Article
TRANSCULTURA CONNECTS - March 2025
On 19 March, UNESCO celebrates the International Day of Digital Learning, highlighting the importance of inclusive access to the expanding range of digital educational tools. In line with its goal to strengthen the capacities of young cultural professionals in the Caribbean, the Transcultura programme has promoted the use of these tools. Since its launch, the programme has conducted online training and trained 150 teachers from Cuba and the Dominican Republic in the use of digital tools for education. Additionally, it has produced and facilitated the translation of more than 30 open, online and massive courses (MOOCs), available in English, French and Spanish:
An additional 20 new courses in different disciplines in the Cultural and Creative Industries will be available soon.
Furthermore, in this newsletter you will find:
49 calls for residencies, scholarships, training, incubators, presentations of works and awards, among others;
opportunities in 19 countries;
opportunities in different fields of the Cultural and Creative Industries, including the visual arts, cinema, photography, graphic design, books, heritage, theatre, music and dance, as well as business and tourism.
Explore, learn and grow! If you work in an organization with cultural initiatives, contact us and we will include them in the next edition.
Write to us at transcultura.programme@unesco.org
The Transcultura Connects newsletter is produced1 by Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity, implemented by UNESCO and funded by the European Union, with the aim of professionalizing the cultural and creative sector as a driver of sustainable development.
[1] The listing is based on a review of publicly available documentation on these opportunities, the terms of which may have changed since their publication. If you find any discrepancies, please write to us at transcultura.programme@unesco.org. Responsibility for the Terms and Conditions of the calls lies with their direct organizers.
NB: The beneficiary countries of the Transcultura programme are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenade, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
OPEN OPPORTUNITIES
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND NETWORKING
Multidisciplinary
Transcultura鈥檚 Seed Capital Grants
The Transcultura programme has launched a call for seed capital grants to support cultural and creative entrepreneurship in the Caribbean. Selected projects will receive up to $5,000 and personalised mentorship. The call is open to young creative entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 from the Transcultura beneficiary states, with the aim of fostering creativity, innovation, and sustainable growth in the cultural sector.
More information: /en/articles/transcultura-launches-its-call-seed-capital-grants-support-cultural-entrepreneurship-caribbean?hub=83541
Deadline: 7 April 2025
Visual Arts
Open Call for Curator of Contour Biennale 11 in 2026 (Belgium)
The curator of Contour Biennale 11 will shape its concept, content and form, and steer the biennale into new territories of engagement. We are looking for a curator with a strong affinity for moving images who will develop a concept that will strengthen the biennale from a place of care, based on a sustained dialogue with the group that re-established the biennale in 2024. This process of exploration and collaboration will happen in conversation with the biennale鈥檚 general and artistic director.
More information:
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Multidisciplinary
The Founders Club (Estonia)
Find co-founders, refine ideas, develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), engage your first customers and ensure your first funding in a three month online programme designed to create a scalable B2B startup. If you are an early-stage startup, with no significant revenue, this programme may help you to speed up sales and find your first investment (up to 鈧100,000). The programme costs 鈧1,000+VAT for individuals, 鈧1,500+VAT for teams and 鈧500+VAT for CTOs /Developers. Participants are expected to attend all sessions (with a maximum allowance of one absence) and complete all required assignments and pre-work for each session.
More information:
Deadline: 7 April 2025
Visual Arts
Grants for art professionals 鈥 Frame Contemporary Art (Finland)
The travel grant aims to promote international mobility and networking among art experts, enhancing opportunities for Finnish artists and art professionals to collaborate globally and showcase Finnish art on an international level.
More information:
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Multidisciplinary
Caribbean Creative Network (online)
The Caribbean Creative Network is a database of Caribbean creatives developed and maintained by Kingston Creative. It seeks to promote the Caribbean鈥檚 best and brightest creatives in all creative industries. The network aims to provide Caribbean-based creatives with a space to showcase their work and portfolios, find jobs and allow them to collaborate and connect with each other on various projects and opportunities.
