Currently 5 active prizes and awards open to applicants in the EU, 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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NEW FEARS is a Berlin gallery set up as a hybrid space for artists working across choreography and visual art, with a focus on body-based practice, and this award extends that to artists working outside conventional theatre and institutional structures. A jury of Bryana Fritz, Jacopo Lanteri and Burcu Bilgic shortlists six projects, each of which performs live at the gallery on 16 or 17 October 2026; three winners are then chosen and celebrated at Panke Club on 18 October. The application is unusually light: name, email, an optional text of up to 500 words about your work, and up to six links to video documentation with passwords where needed. No CV, no written proposal, no budget, which means the video documentation carries the whole application, so lead with work that shows immediately how it operates live in a gallery. ELIGIBILITY: Berlin-based artists, duos and groups working across performance, choreography, visual art or body-based practice. You must be in Berlin for setup the week before and for the presentations on 16-17 October 2026, and be able to issue an invoice for the award payment. Existing or new work is fine, with no stated duration limits. AVAILABLE EQUIPMENT: sound system, speakers, mixer, LED lights, projector, wind machine, smoke machine, microphone and basic cables; check the venue PDF before proposing anything that depends on a particular room, access route or technical setup. NOTE: the organisers describe this as a DIY, near-zero-budget initiative. There is no production budget and nothing beyond the grant, so a group splitting EUR 1,300 should go in with eyes open. TIMELINE: applications close 15 August 2026 (no time or timezone given); shortlist announced 15 September 2026. Apply through the JotForm at form.jotform.com/261674665583066.
Eighth edition of RTM Pitch, IFFR's open call for Rotterdam film talent. Submit a plan for a film between 5 and 20 minutes long; a jury of film experts and IFFR programmers selects one filmmaker to receive EUR 25,000 to realise the film (with coaching and an IFFR 2028 premiere) and a runner-up to receive a EUR 5,000 development budget co-funded by QISSA. All filmmakers are welcome; this edition especially encourages genre films (horror, science fiction, thriller, fantasy) that use genre conventions for a distinctive personal vision. Submit a written film plan (story, setting, team, budget and financing, cinematography vision, with optional supporting material) or a video pitch of no more than three minutes (Vimeo or YouTube link) via the application form. Deadline: Sunday 30 August 2026, 23:59 CEST.
The Prisma Art Prize is an international award for painting and two-dimensional artistic research based in Rome. The 20th edition selects emerging and established artists working in painting, drawing, illustration, printmaking, and traditional mixed media for a group exhibition at Palazzo Merulana, opening November 5, 2026. Winners share an annual cash fund of EUR 2,000 distributed across quarterly calls and receive inclusion in the collective catalogue plus artist interviews. Additional opportunities include solo exhibition prizes and fully funded placements at partner art residencies. The prize is open internationally to all living artists regardless of age, gender, nationality, or educational background. The submission deadline for this edition is September 10, 2026.
The American Academy in Berlin is an independent, nonprofit institute for advanced study in the arts, humanities, social sciences, law, journalism and public policy, whose primary mission is to strengthen the cultural and intellectual ties between the United States and Germany. Each year, after a rigorous selection process, the Academy awards roughly two dozen semester-long Berlin Prize fellowships to individuals who demonstrate excellence in their fields. DISCIPLINES: applications are welcome across the humanities, social sciences, law, journalism and various areas of public policy. The Academy generally encourages projects addressing pressing issues of the day, specifically naming democracy, security, technology and society (especially AI), energy including climate, and global order. Dedicated fellowships also support projects in Jewish studies, German studies, and public health and biotechnology. Project proposals need not focus on Germany, but candidates should explain how a residency in Berlin would enhance their work. NOT ACCEPTED: proposals in mathematics or the natural sciences. NOTE FOR ARTISTS: visual artists and composers are invited through separate, nomination-based competitions, so there is no open application route for them here. ELIGIBILITY: fellowships are restricted to citizens and permanent residents of the United States. Both emerging and established figures are eligible. PhD holders qualify as emerging scholars with a strong record of peer-reviewed work beyond the dissertation; candidates in non-academic fields such as journalism, filmmaking and policy need a significant record of publication or production; fiction and nonfiction writers must have published at least one book with a reputable press. WHAT FELLOWS DO: fellows present their work to audiences in and around Berlin through lectures, readings, public discussions, performances and film screenings, and should be willing to engage with relevant German institutions, organizations and the media; these activities are integral to the Academy's mission of fostering transatlantic dialogue. APPLICATION MATERIALS: a project proposal of 1,500 to 1,750 words plus a one-page bibliography; a curriculum vitae of up to 10 pages; two writing samples totalling no more than 60 pages; and three letters of recommendation, which are due 2 October 2026. DEADLINE: Friday 25 September 2026 at 12:00 noon Eastern Time (18:00 Central European Time). TIMELINE: all candidates are notified of the competition outcome by email in late March 2027; the 2027-28 Berlin Prize recipients are announced in May 2027.
Call for short films (1-10 minutes) involving human/AI hybrid creation, from the We Are Human Foundation in Paris. Three cash awards: Grand Prix EUR 5,000, Best Screenplay EUR 3,000, and an Ethics Award EUR 2,000. ELIGIBILITY: international, applicants 18+; films must have been completed after 1 June 2025 and involve human/AI hybrid creation; a mandatory Ethics Notebook accompanies each submission. No submission fee. Festival screening at Forum des images, Paris, on 24 November 2026. Apply via FilmFreeway; deadline 30 September 2026.