Currently 15 active prizes and awards open to applicants in Europe, 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 Theatre Project Award supports specific artistic projects in theatre, enabling individual artists and organisations to bring their ideas to fruition and create excellent work, from script and concept development through to new creations, including devised, interdisciplinary and technology-led performance. WHO: individual theatre artists and theatre organisations based in Ireland. WHAT YOU GET: a project grant of up to EUR 26,000 in this round (Play Development and Theatre Creation scales). APPLICATION: through the Arts Council online services portal; read the 2027 guidelines on the award page first and contact theatre@artscouncil.ie with questions. Opened 20 October 2026. DEADLINE: 19 November 2026 at 17:30.
The UNESCO City of Media Arts Office of Karlsruhe's Department of Cultural Affairs awards the dm-Award connecting worlds, with dm-drogerie markt as awarding partner, ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe as curatorial partner and KME as organiser of the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE Light Festival. Under the motto PLAYGROUND, the call seeks projects that connect the digital space of the projection mappings on Karlsruhe Palace's facade with the analogue space of the Market Square, playfully activating public space. FORMAT: every project must have two elements: a projection mapping on the palace facade (2 to 5 minutes) and at least one satellite on the Market Square that also works independently of the projection and is publicly and freely accessible. Examples include interactive projections and game elements with audience participation, installations or media artworks relating to the projection, combinations of performance, concerts or actions with projection mapping, sculptural, 3D or immersive formats, new technologies, and collaborations between local and international players. The winner is realised in 2027 during the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE and the exhibition Media art is here, running four weeks between mid-August and mid-September 2027. WHO: artists worldwide, individually or as a collective. WHAT YOU GET: a EUR 10,000 prize, up to EUR 20,000 net production funding (which must cover all production costs, including fees, equipment and the winners' travel), plus curatorial and technical support; technical requirements are set out in the Production Guidelines. APPLICATION: via the call page; questions to cityofmediaarts@kultur.karlsruhe.de. Application period 9 October to 25 November 2026, closing at 13:00 CET.
Open call for a 7-minute projection mapping on the Karlsruhe palace facade, on the 2027 festival theme Playground (The Art of Playing). For artists, designers, studios and collectives working in projection mapping; ZKM provides curatorial and technical coaching. APPLICATION (German or English, via the ZKM web form https://webform.zkm.de/form/bbbank-award-2027): concept or storyboard description (max 2,000 characters), a 5-second media check file following the technical guidelines, a short bio (max 1,000 characters) and a portrait photo. CONDITIONS: concepts must not have won other prizes or been submitted to comparable competitions (this is a separate call from the dm-Award connecting worlds at the same festival); finalists perform the work exclusively at SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE; winners must attend the award ceremony. Deadline 25 November 2026, 1 pm CET.
Ljudmila Art and Science Laboratory invites artists to present and sell existing works at Parameter, a generative arts fair held during the Adela Festival 2027 at Kino Siska in Ljubljana. The call seeks work connected to a broader community engaging art, open-source technologies, creative coding, media archaeology, permacomputing and experimental electronics, broadening current concepts and implementations of generativity. SELECTION: up to 11 artists, who present their works at the fair on Saturday 6 March 2027 and are included in the print and web catalogue. SUPPORT: accommodation provided, travel costs reimbursed up to EUR 150; apply with existing works, as there is no production budget or artist fee. No application fees, no participation fees and no commission on sold works. AWARDS: the jury awards one prize, a solo exhibition at Kino Siska in 2028 with a EUR 700 gross artist fee, plus two honorary mentions of EUR 350 gross each. APPLICATION: via the online application form; the full open call is on the Ljudmila website. DEADLINE: Thursday 26 November 2026.
First edition of an international competition for short live performances of around fifteen minutes in dance and physical theatre, run by Music & Movie ETS within the InterAgendo project. Works must carry an ethical, civic or social theme. Six companies are selected to perform in Sassari on 6-8 May 2027 in front of a National Jury, a Schools and Community Jury and a Territorial Jury. MONEY: each selected company receives a guaranteed gross fee of EUR 500 (solo), EUR 700 (duo) or EUR 900 (three or more performers) plus three nights' accommodation; the Best Work Award is EUR 1,000 and the Reflections Award EUR 400. Application is free; only the six selected companies pay a EUR 50 security deposit, refunded in full at the end of the festival. Similar in format to Teatri Riflessi in Sicily. DEADLINE: 30 November 2026, 23:59 CET.