More information:
Deadline: N/A
Multidisciplinary
Synapse Zone (online)
The Caribbean is teeming with creators and entrepreneurs eager to transform bold ideas into ventures that shape the world. However, the path to success is often fraught with challenges. That鈥檚 where Synapse comes in. More than just a platform, Synapse is a launchpad for Caribbean creativity, providing access to the resources, networks and funding needed to bring big visions to life. Whether seeking to collaborate, learn new skills or secure funding for the next big project, Synapse places individuals at the centre of opportunity.
More information:
Deadline: N/A
CAPACITY-BUILDING
TRANSCULTURA OPPORTUNITY!
Audiovisual
MOOCS Special Effects and Art and Digital Creation (online)
The UNESCO Transcultura programme, funded by the European Union, has translated into Spanish and English two massive open online courses (MOOCs) produced by the Enghien-les-Bains Art Centre and the Orange Foundation, with the aim of facilitating access to training for young cultural professionals in the Caribbean.
Special Effects:
Art and Digital Creation:
Permanently open (MOOC)
TRANSCULTURA OPPORTUNITY!
Sustainable Tourism
eAcademy of Tourism and Hospitality (online)
More than 30 courses of the atingi eAcademy tourism and hospitality portfolio are now available in Spanish, supported by the Transcultura programme, offering digital educational opportunities in the tourism industry for learners in Latin America and the Caribbean on the atingi learning platform.
More information: /en/articles/atingi-and-unesco-transcultura-enabling-skills-development-tourism-industry-latin-america-and
Deadline: N/A
Theatre
Biennale College Theatre (Italy)
In 2025, Biennale College Teatro announced a series of workshops scheduled to take place from 30 May to 15 June. Eight (8) training programmes are entrusted to the following masters: Princess Isatu Hassan Bangura, Eugenio Barba and Julia Varley, Roberta Ferraresi, Gardi Hutter, Evangelia Rantou, Thomas Richards, Yana Eva Th枚nnes, Sandra Toffolatti and Giorgio Sangati.
More information:
Deadline: 26 March 2025
Music
Accademia Teatro alla Scala - Course for Opera Singers (Italy)
The La Scala Academy (Accademia Teatro alla Scala) is one of the world's most prestigious institutions for comprehensive professional training in all artistic, technical and management areas of the performing arts. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation offers up to 10 scholarships for foreign students wishing to participate in the Opera Singers Course.
More information:
Deadline: 9 April 2025
RAIVE AI Summer School 鈥 Flanders Arts Institute (Belgium)
The Algorithmic Gaze and CREATIE, both Antwerp-based research groups, will join forces again to organize a summer school for everyone who鈥檚 interested in the topic of performative AI and interdisciplinary creation. After a successful first edition, RAIVE will take place again between 1 and 7 September 2025 in the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp.
More information:
Deadline: 22 April 2025
Cinema
Biennale College Cinema (Italy)
In 2025, the Biennale College Cinema announced its 14th edition with two calls for applications for Italian and international teams composed of a director and a producer. For each call, the initiative is looking for feature-length audiovisual concepts that can be produced with a budget of 鈧200,000. Starting with this edition, selected projects will be developed, produced, and completed in time for screening at the Venice International Film Festival in 2026.
More information:
Deadline: 7 July 2025
Music
Business of music 鈥 Caribbean Export Development Agency (online)
If you are a Caribbean music business practitioner operating as a recording or performing artist, songwriter, music producer or music business representative, this course will provide you with a foundational understanding to help prepare your business for entry into international music markets. It is designed for individuals interested in pursuing a career in the music industry with the goal of becoming exporters of music goods and services.
More information:
Permanently open
Business Development
The Export Academy (Barbados)
The National Transformation Initiative (NTI) and Export Barbados present Export Academy 鈥 an online training programme designed to equip your business with the knowledge and tools to boost profitability. Participants will explore the fundamentals of exporting, develop practical strategies for creating an export plan, navigate export documentation and conduct market research. The courses will help you assess product or service viability and enhance sales potential. Learn how to be more innovative in your organization and make your business model more desirable. All courses are self-paced and available digitally on Coursera.
