Open calls

Open Call — Paper Biennial 2026 — Museum Rijswijk

The Paper Biennial 2026 (June 21 – November 15, 2026) is an international exhibition of high-quality, content-rich contemporary visual art featuring paper as the primary material.

Theme: Family

Museum Rijswijk invites artists from around the world to participate in the Paper Biennial 2026, focusing on the theme of “family.” What defines a family? What does a family look like in 2025? What influence does a family history have on someone, and which family traditions do we continue? We invite artists to use paper to reflect on different ideas and perspectives on the concept of “family.”

Submissions

⏰ Artists can submit their work until October 1, 2025. Select your most inspiring and relevant works that fit the theme and feature paper as the primary material.

🗓️ The Paper Biennale 2026. Family Lines will take place from June 21 to November 15, 2026;
💰 Remuneration will be based on the BKNL guidelines for artist fees;
📧 Send your application, including a short description of your work(s), images, and your vision of how your work fits within the theme, to opencall@museumrijswijk.nl.

ℹ️ For all information about this open call, visit 👉 museumrijswijk.nl/tentoonstelling-open-call-papier-biennale-2026-323 

Open Call — Royal Award for Modern Painting 2026 — Amsterdam

All Dutch visual artists under the age of 35 are invited to submit work for the Royal Award for Modern Painting 2026.

The Royal Award for Modern Painting is intended to encourage young painters in their artistic practice. Talented artists receive special attention and are encouraged to further develop themselves and increase their visibility.

Any Dutch visual artist who practices visual art independently and professionally and is under 35 on January 1, 2026, can submit work for the Open Call. The list of nominees is carefully compiled by a professional jury in two rounds of assessment.

🤴 Three artists are honored annually by the King on the recommendation of the jury.

💰 With the award, the artists each receive a sum of €9,000.

⏰ Deadline: submit your work no later than August 15, 2025.

🏆 And who knows, you might soon receive this prestigious award from the King, and your work will be displayed among the historic chandeliers at the Royal Palace Amsterdam from late January to March 2026.

ℹ️ For all information and registration, go to 👉 open call 2026 – Paleis Amsterdam

Open call — TEXT ME 2026 — Media Art Friesland (Leeuwarden)

Are you an aspiring curator interested in media art and writing? Do you want to develop and collaborate with a small, intercultural group of colleagues? Then apply for the 2026 edition of TEXT ME!

TEXT ME is an intensive, international development program focused on writing, building intercultural connections, and nurturing the talent of emerging curators. The week-long program takes place during the LUNA Festival in Leeuwarden from February 8 to 15, 2026.

The program offers participants the opportunity to peek behind the scenes of LUNA Young Masters exhibition: you’ll have the chance to network with professionals, engage in meaningful exchanges with artists and their media artworks, and connect with local and international partners.

🤝 Through a series of workshops, lectures, and collaborative sessions, the curators will develop a text about one of the artworks presented in the exhibition.

🌐 This text will be published on the online platforms of Media Art Friesland and partners.

💰 Participants will receive compensation upon submission of the text.

🧑‍💻 Does TEXT ME appeal to you and would you like to apply? Then send your cover letter and CV to mediaartfriesland@gmail.com. Feel free to include one or two examples of your work (text or otherwise).

⏰ Deadline for this open call: August 15th

❓ Do you have any questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact Media Art Friesland.

❗ Good to know:
🚅 Please note that you must be able to travel to Leeuwarden to attend the program.
💰 Media Art Friesland will cover your travel and accommodation expenses.

Open Call — Artist-in-residence at KNIR Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR)

The Artist-in-Residence fellowship in Rome is awarded to an artist who will spend three months working on a project that concretely contributes to the cross-pollination between art and science. The program is a collaboration between the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR) and the Netherlands Society of Arts.

Purpose: Research for a personal artistic project

The goal of the research period is an in-depth theoretical study of a topic, which will then be developed into a final product, such as a publication, performance, exhibition, or film. The residency at the KNIR is primarily intended as a research period; therefore, the fellow is not expected to complete the final product during this phase.

Who is eligible?

• A Dutch artist.
• A non-Dutch artist living and working in the Netherlands.
• The Artist-in-Residence program offers one place for the academic year 2026-2027.

What does the Artist-in-Residence program consist of?

• 💰 A stipend of €1,900 per month. For a total of three months.
• 🏛️ Temporary housing for three months in a guest apartment at the KNIR.
• 📚 Workspace and library facilities at the KNIR. There are no studios or studios available.
• 💰 Travel allowance (economy class) for return travel between the artist’s place of residence and the KNIR.

Residence

• A fellowship at the KNIR lasts three months, from mid-September 2026 to mid-December 2026.
• The Artist in Residence receives a stipend for a maximum of three months and can stay in a guest apartment at the KNIR during the residency.
• The Artist in Residence is expected to actively participate in the life of the academic community at the KNIR.