The 30th Roze Filmdagen, Amsterdam's LGBTQ+ film festival, is accepting short films, feature films, documentaries and animations with a clear connection to LGBTQ+ themes and sexual, gender and cultural diversity, for its edition of 10-21 March 2027. AWARDS: Jury and Audience Awards with cash prizes in three categories (best feature, best documentary, best short) and the Hivos-initiated Free to be Me Award, also with a cash prize; the festival nominates for the Iris Prize in Cardiff. Submit via FilmFreeway. DEADLINE: 1 December 2026.
Europe's main journalism award, recognising outstanding reporting published in the previous year. Entries opened 1 November 2026. CATEGORIES (2026 edition; 2027 list not yet confirmed): Distinguished Reporting, Investigative Reporting, Innovation, Migration Journalism and Public Discourse. The Innovation category rewards new formats and digital storytelling. ELIGIBILITY: journalists and teams from the 46 Council of Europe countries plus Belarus and Russia; work must have been published in the eligible window (the 2026 edition covered work published 1 December 2024 to 31 December 2025). Check the official FAQ for the exact 2027 window before entering. DEADLINE: 10 December 2026.
Annual award from the Lillias Mitchell Trust recognising craft and visual artists connected to Ireland. AWARDS: EUR 10,000 each to two winners, one in Visual Art and one in Craft + Applied Art (total fund usually around EUR 30,000); shortlisted artists also receive a smaller financial award, amount to be confirmed. ELIGIBILITY: craft and visual artists living and working on the island of Ireland, and Irish-born artists working overseas; any career stage with demonstrated artistic merit; full-time students are normally not considered; previous main-award winners cannot reapply. APPLICATION: online, no fee. TIMELINE: applications open 12:00 noon on 16 October 2026. DEADLINE: 11 December 2026, 17:00.
Akbank Sanat's long-running Istanbul short film festival is accepting films for its 23rd edition, across all themes and genres: fiction, documentary, experimental and animation. Films must run 1 to 30 minutes and be completed after 1 January 2026. The National Competition is limited to Republic of Turkiye citizens; the International Competition is open to filmmakers from all countries. Akbank employees cannot apply. SUBMISSION: complete the online form, then email a wet-signed scan of it to AkbankKisaFilmFestivali@akbank.com with the subject Name_Surname_FilmTitle, plus a password-protected screening link with English subtitles that stays live for at least 6 months. DEADLINE: 11 December 2026, 23:59.
Go Short, the international short film festival in Nijmegen, is open for entries for its 19th edition (6 to 11 April 2027). A small, approachable Dutch festival that programmes fiction, documentary, animation and experimental shorts. COMPETITIONS: the European Competition (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental), the Dutch Competition, and the New Arrivals Competition for European film school projects, plus a Music Video Competition and a separate strand for video games, VR/XR, performances and installations, which makes it a natural target for expanded-media and installation-based video work. DEADLINES AND FEES: early bird 15 September 2026 (EUR 12.50 per film; EUR 8 per installation/VR/game project), regular 15 November (EUR 15 / EUR 10), late 15 December 2026 (EUR 20 / EUR 12); music videos EUR 7.50 flat. Awards include Best European Short, Best Dutch Short, the New Arrivals Award and an Audience Award. Read the festival regulations for length and completion date requirements before submitting.