More information:
Deadline: N/A
RESIDENCIES
Visual Arts
The Saari Residence 鈥 Kone Foundation (Finland)
The Saari Residence, maintained by Kone Foundation, is a residence located in Myn盲m盲ki, Southwest Finland, for artists of all disciplines and nationalities. At the Saari Residence, artists and researchers can focus on their work in a peaceful rural environment and share their thoughts and experiences with colleagues. The residence鈥檚 long-term activities and thinking are underpinned by an ecological approach, which also covers social and psychological sustainability. Its keywords are slowness, insight and change.
More information:
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Multidisciplinary
Artists in residence Nieder枚sterreich (Austria)
AIR 鈥 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE Lower Austria offers living and working opportunities for one to three months in Krems on the Danube for artists from the fields of building culture, visual arts, digital arts, literature and music. Candidates must demonstrate regular artistic activity in the proposed areas of funding.
More information:
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Dance
Citofonare PimOff Residency Programme for Contemporary Dance (Italy)
The Citofonare PimOff residency programme supports Italian and international choreographic research. Selected artists will receive a residency of up to 15 days, including the use of the theatre room and its equipment, financial support and assistance with organization, communication and promotion. Each residency concludes with an open rehearsal of the project, providing an opportunity for artists to engage and exchange ideas with the audience.
More information:
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Visual Arts
Artist Residency Schloss Balmoral (Germany)
The Artist Residency Schloss Balmoral in Bad Ems was founded in 1995 and is a place of reflection, artistic production, discussion and meeting. It supports visual artists and curators from all over the world by awarding artists-in-residence fellowships. Balmoral sees itself as an interface between artistic work and theoretical reflection. For this reason, if offers residencies for artists, curators and art educators. The fellowship includes assistance in the organization of three group exhibitions in the exhibition space in the city centre of Bad Ems in cooperation with the fellowship holders.
More information:
Deadline: end of May 2025
Theatre
Radar Sofia (Bulgaria)
The residency programme in Sofia, Bulgaria, is aimed at theatre creators, playwrights and actors who seek to explore innovative approaches in their field. The programme aims to foster collaboration and provide a conducive environment for artistic development. Each selected artist receives financial support to cover accommodation and travel expenses, as well as a budget of 鈧500 for the presentation of their work, professional photography of the event and video documentation.
More information:
Deadline: Permanently open
Books
Maison de la po茅sie d鈥橝may (Belgium)
La Maison de la po茅sie d鈥橝may hosts poets from around the world for stays ranging from two weeks to two months, allowing them to dedicate themselves to a poetic project, whether at its inception or completion.
More information:
Permanently open
Music
International Music Projects 鈥 Goethe Institute (Germany)
Funding is available for professional musicians, as well as amateurs and novices and ensembles from developing and transitioning countries, who are invited to participate in music projects in Germany. A prerequisite for funding is an invitation and application from collaborators in Germany. The music project must include at least three events (concerts, workshops, panels, etc.). Funding applications for international music projects must be received at least three months before the project start date.
More information:
Open permanently
Theatre
Goethe Institut 鈥 Shadowing programme for young theatre professionals from abroad (Germany)
The shadowing programme offers international artists within the field of Performing Arts an internship for a stay in Germany at a theatre or production house. In addition to a monthly allowance of 鈧1,200 for room and board, the grant covers travel expenses to Germany, accident and health insurance, as well as up to 鈧300 to cover costs of transport and admission to other theatrical productions in Germany.
More information:
Deadline: permanently open
COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS
Visual Arts
Lab Milan 鈥25 (Italy)
The Malamegi Lab Art Award is an international competition open to all artists. The competition is open to works in various disciplines, including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, graphic design, mixed media, digital art and video. The competition will select 12 finalist artists, who will have the opportunity to win prestigious prizes and exhibit their works in a high-profile group exhibition. The prizes include the Artwork Acquisition Award, the Group Exhibition, a cash prize and the Monographic Catalogue.
