A page of more or less local competitions, open calls, residencies and other opportunities open to the Gulf’s creative community
Open call: The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2026
ART
DEADLINE 30 January 2026
Propose an artwork that, in the spirit of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work, can be publicly exhibited in the open air (in Abu Dhabi, Nov/Dec 2026). Winner gets $10,000 to produce the work
- Annual award, produced in collaboration with The NYUAD Art Gallery, to nurture artistic talent in the UAE at the beginning of their careers with a commission and professional support
- Award is given for the proposal and creation of an artwork that, “in the spirit of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work, can be publicly exhibited and enjoyed”
- Propose a artwork that can be exhibited outside – at Abu Dhabi Art, NYUAD, Umm El Emarat Park – in Nov/Dec 2026
- Can be any media “that allows the piece to be publicly enjoyed” inc photography, film, land art, sculpture, multimedia
- Applicants must apply with the support and nomination of a mentor who commits to guide and support through the production and installation of the work. Can be a practicing artist, a current or past professor, a client, a gallerist – “anyone who you would like to work with”
- Five artists shortlisted to present in person to the selection
committee. Criteria:
– Artistic merit
– Evidence of original and creative thinking
– Feasibility of producing and exhibiting the work on time and within budget - Winning artist gets $10,000 to produce the work
- Apply online with contact and background info plus …
– Artistic Proposal (details of the work, can have up to 5 JPG and/or PDF attachments
– Production Schedule (form to complete)
– Production Budget (form to complete)
– Mentor statement (confirming commitment for at least 6 months) - No entry fee
- Queries to christo.award@nyu.edu
- Either
– a full time degree student enrolled in a university or college in the UAE - Or
– a resident of the UAE who has graduated from university or college within the last five years
- Commission and $10,000 production fund to create and display a public artwork
Open call: NBF Art 2025-2026
ART
DEADLINE 30 January 2026
Submit 2D or 3D artwork to the fifth National Bank of Fujairah art competition. Three winners get cash prizes (AED 10,000, AED 5,000, AED 3,000)
- Fifth editon of art competition from National Bank of Fujairah (NBF)
- Theme: We Belong Here – “centres on the idea of belonging as a shared human experience strengthened by diversity … highlights the beauty of individuality, the richness of multiple stories, and the harmony that emerges when different perspectives coexist … Encourages artists to explore connection, identity, empathy, and the collective spirit that shapes community life in the UAE
- “A wide range of artistic mediums is welcomed” including (but presumably not limited to)
– painting
– sculpture
– drawing / sketching
– digital art - Overall artistic direction: Patricia Millns FRSA
- Judging panel:
– Khalil Abdul Wahid, Director of the Fine Arts Department at Dubai Culture
– Mara Firetti, founder of Firetti Contemporary
– Sumayyah Al Suwaidi, Art Curator - Winners announced May 2026:
– 30 shortlisted artists will be shown in the annual NBF ART exhibition “at a renowned gallery” and will be featured on the NBF website
– Top ten receive ‘Most Creative Artwork of the Year’ certificates endorsed by the judges
– Top three will get a one-on-one mentoring session with judging panel plus cash awards:
1st AED 10,000
2nd AED 5,000
3rd AED 3,000 - Apply with online via a simple submission form including …
– Bio (max 300 chars)
– Artwork concept (max 150 chars)
– Hi-res drawings, digital art, or photos (PNG or JPG, max 5Mb) - No entry fee
- Min 18 years
- UAE resident or citizen
- Top three get a one-on-one mentoring session plus cash awards:
– 1st AED 10,000
– 2nd AED 5,000
– 3rd AED 3,000 - Top ten receive certificates of merit
- Top 30 are exhibited and feature on the website
Call for Proposals: Louvre Abu Dhabi Fellowships and Grants Programme
MUSEUM STUDIES
DEADLINE 7 February 2026
Submit proposals for fully-funded research fellowships in museology: three-month and nine-month options
- Second call for proposals for Louvre AD’s flagship Fellowships and Grants Programme supporting original research in art history, museum studies and heritage science
- Designed for “research that rethinks how we tell the global story of art”; aims to “foster collaboration across disciplines” and “expand scholarship on global artistic connections and shared visual histories” … “we invite scholars to question old narratives, explore shared histories, and uncover the human connections behind creativity”
- Aimed at researchers and scholars in Art History, Archaeology, Museum Studies, Heritage Science, Conservation, and associated fields
- Three core themes to choose from:
– Global History of Museums and Collections: how museums and collecting practices have developed across different cultural and historical contexts – explores curatorial practices, audience engagement and exhibition practices in the Arab world and beyond; also looks at ideas such as the ‘universal museum’, tracing the connected histories of collections and their movement across continents
– Circulation of Styles, Images and Texts: how objects, artistic languages and visual practices have travelled through trade, migration, translation and cross-cultural encounters. Examines processes of adaptation and transformation, questions hierarchical narratives in art history, and explores transnational artistic routes, cultural transfers and “the development of multiple modernities”
– Precious Materials and Routes of Exchange: how materials, craftsmanship and value systems have been transformed by networks of exchange, highlighting art’s materiality and circulation - Options for short-term (three months) and long-term (nine months) fellowships
– Short-term Fellowships: grants of AED 85,000 to cover stipend, round-trip travel to Abu Dhabi, accommodation for three months
– Long-term Fellowships: grant of AED 245,000 to cover stipend, round-trip travel to Abu Dhabi, and accommodation for nine months - Proposals should involve “significant” research activity. Fellows will …
– deliver a lecture
– produce a paper for potential publication by the museum
– “engage in the museum’s activities” - Selection criteria:
– researcher’s background
– quality and originality of proposal
– fit with the programme mission and the museum’s collections
– feasibility (how effectively proposal engages with Louvre Abu Dhabi’s resources and facilities) - Apply with …
– CV (up to three pages) inc summary of education, research experience, previous grants and awards, and a selection of publications
– project proposal (up to 1,500 words for short-term fellowships, 2,500 for long-term) inc summary, objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, bibliography, planned schedule of work
– a writing sample (published paper or book chapter)
– two academic referees - Queries to research@louvreabudhabi.ae
- None specified, but the call for proposals is aimed at local and international “researchers and scholars in Art History, Archaeology, Museum Studies, Heritage Science, Conservation, and associated fields”
- Unspecified number of fellows receive grants for three- or nine-month fellowships
– Short term: AED 85,000
– Long term: AED 245,000 - Research paper will be considered for publiction by the museuim