How to Nominate

• The language of instruction during this residency is English. The application process will therefore also be in English.
• Candidates from outside the Netherlands Society of Arts and Sciences must be nominated by a nominator.
• The nomination round is open to artists from all disciplines. Members of the Netherlands Society of Arts and Sciences can submit an application for themselves.
• To submit a nomination, please email a letter of motivation, letter of recommendation, research proposal, and CV to avk@knaw.nl.

⏰ Deadline: November 17, 2025, noon

ℹ️ More information 👉 Artist-in-Residence at KNIR – Akademie van Kunsten

Open Call — exhibition Lodewijk Bruckman —– MOW / Museum Westerwolde

With an open call, the MOW | Museum Westerwolde invites artists to be inspired by the work of painter Lodewijk Bruckman.

Magical realist
The MOW’s collection includes around fifty works by painter Lodewijk Karel Bruckman (1903–1995). He called himself a magical realist, placing himself among well-known Dutch painters such as Carel Willink, Raoul Hynckes, and Pyke Koch.

Apples and eggs
Bruckman’s paintings are rich in symbolism. The cycle of fertility and transience runs like a thread through his work. This is often expressed through elements such as eggs, fruit, flowers, shells, and skulls, painted so realistically you feel you could pick them right off the canvas.

Bellingwolde
After the Second World War, Bruckman moved to the United States, where he became a successful painter. After a brief period in Mexico, he returned to the Netherlands in the late 1980s and stayed for some time, together with his partner Evert Zeeven, in a hotel opposite the museum in Bellingwolde. In 1988 they donated a collection of paintings to the then municipality of Bellingwedde.

Join in!
Use Bruckman’s paintings and drawings as a source for your own work. Explore the use of color and symbolism in his painted still lifes, pencil drawings, or details from them. Choose materials that suit you, feel free to interpret broadly, and don’t hesitate to think beyond two-dimensional work.

👀 Take a moment, too, to dive into the life of Lodewijk Bruckman. You can find information about him at Lodewijk Bruckman | Het MOW. Visual material is available on Instagram @lodewijkbruckman or on Pinterest.

Registration
⏰ You can register until 1 September 2025 via Open call | Het MOW
Your work doesn’t have to be finished yet, but do include a good description and, if possible, a sketch. For example, the expected size of the work is important for visualizing the exhibition.

Open call — Sybren Hellinga Art Prize 2025 — Kunsthuis SYB (Beetsterzwaag)

On November 8, the Sybren Hellinga Art Prize will be awarded for the 10th time at Kunsthuis SYB. This incentive prize is intended for artists living in the Netherlands who graduated from a first-phase (bachelor’s) art program after June 1, 2020, and for self-taught artists who began their professional careers during this period.

With the Sybren Hellinga Art Prize, Kunsthuis SYB aims to highlight young, outstanding talent from a wide range of artistic approaches. The organization encourages artists from various visual arts disciplines to apply.

This edition places greater emphasis on the themes of Kunsthuis SYB’s broad program, entitled Húshimmelje. The Frisian word Húshimmelje refers to the rituals surrounding cleaning, tidying, and rearranging the home.

For this event, SYB has invited curator Titus Nouwens to collaborate with the artists on an exhibition with a unifying conceptual starting point. In preparation, Titus will visit each artist to better understand their work and decide together which artworks will be included in the exhibition.

Kunsthuis SYB will first make a pre-selection from the submissions. The jury will nominate five artists from this selection. Work by these five artists will be presented in an exhibition at Kunsthuis SYB, opening on November 8th. The winner will be announced during the opening.

💰 The five nominees will receive compensation for their participation in the exhibition in accordance with the guidelines of the Artist’s Honorarium for Existing Work. The winner will also receive €3,000.

⏰ Deadline for this open call: Friday, August 15th

ℹ️ For all information and the application form, visit 👉 Kunsthuis SYB

Open Call – National Studio Weekend – Throughout the Netherlands

Are you a visual artist and do you have your own studio? Then open your doors on November 8 and 9, 2025 during the National Studio Weekend and invite new audiences into your creative world!

📅 The National Studio Weekend will take place on Saturday November 8 and Sunday November 9, 2025. You determine your own opening hours, and additional activities such as demos or workshops are very welcome.

💡 Why participate?

The National Studio Weekend is an accessible way to present your work to a wide audience. Many participants sell work, receive registrations for courses or workshops, build valuable networks and increase their visibility. Visitors regularly sign up for newsletters or follow you online.

In short: a weekend full of inspiration and opportunities!

🧑‍🎨 For whom?

Every visual artist with their own studio can participate, whether you are just starting out or have been working professionally for years.

💸 Participation fee: €59,- incl. VAT

For this you will receive, among other things:

• Your own profile page on the website
• Mention on the interactive map
• General promotion via social media
• A ready-made press release for local media
• A clear promotion schedule
• Regular explanation on the homepage

⏰ Register by the end of September to make optimal use of the promotion schedule.

