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 third round of Project Tech4Dev's AI Cohort, a hands-on implementation programme for NGOs designing, building and deploying responsible AI solutions inside their own programmes. Cohort 2.0 worked with seven NGOs across education, civic engagement, youth development and nonprofit technology, who built and piloted AI teaching assistants, volunteer coaches, mentoring tools and decision-support systems; the organisers' stated lesson was that adoption turns on understanding user needs, testing rapidly, measuring impact and building responsibly rather than on the technology itself. Cohort 3.0 is aimed at organisations ready to move past exploration into solutions that can be deployed in real-world settings. STRUCTURE (three sprints over roughly six months): Discovery Sprint (months 1 to 2) covering problem discovery, use-case prioritisation, data-readiness assessment, user research and solution design; Build Sprint (months 2 to 5) covering prototype development, implementation sprints, user testing, mentorship and responsible AI evaluations; and Activation Sprint (month 6) covering pilot deployment, impact assessment, operationalisation planning and a final showcase with peers and ecosystem partners. SELECTION CRITERIA: NGOs must show some in-house technical or data capability, ideally a dedicated person who can anchor the work (not necessarily an AI expert, but able to manage workflows, communicate operational requirements and work with mentors and experts); must commit one person's full bandwidth for the whole programme, including aligning leadership, adapting operations and making room to test, monitor and refine; and preference goes to problems involving multi-modal input, especially Indic languages, and to use cases built on LLMs. Applications are open to nonprofits across sectors, with priority to climate-focused organisations whose AI use cases could improve programme delivery, decision-making or community outcomes. Apply via the Google Form linked from the announcement before 10 August 2026.
Water Bodies & Ecology 2026 is a 40-day multidisciplinary initiative from the Dot Line Space Art Foundation in Mumbai, bringing artists, researchers, collectives and communities together across research activities, installations and exhibitions at two venues. The premise is artistic engagement with water, ecology, climate, memory and environmental consciousness, and the programme is explicitly after research-based and site-responsive approaches rather than finished gallery objects, aiming for dialogue between contemporary practice and ecological concerns. WHO CAN APPLY: individual artists, artist groups, interdisciplinary practitioners, community-based initiatives, and collectives and collaborative practices, working across all mediums and disciplines. WHAT IS OFFERED: selected artists receive grants towards travel and production expenses. Be aware that the published call does not give amounts, does not mention an artist fee, and does not mention accommodation, so confirm the terms with the foundation (info@dotlinespace.co.in) before committing to travel. Applications go through a Google Form linked from the project page. ABOUT THE HOST: Dot Line Space was co-founded in 2015 by Gourmoni Das, Piyush Bavalia and Shruti Bhosle, all graduates of Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai.
Touch Some Grass is an open-call poster exhibition responding to the growing presence of AI-generated imagery and its impact on creative labour, authorship and visual culture. At a time when images can be produced instantly and consumed just as quickly, the exhibition reclaims the poster as a space for ideas, intention and public conversation, inviting artists to make work that questions, challenges or reflects on this changing landscape. As the organisers put it, the question is no longer whether machines can make images, they can; the question is what kind of world we build when speed matters more than thought. NOTE: this call offers exhibition and visibility only, with no artist fee or stipend. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: artwork size A3 (297 x 420 mm), portrait orientation, 300 DPI, CMYK recommended, print-quality PDF preferred, maximum file size 1 GB, one submission per artist. CAP: participation is limited to 60 artists and the submission form closes automatically once all slots are filled, so the effective deadline may fall well before 31 August 2026 (10 of 60 slots were taken at the time of listing). Inato Gallery is an artist-run space in Iligan City, Philippines, which began as a solo street exhibition by KaraTula and now runs concept-driven solo and group shows, open mics, talks and workshops built on openness, participation and the belief that art should exist where people already are.
