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Design Grants (Worldwide)

Currently 4 active design grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Worldwide. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.

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Open calls

  1. LOEWE FOUNDATION: Craft Prize 2027

    LOEWE FOUNDATION · Worldwide; shortlist exhibition in Europe in spring 2027. Open to professional artisans aged 18 or over, individuals or collectives, all nationalities. · Deadline: 15 Oct 2026 · Award: EUR 50,000 for the winning entry. No application fee.

    The 10th edition of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize is open for registration until 15 October 2026. Established in 2016, the prize rewards works combining technical excellence, artistic quality and innovation in craft. WHAT YOU GET: the winner receives EUR 50,000, and shortlisted works are shown in an exhibition in Europe in spring 2027. DISCIPLINES: textiles are explicitly listed among the eligible craft disciplines, alongside ceramics, woodwork, metalwork and other applied arts, which makes the prize a home for e-textile and material-innovation work with a craft dimension. ELIGIBILITY: entries must be original one-of-a-kind works made entirely or partly by hand, created within the last five years, and not previously awarded a prize; applicants must be professionals at least 18 years old, and individuals and collectives of all nationalities may apply. DEADLINE: registration closes 15 October 2026 at 23:59 CET.

  2. International Vouchers

    Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie (Creative Industries Fund NL) · Netherlands (for international travel) · Deadline: 27 Oct 2026 · Award: Up to €1,500 within Europe (zone 1) / up to €2,500 outside Europe (zone 2)

    Travel voucher for Dutch-based professionals in design, architecture and/or digital culture who have been invited by a foreign party to give a presentation, lecture or workshop. To apply you must have submitted an application to the Fund in the past five years that was positively assessed (previous International Vouchers do not count). The inviting foreign party must cover a proportionate share of the costs. Covers hourly fees, travel and accommodation directly related to the activity. IMPORTANT TIMING RULE: applications are accepted from 5 months to a minimum of 7 weeks before the activity begins, and processing takes about 6 weeks. This lead time can rule out activities that fall shortly after a round opens. Round 2 (4 May to 22 June 2026) has closed. Round 3 runs 8 September 2026 15:00 CEST to 27 October 2026 16:00 CEST, with a budget of EUR 33,000; given the 7-week rule it effectively serves activities starting from late October 2026 onwards. IMPORTANT PREREQUISITE: you must already have had an application to the Fund positively assessed within the past five years, and a previous voucher does not satisfy this, so this is not a viable first approach to the Fund. The window runs 8 September 2026, 15:00 CEST to 27 October 2026, but closes early once 20 complete applications are received. Maximum one voucher per applicant per calendar year.

  3. Swarovski Foundation: Creatives for Our Future 2026/27 (Global Grant for Emerging Creatives)

    Swarovski Foundation · Worldwide. Open to creatives aged 21 to 30 at the time of application. · Deadline: 09 Nov 2026 · Award: EUR 20,000 grant per selected participant, plus a mentorship and education programme. No application fee.

    Creatives for Our Future is the Swarovski Foundation's global grant programme for emerging creatives aged 21 to 30. Each selected participant receives a EUR 20,000 grant to support their creative project, alongside a mentorship and education programme. DISCIPLINES: fashion, design, art, architecture and engineering, which makes it a direct fit for fashion-tech, wearable and smart-textile projects. ELIGIBILITY: applicants must be aged 21 to 30 at the time of application and working on an initiative that uses creativity to accelerate awareness, technology, or solutions toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals; open worldwide. DEADLINE: 9 November 2026 at 11:59 pm BST.

  4. World of WearableArt (WOW) Awards Competition 2027 (Wellington, New Zealand)

    World of WearableArt · Wellington, New Zealand; open to designers worldwide. Finished garments must be shipped to New Zealand (regional drop-off windows mid-March to mid-May 2027). · Deadline: 11 Feb 2027 · Award: Over NZD 200,000 in prizes across 25 awards. Per the published 2026 prize schedule: Supreme WOW Award NZD 30,000, runner-up NZD 15,000, section winners NZD 8,000 each. No entry fee.

    WOW is the world's largest wearable-art competition, culminating in a staged show in Wellington, New Zealand, with the 2027 awards night on 17 September 2027. The Kinetic and Avant-garde sections regularly attract technology-driven wearables, making this a natural target for e-textile, robotic and sensor-driven garment work. WHAT YOU GET: a prize pool exceeding NZD 200,000 across 25 awards; in the published 2026 schedule the Supreme WOW Award paid NZD 30,000, the runner-up NZD 15,000 and each section winner NZD 8,000 (the 2027 schedule was not yet posted at the time of listing). KEY DATES: the 2027 section themes are published and entries open in November 2026; international designers must lodge an intention to enter by 11 February 2027 and submit their entry by 25 February 2027 (New Zealand designers: 31 March and 14 April 2027); finished garments ship to New Zealand with a final delivery cut-off of 2 June 2027. ELIGIBILITY: designers worldwide, entering under their own names rather than as a business; teams of up to three allowed; entrants must be 18 or over. There is no entry fee.

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