More information:
Deadline: 26 March 2025
Design
International Sardine Design Contest (Portugal)
This competition, organized by EGEAC, invites everyone to participate by submitting their own creative sardine designs. The submitted designs may be used by EGEAC in exhibitions, publications, social media and other promotional activities. The top 5 winning designs will each receive a 鈧1,500 cash prize.
More information:
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Visual Arts
Luxembourg Art Prize (Luxembourg)
The Luxembourg Art Prize is an international art prize awarded annually and organized by the Pinacoth猫que, a private museum located in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Each year, the prize aims to discover new talents, both amateur and professional, regardless of age or nationality. It is open to artists working in one or more of the following media: drawing, printmaking, installation, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media and decorative arts (textiles and materials, glass, wood, metal, ceramics, mosaic, paper or other techniques). Each edition, the museum selects 24 finalists, and an independent jury chooses 3 winners. The cash prizes are distributed as follows: 鈧20,000 for first place, 鈧10,000 for second place and 鈧5,000 for third place.
More information:
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Books
Purorrelato 2025. Micro-story Contest (Spain)
Casa 脕frica launches the eleventh edition of Purorrelato, its micro-story contest aimed at encouraging literary creation that inspires us to feel and think about Africa and continues to showcase different realities that bring us closer to the continent, far from the stereotypes that have marked it for so long. Anyone over the age of 18 can participate, with a maximum of three micro-stories per author. The micro-stories can be submitted in Spanish, English, French or Portuguese, with a maximum length of 1,500 characters (not words), including spaces and excluding the title.
More information:
Deadline: 16 April 2025
Music
2025 WSA Film Music Composition Contest (Belgium)
Young composers are the future of the film music industry but rarely get the chance to showcase their talent to a (non-) professional (live) audience. Therefore, the World Soundtrack Academy each year offers screen composers under the age of 36 the chance to participate in the WSA Film Music Composition Contest and win the Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer Powered by Vienna Synchron Stage at the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert.
More information:
Deadline: 12 May 2025
Books
XXV Casa de Am茅rica Prize for American Poetry (Spain)
Casa de Am茅rica announces the XXV Casa de Am茅rica Prize for American Poetry with the aim of stimulating new poetic writing in the Americas, with special attention to poems that open or explore new perspectives and innovative themes. Authors from any country in the Americas can participate, with works written in Spanish, strictly unpublished, not pending decision in another prize and whose rights have not been assigned to any publisher in the world.
More information:
Deadline: 16 May 2025
Visual Arts
MGF International Art Prize 2025 (Spain)
This prize aims to stimulate artistic production by supporting creators, facilitating their projection and visibility, and enriching the cultural ecosystem through the exchange of ideas, perspectives and narratives that expand contemporary discourses. The biennial, international call includes a financial award of 鈧15,000 for the acquisition of the winning work, which will become part of the FMJJ Art Centre's Art Collection. Additionally, a monographic publication dedicated to the winner's career will be produced.
More information:
Deadline: 22 May 2025
Books
Paid贸s Prize (Spain)
The Paid贸s Prize by Grupo Planeta is an international award for unpublished essays written in Spanish. Only texts on the humanities or social sciences are accepted. Reflecting its global scope, the jury will be made up of distinguished figures from Spain and Latin America in the fields of culture, social sciences and humanities. The Paid贸s prize offers 鈧35,000, and the winning work will be published in all Spanish-speaking territories where Paid贸s is a leading publisher.
More information:
Deadline: 30 June 2025
PRESENTING WORK
Visual arts
Mural at the Norman Mainly International Airport (Jamaica)
Kingston Creative is partnering with PAC Kingston Airport Limited (PACKAL) to create the artwork that will be covering the 鈥楴MIA鈥 and 鈥楰INGSTON鈥 monument at the historic Kingston airport roundabout. The artwork is expected to reflect Kingston's rich cultural heritage, from its world-renowned reggae and dancehall roots to its dynamic urban life and historic landmarks. Only open for JAMAICAN residents and citizens.
