Updated 26 October 2026 · CallOpen.art
Of the 1,521 open calls in the CallOpen catalogue whose requirements are recorded, 968 ask for a portfolio, 626 for a proposal, 395 for a CV, 264 for an artist statement and 188 for a budget.
- Portfolio
- 968
- Proposal
- 626
- CV
- 395
- Artist statement
- 264
- Budget
- 188
- References
- 62
Counted from the 1,583 open calls in the CallOpen catalogue, each checked against the organiser’s own page.
Portfolio
Asked for most often. Show recent, finished work that fits the call, in the order you want it seen, with title, year, medium and size. Keep to the number of works and the file limits the call sets.
Proposal
Grants and residencies ask what you will do: the project, why now, why there, what will come out of it. Be concrete — dates, places, people, materials. A proposal that could be sent anywhere reads like one.
CV and statement
A short CV with shows, publications, residencies and education; a statement of a few paragraphs on what your work is about. Write the statement for this call: one generic text rarely fits.
Budget
Grants ask for a budget most often: costs line by line, what the grant would pay for, what other money there is. Ask for what the call can give, and no more.
Samples, manuscripts and the work itself
Music, film and writing calls ask for audio (24), video (105) or a manuscript (104). Some shows want the physical work (86), and often the artist pays for the shipping (56).
References and interviews
Open calls that ask for references: 62; for an interview: 27 — usually residencies and fellowships.
Prepare call by call
Each organiser asks for its own set. After free sign-in, for a call in your tracker the CallOpen application kit lists what that organiser asks for and marks what you already have in your profile.
| Asked for | Open calls | Share |
|---|---|---|
| portfolio | 968 | 64% |
| proposal | 626 | 41% |
| CV | 395 | 26% |
| artist statement | 264 | 17% |
| budget | 188 | 12% |
| video | 105 | 7% |
| manuscript | 104 | 7% |
| Type of call | Asked for most often |
|---|---|
| Competitions | portfolio (57%), manuscript (16%), CV (13%) |
| Residencies | portfolio (79%), proposal (59%), CV (41%) |
| Grants | proposal (78%), budget (52%), portfolio (43%) |
| Exhibitions | portfolio (84%), proposal (23%), artist statement (20%) |
| Fellowships | proposal (52%), portfolio (52%), CV (40%) |
| Workshops | CV (59%), video (47%), proposal (47%) |