Along with announcements of our year-round open calls and grants which support emerging and established artists working in contemporary art, Sharjah Art Foundation has compiled a list of reputable local, regional and international open calls, educational opportunities, grants and residencies in other institutions. In keeping with the Foundation’s commitment to supporting the art community, this reference tool is updated on a regular basis.
Open Call: PARA
Sharjah Art Foundation
Deadline: 20 July 2025
Emerging and mid-career art writers living and working in Asia and Africa are invited to apply for PARA, a fellowship programme supporting the development and publication of new critical writing about contemporary art.
https://www.sharjahart.org/en/open-calls/details/open-call-para
Urban Commissions
Dubai Design Week
Deadline: 20 July 2025
This year's Urban Commissions theme, 'Courtyard', explores its role as a communal urban infrastructure across local and global architectural, urban planning and public practices. Designs should examine the courtyard’s historical function as an inclusive space fostering social interaction and community, emphasising its significance as a central gathering point whilst balancing public and private perspectives.
https://www.dubaidesignweek.ae/participate-2025/urban-commissions/
Dwell Here Residency Programme
Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin
Deadline: 22 July 2025
Dwell Here offers participants a simple proposition: to commit to this time and place while thinking deeply about its urgencies. Together we are curious to learn what can be activated or challenged through the process of dwelling. The Irish Museum of Modern Art encourages reflection across myriad themes to consider geographical, historical, political and cultural concepts of Ireland as a starting point to expand and connect international contexts through similarities and differences.
https://imma.ie/residency-programme/open-calls/
Open Call: Publishing Grant 2025–2026
Sharjah Art Foundation
Deadline: 17 August 2025
Cultural producers, including art and culture scholars, translators, writers, editors, independent publishers and publishing houses, collectives and non-profit institutions, are invited to submit project proposals for Sharjah Art Foundation’s Publishing Grant.
https://www.sharjahart.org/en/news/details/open-call-publishing-grant-2025-2026
Abu Dhabi International Competition for Composition
Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation
Deadline: 15 September 2025
Abu Dhabi International Competition for Composition aims to recognise and reward emerging and established music composers of all nationalities by providing them with a platform to showcase their talents, gain international recognition and perform their original works on the world stage.
https://admaf.org/activities/adicc/
Open Call for Proposals to represent the UAE at the Venice Biennale in 2027
National Pavilion UAE, Abu Dhabi
Deadline: 30 September 2025
Architects, designers, artists, historians and researchers who have worked or studied within the UAE or the MENASA region are invited to submit proposals to represent the UAE at the Venice Biennale in 2027.
The information shared here has been sourced from the online platforms of the listed institutions.