Currently 3 active open calls open to applicants in Switzerland, 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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foodculture days is opening up The Kitchen / Central Location, the living heart of its biennale in Vevey, to an outside collective for the festival's 6th edition. The Kitchen is at once an open-air kitchen, a gathering space and an artistic installation, sited by the lake on the Esplanade de la Paix along a busy promenade, hosting multidisciplinary projects, concerts, themed meals, public discussions, citizens' assemblies and moments of collective cooking. The call asks for new ways of inhabiting it. WHO THEY WANT: a transdisciplinary collective of scientists, artists, designers, craftspeople, cooks, activists and architects, either newly formed or already active; collaboration across generations, cultures and levels of expertise is encouraged. WHAT IS OFFERED: an open-air citizen experimentation laboratory in Vevey's public space, framed around rethinking ways of living and the relationship to time and to creation, and thinking together about the conditions under which multidisciplinary practices can flourish. THE BRIEF: kitchen and hospitality, lunch and dinner service, vegetarian meals with a vegan option. Meals should be affordable, seasonal where fresh produce is involved, and conceived in the spirit of a communal canteen: simple, generous, nourishing and full of flavour. Expected covers are roughly 100 guests Wednesday to Thursday and roughly 150 Friday to Sunday. WHAT THE FESTIVAL PROVIDES: curatorial support to develop the proposal, with particular attention to the themed meals; introductions to local producers, growers and artisans including farm visits and foraging sites; production support and volunteers throughout; and standard professional kitchen equipment and cooking facilities. BUDGET: CHF 15,000 all-inclusive (VAT included) covering travel, visas, equipment rental, any additional kitchen equipment, per diems, materials and artist fees; food costs and accommodation in Vevey are covered separately. THE SPACE: the pavilion, called Cuisine, is a modular metal structure assembled from repurposed agricultural greenhouse components on a 3.1 metre bidirectional grid, with pillars and arches forming ridge vaults, a textile covering naturally dyed yellow with reseda, and a terracotta brick hearth for wood-fired cooking laid directly on the floor. It comes with dining tables, low tables, a reception table, a shelf, a bar, pendant lights, 30 cushions, removable curtains, flags, blackboards and signage panels, and can expand, contract or be reconfigured. TIMELINE: Phase 1 deadline 31 August 2026 at midnight CET; three shortlisted proposals selected in late September, each invited to an online meeting and paid a CHF 250 research fee for Phase 2; final project selected and announced in early October 2026; collaborative development with the foodculture days architectural team October to November; production December to February; build and installation in Vevey 1 to 16 June 2027, with the collective present throughout those two weeks; 6th edition of the biennale 16 to 20 June 2027. PHASE 1 QUESTIONS: tell us about your collective (origins, intention, what makes you special); member biographies with collective or individual portfolios, website, Instagram, city of residence and practices; what the concept consists of in terms of food and cuisine, relationships, and scenography and spatial research; what you want to put into practice in the central pavilion, your vision and the kind of experience you want to create; any special requirements; and references, including a quote representing the collective, two reference texts, three images and optionally video. An Open Call Information Kit, a recording of the online information session and a Q&A are published on the open call site and are worth reading before applying.
The Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology (ICST) at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) invites applications for its 2027 Artists in Residence program, fostering artistic exchange in key areas of current research. Residencies are available in five themes: Spatial Audio; Klavierautomat (algorithmic composition); Moving Loudspeakers; Dance and Generative AI; and Object Performance. The program offers access to ICST's facilities and technical infrastructure, professional support from researchers, and per diems for meals and accommodation. Artists and musicians working with sound and sound media, whose practice reflects a strong interest in one of the listed research areas, are encouraged to apply. One selected project from the Spatial Audio Residency will be featured at the SONIC MATTER Festival 2028 as part of an ongoing partnership. PRACTICAL: residencies include use of facilities and technical infrastructure as specified in the thematic descriptions, plus technical support by ICST research staff. Participants receive a contribution toward travel to Zurich (up to CHF 300 for persons living in Europe, up to CHF 500 for persons living outside Europe) and a per diem to cover meals and accommodation in Zurich; participants organise their own travel and accommodation, with ICST assistance if required. Residency dates are defined individually. APPLICATION: submitted via the online form, uploading a concept sketch, composition idea or project draft (PDF, 2 pages, 10 MB max); a portfolio of three selected works relevant to the residency topic including links to external audio and video (PDF, 2 pages, 10 MB max); and a tabular CV covering education and career (PDF, 1 page, 10 MB max). The residencies are awarded by a jury of ICST researchers and project leaders. TIMELINE: deadline 1 September 2026 at 24:00 CET; candidates notified mid-October 2026. Selected candidates receive forms required for an invitation to Switzerland and must confirm participation and return completed forms within 10 days or the invitation may be withdrawn.
Pro Helvetia's grant for production with presentation funds newly created visual artworks that are being presented publicly for the first time. Open to cross-regionally established artists, photographers, and architects (and collectives) with institutional experience and exhibition activity beyond their own language region. ELIGIBILITY: requires a connection to Switzerland (Swiss citizenship, or permanent residency with regular artistic activity in Switzerland); not open to practitioners without a Swiss connection. AMOUNT: maximum CHF 25,000. Submission deadline 1 September (23:59 CEST). Apply via the Pro Helvetia portal.