This monthly compilation highlights arts and culture opportunities in the UAE and beyond.
Along with announcements of our year-round open calls and grants which support emerging and established artists working in contemporary art, we have compiled a list of reputable local, regional and international open calls, educational opportunities, grants and residencies in other institutions. In keeping with Sharjah Art Foundation’s commitment to the art community, this reference tool is updated on a regular basis.
Prospect Cottage Residencies 2026-2027
Creative Folkestone, Kent
Deadline: 3 July 2026
Applications are now open for residencies taking place between 2027 and 2028. These two-week residencies offer time and space to develop work without the pressure to produce a finished outcome. The programme is particularly suited to those who will respond to the solitude of Prospect Cottage, the life and work of Derek Jarman and the distinctive landscape of Dungeness.
https://www.creativefolkestone.org.uk/news/apply-now-prospect-cottage-artist-residencies-2026-27/
Open Call: SITE Jodhpur 1.0
Public Arts Trust of India, Jodhpur
Deadline: 5 July 2026
The open call invites applications from emerging and mid-career artists and collectives to develop site-responsive works that engage with Jodhpur’s water ecologies, built heritage and communities. Participants will spend time in the city, encountering its stepwells, materials and lived histories, and creating responses that draw from both visible and hidden narratives.
https://www.sitejodhpur.com/open-call
Open Call: Studio space at Al Hamriyah Studios
Sharjah Art Foundation
Deadline: 11 July 2026
Sharjah Art Foundation’s Studio Programme supports artists and creative practitioners at different stages of their careers by providing affordable, long- and short-term spaces for artistic research, experimentation and production. Selected applicants will have access to both shared and individual spaces within Al Hamriyah Studios, including two project spaces, a pantry and restroom, as well as a garden and a courtyard.
WOMEN IN FILM III: Training Through Practice
Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, Beirut
Deadline: 17 July 2026
The initiative is open to early-career Arab women filmmakers residing in the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt. It offers upcoming women talents an opportunity to showcase their unique voices while receiving mentorship and training across various filmmaking departments to help them develop their skills and advance their careers.
https://www.arabculturefund.org/Programs/78
Untitled
Alserkal Arts Foundation, Dubai
Deadline: 19 July 2026
Untitled is a one-time completion grant designed for practitioners whose projects require a financial push to cross the line from ‘unfinished’ to ‘finished.’ The grant is not intended for early-stage ideas, conceptual proposals, or long-term research development. Instead, it focuses on experimental, process-driven projects that have stalled or remained incomplete due to constraints of time, resources, or circumstance, and are now almost ready to be realised.
https://alserkal.online/event/untitled-aaf-completion-grants/
Public Art Commission - We Emerge Stronger
Art Dubai Projects
Deadline: 25 July 2026
Applications for We Emerge Stronger are open to UAE-based, regional and international artists and artist-gallery partnerships with prior experience in permanent or large-scale outdoor installation. Artists are invited to respond to the commission through material, form, scale, light, and public interaction—whether engaging with the phrase literally or conceptually.
https://www.artdubai.ae/a-r-m-holding-public-art-commission/
Research and Practice Platform
Art Jameel, Jeddah and Dubai, and Dubai Culture
Deadline: 31 July 2026
Art Jameel and Dubai Culture introduce the third edition of the Research and Practice Platform (RPP) 2026, conceived as a rapid-response grants programme to support creative practitioners in Dubai and across the UAE affected by the recent geopolitical crisis. The programme offers grants of 10,000 AED without prescriptive project requirements, allowing practitioners to direct support where it is most needed in their own practice.
https://artjameel.org/sustainability/art-jameel-research-and-practice-platform/
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The information shared here has been sourced from the online platforms of the listed institutions.