More information:
Deadline: 23 March 2024
Multidisciplinary
Larnaca Biennale (Cyprus)
The Larnaca Biennale is the biggest and most popular international art and culture event in Cyprus. In addition to the main exhibition, the Biennial hosts a series of artistic and cultural events in the city such as concerts, theatre, performances, lectures and workshops. Participation is open to all artists, professionals or amateurs, art students, designers and photographers who are 18 years old or above.
More information:
Deadline: 31 March 2025
Cinema and Photography
Waterford Film Festival (Ireland)
The Waterford International Film Festival is Waterford鈥檚 premiere film festival that showcases the works of national and international filmmakers and artists. The Festival showcases a diverse selection of short films from around the world that capture a range of stories and perspectives. From short films and documentaries to animations and music videos, our festival is dedicated to celebrating national and international short films in all forms.
More information:
Deadline: 31 March 2025 (for early bird fee)
Visual Arts
Amsterdam Light Fest (The Netherlands)
The fifteenth edition will take place from 27 November 2026 until 17 January 2027. With Edition 15, we want to capture a snapshot of our time 鈥 the zeitgeist 鈥 through the lens of light art. During the Open Call we invite creatives from all over the world to submit (an idea for) a light artwork. Both light art professionals and newcomers can submit an idea. After the deadline, a careful selection process takes place. The selected artworks will be part of the festival route. This all happens with technical and financial support of the festival.
More information:
Deadline: 6 April 2025
Theatre
Transforme 鈥 Hermes Foundation (France)
Transforme is a programme initiated by the Herm猫s Corporate Foundation. Its support is provided through: 鈥 production assistance, granted to the producer of the show (company or delegated producer) 鈥 and/or co-programming carried out with the cultural institutions partnering with the programme, with whom the performance dates are decided. Selected shows may be offered performance dates with one or more of the partners.
More information:
Open all year round, by application periods. Next deadline: until 7 April
Cinema
Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (Trinidad and Tobago)
Trinidad+Tobago Film Festival (TTFF) seeks to highlight excellence in filmmaking through the exhibition of fiction and documentary films and New Media works made in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and its diaspora. We therefore accept submissions from Caribbean filmmakers within the region and in the diaspora, and international filmmakers with films from or about the Caribbean or its diaspora.
More information:
Deadline: 14 April 2025
Cinema
Humus Film Fest (Spain)
The Humus Film Fest has established itself as the first international short film festival with an environmental theme, focusing on audiovisual pieces that depict, whether through fiction or reality, experiences of agroecology, urban gardens, connections between the countryside and the city or new ruralities. The maximum duration of the short films submitted for the competition mustn鈥檛 exceed 4 minutes and 30 seconds, excluding end credits.
More information:
Deadline: 11 May 2025
Cinema
Giornate degli autori (Italy)
The 22nd edition of Giornate degli Autori, the independent sidebar of the Venice Film Festival that is promoted by ANAC and 100autori, will take place from 27 August to 6 September 2025. Artistic director Gaia Furrer will be responsible for the selection of our 2025 line-up, alongside the Selection Committee.
More information:
Deadline: 16 June 2025
Visual Arts
Barbagelata Contemporary Arts Foundation 鈥 SOLO online Exhibition (Romania)
We are thrilled to announce an open call for artists to participate in our Solo Online Exhibition Programme, hosted in our gallery space. This unique opportunity offers artists the chance to showcase their work in a dedicated online exhibition, accompanied by an interview, digital art book and a critical assessment by our writers and art critics.
More information:
Deadline: N/A
PROJECT FUNDING
Cinema
Programa Ibermedia
Ibermedia is a programme that encourages the co-production and co-development of fiction films and series, documentaries and animations in Ibero-America. The call for 2025 opens on 17 January with the new addition of a support fund for the distribution, circulation and exhibition of Ibero-American films. This new fund complements the traditional support lines for the co-development and co-production of feature films and series, as well as training programmes for filmmakers and audiovisual professionals.
