A page of more or less local competitions, open calls, residencies and other opportunities open to the Gulf’s creative community
Call for proposals: Art Here 2025 / Richard Mille Art Prize
SCULPTURE / INSTALLATION
DEADLINE EXTENDED 18 May2025
Submit proposals for sculpture or installations suitable for the Louvre AD’s outdoor spaces to be exhibited in the Art Here show (October 2025) and so qualify for the Richard Mille Art Prize
- Art Here 2025 Guest Curator is Sophie Mayuko Arni
- Theme: “Shadows” – artists should craft their own interpretations of light and darkness, and “explore the similarities in aesthetics” of the Arabian Gulf and Japan (“this year’s edition of Art Here reaches towards Japan to celebrate the beauty of shadows, within a material connection and a contemplation of light”)
- Open to …
– artists based in GCC
– artists based in Japan
– artists based in MENA with a connection to GCC - Apply online with a combined pdf (max 20 pages) including …
– CV
– ID or passport copy
– portfolio
– text explaining the concept of the proposed artwork (500 words)
– sustainability methodology (ie materials, production, use of local fabricators)
– technical specifications (no prerequisites specified)
– provisional budget for production and installation (max AED 100,000 – should include of artist travel / accommodation for install in October and Richard Mille Art Prize ceremony in December, but no other details specified) - No entry fee
- Queries to artprize@louvreabudhabi.ae
- Entrant must be one of …
– artists based in GCC
– artists based in Japan
– artists based in MENA with a connection to GCC
- Selected artists exhibit in the Art Here exhibition (September 2025)
- At the end of the exhibition one is nominated to receive the Richard Mille Art Prize
Sharjah Film Platform Feature Fund
FILM
DEADLINE 31 May 2025
One grant of “up to” AED 500,000 to support completion of a feature-length narrative film currently in production
- Formerly known as the Pitching Forum, the SFP Feature Fund will support the completion of an English- or Arabic-language feature-length narrative film currently under production
- Grant of “up to” AED 500,000 available for one UAE-based scriptwriter, director or lead/executive producer
- Applicants must be a scriptwriter, film director or lead/executive producer
- Submissions must be …
– feature-length narrative film (at least 50 mins in duration
– in either English or Arabic (can be shot in UAE or elsewhere)
– currently in some stage of production - Submissions must include …
– complete film script (at least 50 pages)
– Director’s statement (creative vision for the project: min 300w)
– Producer’s statement (vision for the film and intended audience: min 300w)
– at least 15 mins of rushes
– a partial or completed pilot or rough cut
– detailed production schedule
– detailed production budget with specific costs indicated for which the grant will be used
– a web link or movie file for a completed film to demonstrate that the film’s director has at least one previous director’s credit (no trailers) - Five finalists will be shortlisted to present to a jury …
– 20 mins per pitch followed by 10-min Q&A
– no restriction on how many people will pitch - Queries to pitchingforum@sharjahart.org
- No entry fee
- Must currently reside in UAE
- Must be a scriptwriter, film director or lead/executive producer
- One applicant will get up to AED 500,000 in grant funding
Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA)
PHOTOGRAPHY
DEADLINE 31 May 2025
Enter images in multiple categories to compete for a share of the world’s largest prize pot for photography
- The world’s richest photography prize (total prize pot $1m)
- Categories:
– Power “we invite photographers from around the world to explore and capture the concept of power through artistic, technical and/or human perspectives” – open to any form of photography
– Drone (video only)
– Sports
– Portfolio (story-telling series) – min 5 max 10 images
– General with subcategoriess Black & White and Colour - Submit no more than one photo per category (except for Portfolio). Same photo cannot be submitted in different categories)
- Photo submissions must be …
– JPEG
– high quality and resolution
– min 5MB
– longest edge min 2000 pixels
– min 300dpi
– suitable for publication
– not AI-generated - Drone video submissions must be …
– min 30 sec
– max 1 minute
– min resolution Full HD (1920×1080); 4K (3840×2160) preferred
– MP4, MOV or AVI only
– Codec: H.264 or H.265
– max 500MB - Submissions must have won no other awards
- Submissions that have been used for commercial purposes are ineligible
- Submissions must have a brief description of 150 words min
- Basic technical editing is allowed “provided any such editing does not affect the authenticity and/or genuineness of the photo(s) or video. Advanced editing “used to create illusions, deceptions and/or manipulations including compositing and creative retouching is prohibited
- Applicants who reach the final stage of judging grant HIPA a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sub-licensable right to use the work in any form (typically for marketing and promotion)
- No entry fee
- None specified
- Category awards:
– Power
> Ist $40,000
> 2nd $30,000
> 3rd $20,000
– Drone
> Ist $40,000
