 22 November 2026
Who can apply? Artists from all over the world.
How to apply? Send a project proposal in PDF format via e-mail.
Fees and awards:
There is no entry fee.
Winners will be granted a 4-month stay in an apartment with an attached studio in Weimar, along with a monthly stipend of 1,100 Euros.
To find out more, visit the ACC Galerie website →
