CreArt Aveiro 2026: €2,500 for Public Light, Sound and Visual Art in Portugal — Apply 4 November
Public light and sound art in the city of Aveiro
The Portuguese city of Aveiro has issued an international—though geographically restricted—CreArt 3.0 residency call for two artists to make creative work as part of its Boas Festas cultural season. The residence runs 23 November to 11 December 2026 and seeks art in public space, with particular interest in light installations, sound installations and performance alongside other experimental visual-art approaches. The work should sensitively respond to Aveiro's historic centre and local traditions, rather than treating the city as a neutral exhibition backdrop.
Important eligibility restrictions
This call is not open worldwide to anyone who works with projection art. The applicant must be born or reside in one of the listed CreArt network cities: Kaunas, Liepāja, Skopje, Aveiro, Valladolid, Venice, Clermont-Ferrand, Rouen, Regensburg, České Budějovice or Oulu. Also eligible are artists who are members of the Croatian Association of Visual Artists (HDLU) and artists applying through the Lviv Artistic Council Dialogue partnership. The official announcement specifies no age ceiling. Applicants need a valid European Health Insurance Card or equivalent and should confirm any professional-status requirements with the organiser.
Grant, housing and technical support
Each selected artist is offered a €2,500 grant intended for travel, subsistence and other expenses, to be paid by the end of the residency. The City of Aveiro will separately provide studio space and accommodation in the city centre, and may arrange rental of light and sound equipment where needed. This should not be interpreted as an unconditional extra €2,500 production budget plus fully reimbursed international travel; the cash grant itself is linked to several living and transport costs. Participation may require a short-notice travel plan because the residency starts less than three weeks after the application closes.
Application and deadline
The official deadline is 4 November 2026, with results expected on 11 November. Applications go through the CreArt website after registering an applicant account. Submit a single English-language PDF containing ID or passport evidence, proof of connection to an eligible city or partner, a CV (one A4 page maximum), a short portfolio (up to ten pages and images), and a project proposal (one A4 page maximum) that identifies the artistic approach and practical needs. The organiser's published form contains a stray reference to Lublin in a paragraph describing the proposal; that appears to be reused text, so applicants should clarify any ambiguity with the Aveiro contact before submitting.
Organiser and prior programmes
CreArt is an EU-supported artistic cooperation network of municipalities and cultural partners. Aveiro's programme is part of a civic cultural season combining concerts, performances and temporary public works. The city has an established local cultural programme and a history of cross-disciplinary public projects. Its organisers identify institutional emails and selection dates on the official network website, giving applicants a reliable source for verifying the opportunity.
Original announcement and application
CreArt official Aveiro call: https://creart2-eu.org/open-calls/creart-3-0-open-call-artists-residency-in-aveiro-portugal-2026 . Submission platform: https://creart2-eu.org/open-calls/ . Questions about eligibility or the mismatched 'Lublin' wording in the form may be sent to museusdeaveiro@cm-aveiro.pt.