The European Media Art Festival (EMAF) in Osnabrueck invites submissions for its 2027 edition in three sections: Film (experimental films of all lengths and any theme), Installation (installative, interactive, spatial or sculptural media art works) and Expanded (performances, live events or workshops). WHAT YOU GET: all films selected for the International Selection are equal winners of the EMAF Award with EUR 400 prize money each; films in the Features section (over 60 minutes) receive a EUR 250 screening fee; curated programmes pay EUR 80-250 depending on length; installations and expanded projects receive a EUR 500 fee with production costs paid by the festival. Selected artists are invited to the festival with free accreditation, three hotel nights (potentially longer if setting up is required) and a contribution to travel costs. RULES: maximum 2 works per artist; only works completed in 2026 or 2027 are eligible; no premiere status required; works entered at previous editions will not be reconsidered. Films up to 60 minutes are viewed for the International Selection, films over 60 minutes for Features. Installation entries should relate to the 2027 festival theme of the archive (as an instrument of knowledge production, a site of critical intervention and a space for alternative visions of the future); Installation and Expanded entries must include a comprehensive description, tech rider, cost calculation and visual materials. Non-English-language works must have English subtitles for the selection screening. Submit digitally via the EMAF registration portal (no DVDs or physical media). Selection decisions are emailed from mid-March 2027. DEADLINE: the call closes as soon as 2,200 entries have been received, or at the latest on 15 December 2026, so submit early. No entry fee.
NewImages Festival, the Paris festival for XR and immersive creation, opens three competitions for its 2027 edition. XR COMPETITION: works completed in 2026 or 2027 in VR, AR, mixed reality, narrative video games and hybrid performances; Grand Prize EUR 6,000, Impact Award EUR 3,000; fee EUR 75 Early Bird / EUR 100 Last Call (individual talents EUR 45 / EUR 60). FULLDOME COMPETITION: native fulldome (360-degree projection) works completed after 2023; Dome Award EUR 3,000; same fees as the XR Competition. VIRTUAL WORLDS COMPETITION: social VR platforms, independent worlds, multiplayer art spaces and interactive installations in virtual environments; Virtual Worlds Award EUR 3,000; free to enter. No premiere status required for any competition. Selected works receive festival presentation, two accreditations and industry visibility. Separate Industry Days calls (XR Development Market with a EUR 1,000 Best Project Award, Immersive Art Fair, XR Partners, Industry Sessions) run on the same dates. DEADLINES: Early Bird 10 December 2026, Last Call 22 December 2026.
An award for German-language journalism that explains computer science and its impact on society, for work published in 2026. Three categories (Text, Audio, Video/Multimedia) each carry EUR 5,000. Submissions open 2 November 2026 and close 15 January 2027, 23:59 German time. No nationality restriction is stated. No application fee.
The 73rd International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (27 April to 2 May 2027), one of the oldest and most influential short film festivals, opens its call for films across five competitions: International (max 35 minutes, produced outside Germany, German festival premiere required), German (max 45 minutes, produced in Germany, no premiere requirement), NRW (max 45 minutes, produced or co-produced in North Rhine-Westphalia), International Children's and Youth Film, and the MuVi Award for music videos produced in Germany (max 15 minutes). ELIGIBILITY: works produced after 1 January 2026; screening formats 35mm, 16mm, Super 8 and DCP (MuVi: DCP). PRIZES: from the EUR 8,000 Grand Prize of the City of Oberhausen and EUR 4,000 Principal Prize through German, NRW, children's/youth, FIPRESCI, Ecumenical and audience prizes, awarded to the directors, plus European Film Awards and ECFA nominations. FEES: the first five submissions per submitter are free of charge; from the sixth, a EUR 20 handling fee per film applies. HOW TO SUBMIT: online entry form with preview link via kurzfilmtage.filmchief.com; selection results announced mid-March 2027. DEADLINE: 18 January 2027 for all competitions (17:00 UTC per the listing), except the MuVi Award: 22 February 2027. No extensions.
u19 create your world is the youth category of the Prix Ars Electronica, for young people in Austria working with digital media, technology, games, code, film, music, art and design. Individuals, project groups and school projects may enter. There are two categories: Young Creatives (up to 14, judged in u10, u12 and u14 age groups) and Young Professionals (14 to 19), whose Golden Nica carries EUR 3,000. ELIGIBILITY: entrants must be no older than 19 and live in Austria at the submission deadline. Submissions are open now through the online database at calls.ars.electronica.art/2027/u19/ until 3 March 2027.