🔗 Register or want to know more? Go to 👉 landelijkatelierweekend.nl/aanmelden

Open Call — group exhibition ‘Eat this’ — cultural centre De Schakel (Waregem (Belgium))

From September 19 to October 12, 2025, Kunstwerkt and cultural center De Schakel in Waregem (Belgium) are organizing the group exhibition ‘Eat this’, which will feature more than 300 works of art. Below you will find their open call for this exhibition:

“With ‘Eat this’, Kunstwerkt and CC De Schakel (Waregem) are looking for visual work with the theme of food. From fast food to five-course meals, from supermarket shelves to kitchen tables, from breakfast bowls to nightcaps. What will your canvas be serving?

Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, Vincent van Gogh’s Potato Eaters, the fried eggs from Sarah Lucas’ Self portrait with fried eggs, Marcel Broodthaers’ Mussel Pot or Cindy Wright’s rancid leftover photos. Food has coloured art history for centuries. And how. With ‘Eat this’ we challenge you to get started with what you feed yourself with every day, crave or perhaps even spit out.

After ‘Pet Shop’ last summer, in which artists submitted their favourite two-dimensional pet for an exhibition in Kunsthal Gent, a new chapter with an extra challenge follows in CC De Schakel. For this edition we are looking for work with the specific format of 20 x 20 cm. New or existing work: submit it before the end of August via our online platform Beeld.

We have made a radical choice to exhibit all submitted works. More than 300 plas préférés can conquer a place in this exhibition. So take your time to let your idea mature, but full is full. If you are in time, your work will immediately be part of the group exhibition ‘Eat this’ that will be on display in CC De Schakel from 19 September to 12 October 2025.”

⏰ Deadline for this open call: 30 August 2025

ℹ️ For all information, go to 👉  Eat this | BEELD | Kunstwerkt

Open Call — ceramic exhibition ‘Ode to Nature 6’ — National Tree Museum Gimborn

Ode to Nature is a recurring exhibition of ceramics made by artists who are inspired by nature. After five successful editions: Ode to Nature 6, which will take place from 11 April to 7 June 2026 on the grounds of the National Tree Museum Gimborn.

This ceramics exhibition has an open registration, you can also find the text below via Deelname | ode aan de natuur:

“You can submit the registration form together with 3 photos of the work you are going to exhibit until November 22, 2025.

After selection by the selection committee, you will be notified at the end of January 2026 whether you have been selected.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

• Your submission was made after 2023 and has not been exhibited in the Tree Museum before.
• The theme “Ode to Nature” is clear in the work without further explanation.
• The work is mainly made of clay.
• The work is spatially well designed.
• The work is technically well executed.
• The work must be able to hold its own in the natural environment of the park, even with small dimensions.
• The work contributes to sufficient variety in the exhibition.

PUBLICITY

To inform the public, we organize a publicity campaign via our website and social media, among other things. We send press releases to local newspapers, daily newspapers and magazines. Flyers and posters are distributed regionally spread.

If your submission is selected, you agree that we use your name, website and the submitted photo for publicity purposes on our website and social media.”

⏰ Deadline for this open call: November 22, 2025

🧑‍💻 For more information about this open call, the registration form and all conditions for participation, go to 👉 Deelname | ode aan de natuur:

ℹ️ You can also find more information about the information day in the Tree Museum on October 11; you can then get to know the museum and get answers to all your questions.

Open call — Artist in Residence AnnAtopiA — Het Goordonk (North Brabant)

Professional artists, poets and writers can apply for a working period in AnnAtopiA AiR.
​It is possible to work as an artist in residence in the Boshut and to stay in the Boshuis.

Disciplines
All visual and performing arts, creative writing

🗓️ Residence
Minimum of one week

📍 Locatie
AnnAtopiA
Het Goordonk 15
5111 GG Baarle-Nassau

💸 Cost
The cost for the stay of 1 week are €250 (Excl. costs for living). In consultation there is a special rate for students, starting artist and the less wealthy.

Admission guidelines
– professional art education / CV / portfolio
– motivation and global work plan

Description of the program
– introductory meeting
– filling in and signing the user agreement
– discuss motivation and work plan
– discussing and recording conversations about work process coaching, press moments and the like.
– closure with reflection report

Desired result of stay
– positive contribution to the development of artistry
– at least one work in the discipline (s) of the artist

📧 You can send your motivation, plan, portfolio and CV to AirAnnAtopiA@gmail.com
✉️ Or send it directly to:

      Stichting AnnAtopiA
      Vondelinghof 2
4908 DV Oosterhout, The Netherlands

ℹ️ Request more information for the different options via: AirAnnAtopiA@gmail.com

Open Call — Pakje Kunst — MOW / Museum Westerwolde

Since September 24, 2023, there has been a Pakje Kunst vending machine in the museum shop at the MOW. Pakje Kunst presents works of art the size of a pack of cigarettes in an old mechanical cigarette vending machine. A box costs only €6,- and you can find every form of art in it. The proceeds go almost entirely to the participating artists.

For the machine, MOW is always looking for artists from Westerwolde, Oldambt, Pekela, Veendam and Stadskanaal who enjoy surprising, confusing, moving or slightly irritating people with works of art the size of a pack of cigarettes.

For more information, visit Pakje kunst | Het MOW
You can register via info@hetmow.nl