Updated 26 October 2026 · CallOpen.art
An open call is a public invitation to apply: for a grant, a residency, a prize, a show or a fellowship. The CallOpen catalogue holds 1,583 open calls today, from 1,283 organisers in 86 countries; 620 of them are free to apply, and 789 close within the next 30 days.
- Open calls
- 1,583
- Organisers
- 1,283
- Countries
- 86
- Free to apply
- 620
- Closing within 30 days
- 789
Counted from the 1,583 open calls in the CallOpen catalogue, each checked against the organiser’s own page.
What counts as an open call
Most calls are one of five kinds. Competitions and prizes judge finished work and pay prize money or show the winners. Residencies give time and a place to work, sometimes with housing, a stipend and travel. Grants fund a project or a period of work. Exhibition calls select work for a show. Fellowships support a person for months or a year, often with research or mentoring. The table below shows how many of each are open now.
Where calls are published
The first place is always the organiser: the website of the foundation, museum, festival, residency or arts council that runs the call. Lists, newsletters and social posts point to calls, but they copy and shorten, and dates and fees go out of date. Use them to find a call, then read the organiser’s own page before you plan anything. Every call in the CallOpen catalogue is checked against that page, and the card links to it once you sign in.
Check five things before you apply
1. The deadline, with its time and time zone: some calls close at noon, in the organiser’s local time. 2. Who may apply: citizenship or residence, age, career stage, students, collectives. 3. What it costs: a fee to apply, a fee charged only if you are selected, or the costs of taking part, such as rent or production. 4. What it gives: money, housing, travel, a studio, a show, a publication — and what is not covered. 5. What it asks for: portfolio, proposal, CV, budget, references, and the format and size limits.
Fees, and what “free” means
Free to apply: 620 of the 1,583 open calls. A fee to apply or to take part: 409. Fee not stated on the organiser’s page: 554. A call that is free to enter but charges the artists it selects is not free, and the catalogue counts it as paid. The guide to fees explains what is usual and what is a warning sign.
Who may apply
No country or region limit in the terms: 1,039 of the 1,583 open calls (66%). The rest are for people who live in, or are citizens of, named countries or regions. Read the eligibility line of each call literally; the guide to nationality and residence rules goes through the cases.
Keep track of deadlines
Most calls close within weeks: 789 of the open calls close in the next 30 days. Save the ones you mean to apply to and choose a day to start, not just the deadline. After free sign-in, the CallOpen tracker keeps your calls with their deadlines and sends a reminder before each one closes.
| Type of call | Open now |
|---|---|
| Competitions | 440 |
| Residencies | 372 |
| Grants | 293 |
| Exhibitions | 260 |
| Other | 102 |
| Fellowships | 98 |
| Workshops | 18 |