SOCIAL DIVE is Tokyo Biennale's open call, now in its third edition and, for 2027, open to both international and domestic applicants (the 2019 round drew roughly 1,500 overseas applications and the 2025 international-only round roughly 1,400). Artists and curators propose projects to be presented as part of Tokyo Biennale 2027, whose theme is 'From Me to Us'. THEME: general producer Masato Nakamura frames the biennale against an age of conflict and division, arguing that to avoid repeating memories of war, violence and exclusion we must reexamine the wisdom and cultural resources passed down across generations. Tokyo carries the memories of neighbourhoods dating back to the Edo period, twice suffered great loss through the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Second World War, and each time was rebuilt through the strength of its citizens; it is also an international city where different languages, memories, beliefs, wounds and hopes intersect. Quoting Kenzaburo Oe, 'I cannot live my life over again. But we can live our lives over again', the call proposes that when a single 'me' encounters others and reconnects relationships, a new consciousness of 'us' emerges. Art projects are treated as a form of cultural prescription, reconnecting people with people, people with places and people with memories. ELIGIBILITY: open to artists, curators, researchers, collectives and practitioners in related fields active in Japan and abroad; applicants must be 18 or older at the time of application; there are no restrictions on nationality, place of residence or base of operations; participants must be able to work in Tokyo during the designated period. ACCEPTED FORMATS: artwork creation, exhibitions, performances, video works, tours, workshops, participatory projects, research projects and curatorial projects. Applications cover both artwork production by artists and art project proposals by curators. APPLY via the Google Form linked from socialdive.jp/en (a Google account is required) during the application period 17 July to 30 September 2026, 23:59 JST. Read the official call documentation for full eligibility requirements and guidelines.
The Hayama Artist Residency introduces visual artists from around the world to Japanese culture and offers them their first gallery exhibition in Japan. The four-week residency takes place in Hayama, a coastal town in Kanagawa Prefecture about 1.5 hours from Tokyo. Selected artists receive roundtrip airfare to Tokyo, shared accommodation with one other resident, and USD 800 for meals and local transportation. A core element is a group exhibition during the stay, hosted in partnership with KOKI ARTS, a contemporary gallery in the Bakurocho art district of Tokyo. The program is open to visual artists over 21 working in any medium, based anywhere in the world, and applications are reviewed by the director and an international selection committee. The June 2027 cycle has an application deadline of September 30, 2026, with notification by December 15, 2026.
The Creative Industries Fund NL (Stimuleringsfonds) runs this residency with Videotage, a Hong Kong-based non-profit media arts institution specialising in the promotion, presentation, creation and preservation of moving image and media art in all forms and languages. The Fund is recruiting one Netherlands-based designer, maker or observer working in digital culture to spend two or three months at Videotage's studio space in Hong Kong in 2027, conducting research, broadening their network, developing new work inspired by Hong Kong, and presenting their findings or completed works. The residency encourages crossovers and experimentation, giving the participant space to explore new methodologies, widen their creative practice and produce work that pushes the boundaries of digital culture, with a focus on social and urban dynamics. The 2027 edition takes the technological 'black box' phenomenon as its starting point and invites the resident to respond to that theme within the context of Videotage. ELIGIBILITY: you are an individual designer, maker or observer within the field of digital culture; you are established in the Netherlands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius or Sint Maarten (Kingdom of the Netherlands); you are registered in the business register of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) or another business register within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; and you have had a professional practice in the creative industry for at least four years. NOT open to duos, collectives or cooperative ventures, nor to designers and makers who receive a grant during the work period under the Talent Development Grant Scheme, the Open Call Self-taught Designer or the Open Call Emerging Design Practices ABCSSS. Note that accepting this open call means you cannot apply to those schemes and open calls in 2027. FUNDING: EUR 5,000 for two months or EUR 6,500 for three months, covering travel, insurance, living expenses, compensation for time invested and material and transport costs; accommodation, studio use and Videotage's facilitation are covered separately by the Fund. Submit your proposal to the Creative Industries Fund NL by 21 October 2026, 16:00 CEST.