> 2nd $30,000
> 3rd $20,000
– Sports
> Ist $40,000
> 2nd $30,000
> 3rd $20,000
– Portfolio
> Ist $50,000
> 2nd $40,000
> 3rd $30,000
– General black and white
> Ist $40,000
> 2nd $30,000
> 3rd $20,000
– General colour
> Ist $40,000
> 2nd $30,000
> 3rd $20,000 - Grand prize $200,000 awarded by jury to one winner from any category
Open call: World Stage Design Technical Invention Prize (TIP)
DESIGN
DEADLINE 15 June 2025
Submit any gadget, device or smart solution for theatre, live performances, etc. Prizes and exhibition for three winners
- Contest is organised by World Stage Design 2025 (co-produced by Sharjah Performing Arts Academy – runs 18-25 October in Sharjah
- Recognises “the creative problem-solvers in the live events and performance industries [who] often go uncelebrated for the innovative tools and solutions they develop to simplify challenges … those clever ideas that are mostly realised by inexpensive means and materials”
- Submit any gadget, device or smart solution for theatre, live performances, or “the broader entertainment industry” – could be very specific (could be used only in one particular theatre, company, travelling show)
- Submissions should …
– be an apparatus or (auxiliary) tool that is specifically used in live performance technology
– consist of materials/parts/components that are ‘standard’, can be sourced easily, are already in practical use somewhere
– must have been developed by a current or ex-theatre technician
– must not have been developed by a professional commercial company
– must be free of any rights (so anyone should be able to use it without any financial consequences) - Entrants can be individuals or a team
- Shortlist of 20 entries will be chosen by a panel of eight international judges
- Top three finalists receive cash prizes (amount unspecified) plus ticket to WSD 2025 (prizewinning teams receive max three tickets) and exhibition at Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (WSD 2025’s venue sponsor) during the event
- Submit online with …
– description “sufficient enough for the jury to fully understand the purpose, how it is used and its usefulness” (max 500 words)
– max six photographs (each under 1MB)
– all needed instructions and material specifications (eg drawings, parts lists)
– short video (max 30 sec) to help the jury understand
the item and how it is used - No entry fee
- Queries to infowsd2025@spaa.ae
- Entrant must be a current or ex-theatre technician (no proofs specified)
- Shortlisted entries will be exhibited
- Three technician winners receive …
– cash prizes (amount unspecified)
– entry ticket to WSD 2025
Open call: Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Competition
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
DEADLINE 30 June 2025
Apply to pitch a business idea at Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Forum. Prizes for three winners
- Competition will take place on the sidelines of the third Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Forum, organised by Dubai Culture and scheduled for Q4 2025 in the Al Quoz Creative Zone – aimed at SMEs in the cultural and creative industries. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to pitch at the Forum
- Contest aims to find “innovative ideas that strengthen the emirate’s CCIs while advancing the emirate’s startup scene”
- Prizes:
– 1st place AED 80,000
– 2nd place AED 50,000
– 3rd place AED 30,000
– Additional rewards (unspecified) from event sponsors - Eligibility:
– UAE-based
– early-stage startups (less than two years old)
– must have a functional prototype where applicable
– must provide supporting materials – must be “actively engaged” in a relevant sector such as …
• Advertising and marketing
• Architecture, urban planning, interior design
• Broadcasting (television and radio)
• Handicrafts, arts, and antiques
• Graphic, industrial, product, fashion, and digital design
• Film, cinema, and animation
• Music (production, publishing, performance)
• Performing arts (theatre, dance, opera)
• Literature, publishing, e-publishing
• E-gaming
• Heritage (museums, libraries, archaeology)
• Photography, film, podcasting, content production
• Visual arts (painting, sculpture, installation, street art, graffiti)
• Culinary arts, gastronomy, food culture - Apply with …
– Passport copy
– Professional resumé/CV
– Business profile (inc company org chart, founder profiles, employee bios)
– Pitch deck (inc business proposal, value proposition, target audience, operations plan, revenue strategy, marketing approach, and a plan for how the prize money will be used) - Evaluation criteria:
– Innovation and creativity, including uniqueness and competitive potential
– Understanding of target market’s requirements, customer needs, growth prospects
– Sustainability regarding resources, revenue, and long-term development
– Impact on the CCIs and its contribution to promoting innovation, cultural diversity, and job creation - No entry fee
- Entrant must be …
– UAE-based
– early-stage startup (less than two years old)
– active in a relevant bsuiness area
- Shortlisted entries will be pitched at Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Forum
- Three winners receive unspecified prizes plus cash:
– 1st place AED 80,000
– 2nd place AED 50,000
– 3rd place AED 30,000