Currently 6 active open calls open to applicants in Asia, across AI, arts, film, journalism, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. 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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The Sixi International Artist-in-Residence Project, run by Sixi Museum in Nanjing since 2024, selects 4 artists across two three-month sessions in 2027 (Spring, March to May, and Autumn, September to November). The program is built as an open network across the city, connecting residents with local scholars, artists, historic neighborhoods and natural landscapes, with Open Studios and workshops along the way. Proposals must respond to one of two themes: Flux and Imprints, Contemporary Echoes of Migration History (cross-regional mobility, cultural reconstruction and memory, including family histories of overseas Chinese, the legacy of colonialism in Asia, and identity within global geopolitics), or Folds of Text, Cross-Media Intertextuality and Intervention (text as a fluid medium, with interdisciplinary work across literature, linguistics, music and sound, and visual arts). SUPPORT: round-trip flights, visa fees, insurance, private apartment or loft studio, material allowance, technical assistance, airport pickup and translation; no separate artist fee or stipend is mentioned. ELIGIBILITY: artists of all disciplines, aged 18 or older, proficient in spoken and written Mandarin or English. HOW TO APPLY: email a CV with profile photo, portfolio and residency proposal as a single PDF or ZIP with the subject line Residency Application. Final responses by mid-February 2027; allow 2 to 3 months for visa processing. DEADLINE: 15 November 2026 (GMT+8).
Busan Metropolitan City invites individuals and teams from around the world to propose a site-responsive work of land and ecological art for Eulsukdo, an estuarine island at the mouth of the Nakdong River, South Korea's longest river. The island sits in a brackish estuary where river meets sea and is an important stopover for migratory birds on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway; once heavily altered by agriculture, landfill and urban development, it has been restored as wetlands and bird habitat, a layered history the call frames as an invitation to reflect on coexistence between human and more-than-human life. Proposals must respond to Eulsukdo's ecology, landscape, history and changing environment while minimising ecological disturbance and demonstrating environmental responsibility across the work's whole lifecycle. ELIGIBILITY: individuals or teams professionally active in art, landscape architecture, architecture, design or related fields; interdisciplinary teams welcome. SELECTION: one proposal, with artwork support of KRW 380,000,000 and an artist fee of KRW 20,000,000. SUBMISSION WINDOW: 2 November 00:00 to 22 November 2026 24:00 KST (UTC+9). Provisional opening of the realised work May to June 2027. Full guidelines via the official website (eulsukdo-ecoart.com); inquiries to eulsukdo.ecoart@gmail.com.
Open call for dance and movement-image films up to 20 minutes for the 2027 Jumping Frames festival. The 2027 theme, Copy Right Copy Left, explicitly invites AI and digital tools and asks about authorship in the AI era. Entries via FilmFreeway (https://filmfreeway.com/CCDC_JumpingFrames2027); earlier tiers closed 6 and 26 November, final deadline 16 December 2026. Entry fees apply on most tiers.
The Hong Kong International Film Festival, one of Asia's oldest film festivals, is taking submissions for its 51st edition (16-29 March 2027). Categories: feature films (60 minutes plus), short films (20-60 minutes), documentary features and documentary shorts, and the Short Film Competition (any genre, including fiction, documentary, animation and experimental, under 20 minutes). The Young Cinema Competition (first, second or third features, with Chinese-language and World sections) and the Documentary Competition draw on the feature submissions. ELIGIBILITY: completed after 1 January 2026; except Hong Kong productions, not shown in Hong Kong before the festival; English subtitles required for non-English films; films submitted before and not selected are not reconsidered. FEES (late window, 4 November to 31 December 2026): Short Film Competition USD 50 / HKD 390, all other categories USD 80 / HKD 624; documentaries by Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card holders can be waived. Submit online via the HKIFF site or FilmFreeway, or by post with the entry form; screeners by Vimeo link or DVD. Notification by 5 March 2027 (unsuccessful entries are not notified). Contact entries@hkiff.org.hk.
YAO Residency #02 centres on the translation between culture and material: through living, research and exchange in Taiwan, artists engage with different cultural contexts, local ways of living, materials and craft practices, with emphasis on process rather than finished works. ONE artist/practitioner is selected for a two-phase program. PHASE ONE (research residency, 21 August to 21 November 2027): field research, material exploration and local engagement, closing with an Open Studio (27 October to 16 November 2027) presenting research in progress. PHASE TWO (2028): the artist returns to Taiwan for a formal exhibition or other public presentation at YAO, expected to run at least six weeks. WHAT YOU GET: per phase, travel support (international applicants up to NTD 20,000 round-trip against receipts), a living stipend of NTD 10,000 and accommodation; Phase One adds a production budget of up to NTD 20,000, an Open Studio venue and help connecting with craftspeople, communities and cultural practitioners; Phase Two adds the exhibition venue, installation assistance and documentation; both phases include text editing, translation and promotional support. ELIGIBILITY: artists, makers, researchers and interdisciplinary practitioners aged 18 or over with an ongoing creative practice, any nationality; suited to self-directed researchers who transform research into artistic practice. APPLICATION: via Google Form as a single PDF with CV, artist statement, portfolio and a residency proposal covering methodology, research themes, areas of Taiwan engagement (materials, crafts, environments, cultural contexts), planned activities and possible creative directions; in Mandarin or English. FEE: NTD 300 (Taiwan-based, bank transfer) or USD 10 (international, PayPal), non-refundable; upload proof of payment. TIMELINE: interview invitations 10 January 2027, online interviews 16 January, selection announced 29 January 2027. DEADLINE: 31 December 2026.
The Daiwa Foundation Small Grants support projects that promote interaction between the UK and Japan in any field, including arts exchanges, exhibitions, conferences, grassroots and educational exchanges and research travel, with travel between the two countries as the main focus. New initiatives are encouraged, and gender equality and SDG themes are welcome; continuing or regular events (such as an annual festival edition) are unlikely to be funded without a strong reason or special occasion. NOT ELIGIBLE: commissions of artworks, capital costs, consumables, salaries or professional fees, tuition and commercial activity. WHAT YOU GET: GBP 2,000 to 9,000 (most awards GBP 3,000-4,000), with flights funded up to GBP 1,200 each and subsistence up to GBP 100 per person per day, plus GBP 50 extra per flight for environmental projects in Japan. APPLICATION: read the Application Notes, then apply via the Foundation's online portal (separate forms for UK- and Japan-based applicants); advice from grants@dajf.org.uk. Decisions by late May or early June 2027. DEADLINE: 31 March 2027 (the following round closes 30 September).