The art competition ‘Living Without Leaving? The Perspective of Adriatic-Ionian Young Artists’ focuses on the shared challenges faced by young people in the region, particularly the question whether to stay in their home countries or leave for new opportunities in Europe or elsewhere. Through this lens, we want to highlight the unique experiences of those who cross borders, either by staying in Europe while maintaining their Adriatic-Ionian identity or by returning to their home countries after living abroad. Even more, the dynamism of leaving and coming back, again and again, is particularly widespread among young artists today.
We encourage artists to freely express their unique visions and creative voices in response to the exhibition’s theme. This call invites you to connect deeply with your roots, whether that means exploring the ties to your home country, reflecting on the experiences of migration, or engaging with the cultural and historical narratives that have shaped your identity. Your artwork should capture the essence of your journey and perspective as a young person from the Adriatic-Ionian region, revealing the complexities and aspirations that define your creative path.
Why participate?
Selected artworks will benefit from the following opportunities:
- Exhibition Tour: Selected artworks will be showcased in a nomadic exhibition, which will be displayed in Albania, North Macedonia, Belgium, Greece, and possibly other locations depending on the exhibition’s success.
- Inaugural Event: The exhibition will open at the 10th Annual Forum of EUSAIR in Crete, Greece. It provides excellent visibility for your work, with an audience of EU and Adriatic-Ionian officials. Artists are warmly welcome to attend, though travel expenses will not be covered, and direct engagement opportunities may be limited.
- Visibility: Your work will be promoted through EUSAIR channels, partner networks, and on social media.
- Cash Prizes: We will select a total of 15 artworks from the submissions received through the open call. Each selected artist will receive an artist fee of 200 euros as compensation for their contribution to the exhibition.
Awards
Each of the 15 selected artists will be awarded an artist fee of 200 euros in recognition of their contribution to the exhibition. Additionally, they may be invited to voluntarily share insights into their creative process, offering a deeper understanding of their work and artistic journey.
If desired, we can also provide Certificates of Participation in an EU competition to acknowledge their selection and involvement in the exhibition.
Further Rules & Legal Mentions
For artwork produced with traditional or tangible means (such as paintings, drawings, mixed media, textile art, sculptures or ceramics), please take pictures of the artwork in natural light on a light background making sure you show all edges of the work. The images you submit will be the final images used for the online catalogue – please make sure they are accurate and high-quality photos (at least full HD). Digital alterations of the scans/photographs should be applied for basic colour adjustments to make the image as true to life as possible.
Submission of low-quality, incorrectly taken photographs may lead to the work being excluded from the judging phase.
Any artwork containing inappropriate, offensive, or discriminatory content will be rejected.
Entrants are not permitted to use copyrighted images as the primary bases for their artwork. Plagiarism, AI-generated art, or copied work will lead to immediate disqualification. All submissions must be original and created by the entrant.
Only one submission per person is allowed.
Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted. Ensure all required materials are submitted before the deadline.
No feedback will be provided to successful or unsuccessful applicants.
Copyright and reproduction rights
Participants grant the European Commission – Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) limited rights to reproduce submitted works for promotional purposes. Artists retain all other copyrights.
The European Commission – Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) reserves the right to make final decisions on any matters not covered in these rules. Any updates to the rules will be posted with clear marking on the official website page.