More information:
Deadline: 24 March 2025
Museums
6th Ibermuseos Fund for Museological Heritage (Spain)
This call will support the implementation of five projects 鈥 three focused on technical assistance and two on specific interventions 鈥 with the aim of supporting the adoption of sustainable measures and actions linked to preventing and minimizing deterioration through preventive conservation and risk management of museological heritage. Public museums, mixed management museums, non-profit museums, community museums and museological institutions from Ibero-American countries that safeguard collections and museological assets can apply.
More information:
Deadline: 24 March 2024
Cinema
International Co-Production Funding and Support (Croatia)
The Croatian Audiovisual Centre provides funding for fiction, documentary and animation films, both feature length and shorts originating outside Croatia in which a Croatian producer is involved as a creative collaborator and provider of a minority of the finance needed; and where the film is structured as an official co-production.
More information:
Deadline: 7 April 2025 (several deadlines throughout the year)
Performing Arts
Goethe Institut 鈥 International Coproduction Fund (IKF) (Germany)
The International Coproduction Fund (IKF) supports coproductions worldwide that grow out of collaborative and dialogue-based working processes in the fields of music, dance, theatre and performance art. We use this fund to promote innovative productions and international cultural exchange as well as new approaches to intercultural collaboration and networking.
More information:
Deadline: 15 May 2025
Books
Goethe Institut 鈥 Litprom Translation funding (Germany)
Since 1984, Litprom has served as a key platform for promoting the translation of fictional works from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Arab World and, since 2017, Turkey into the German-speaking market. This initiative aims to strengthen literary exchange and support the publication of significant works by contemporary authors from these regions. Since 2024, the Goethe-Institut has joined the programme, contributing its expertise and financial support.
More information:
Deadline: 1 June 2025
Cinema and TV
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
The IDFA Bertha Fund supports independent, critical and artistic voices from around the world with the aim of stimulating and strengthening the creative documentary film sector. The fund offers grants for the development and production of projects. In addition to funding, it provides personalized advice and training programmes to support filmmakers in their creative and production processes. Furthermore, beneficiaries are invited to participate in various industry events organized by IDFA, allowing them to expand their international network and knowledge of the documentary industry.
More information:
Deadline: 10 June 2025 (and 10 December 2025)
Music
Dutch Music Export 鈥 International Visitor Regulation (The Netherlands)
Dutch Music Export supports some of the travel and accommodation expenses of foreign professionals who have been invited to come to the Netherlands to participate in education and networking activities. This initiative aims to facilitate knowledge exchange, foster connections, and strengthen international relations.
More information:
Open permanently
RESEARCH GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Multidisciplinary
Fundaci贸n Carolina scholarships (Spain)
In this twenty-fifth edition, 735 scholarships are offered across all areas of knowledge, distributed in the following categories: 227 postgraduate scholarships, 121 doctoral and short postdoctoral stay scholarships, 110 renewals of doctoral scholarships, 22 faculty mobility scholarships and 255 institutional study scholarships. The call includes a total of 198 academic programmes, based on criteria of excellence and relevance to the current societal challenges.
More information:
Deadline: 3 April 2025 (PhD scholarships and short-term and mobility stays)
Dance
Dance Educators 鈥 Travel Grant (Germany)
The German Dance Association (Dachverband Tanz Deutschland, DTD) is offering a grant for dance educators based outside of Germany (both in Europe and beyond) to support their travel to Germany for advanced movement analysis and teacher training programmes.
More information:
Deadline: 24 April 2025
Multidisciplinary
Afro-Asiatisches Institut Graz (Austria)
The AAI Graz scholarship programme is aimed at students from countries of the Global South at universities and universities of applied sciences in the Austrian state of Styria. It aims to foster peaceful coexistence by promoting equal opportunities, dialogue, intercultural competence and partnerships.
More information:
Deadline: 30 May 2025
