Open Call MOMO Festival x Amarte 2026
The MOMO x Amarte 2026 Open call is now closed for entries!
Each year MOMO Festival invites emerging artists to present their projects as part of the festival. For the upcoming edition, taking place from 16–18 April 2026, we’re happy to join forces again with the Amarte Foundation.
For who?
You can apply if you are an emerging artist based in the Netherlands. We welcome applications across all disciplines and media whose practice speaks the above-mentioned topics—including music, visual art, poetry, spoken word, film, photography and everything in between. Applications can be individual or collective. Whether you’re reimagining an existing work, developing a work-in-progress or starting something entirely new, we invite you to apply.
Theme of 2026: Fugitive Roots
This year we invite artists of all kinds to delve into the theme Fugitive Roots. The theme calls for exploration: What does it mean to stay connected—to ourselves, to each other, to places we call home—while everything around us is in motion? It invites a sense of ongoing relationality in times of movement, crisis and political chaos.
Fugitivity is not the same as disappearing. It is the deliberate turning away from structures that harm, oppress and exclude. A politics of refusal and reimagination: to live beyond borders, binaries and imposed narratives. Fugitivity is not about vanishing, but about being present otherwise.
Rooting, in this context, doesn’t mean staying still. It is about sustaining ourselves and one another through movement. Moving with our histories, holding them with care and imagining other futures through resistance and refusal. It’s about staying connected while we shift and grow.
Fugitive Roots is about refusing capture, while still remaining grounded. It speaks to forms of care that aren’t tied to borders or nation-states, but instead rooted in shared acts of survival, memory and (re)imagination.
What to expect?
If your project is selected, it will be part of the MOMO Festival 2026 program, taking place from 16-18 April in Rotterdam.
You’ll receive:
• An artist fee in line with the BKNL guidelines to ensure fair pay
• A production budget to help realise your project
Throughout the process, you’ll receive guidance and support tailored to your needs. This includes:
• Practical and creative guidance from the MOMO team
• One-on-one check-ins
• Inspiration sessions
• A workshop by industry professionals focused on writing project proposals for open calls, residencies, and grants
• A Open Call coordinator as your main point of contact
• Your work will be shared through the communication channels of both Motel Mozaïque and Amarte.
The process
Inspiration meetups
Want to meet fellow artists, learn more about the festival or explore this year’s theme together? You’re warmly invited to join one of our inspiration sessions (one online, one in person). You can register via the link below.
• In person meeting (15 August 2025, 15:00)
• Online meeting (18 August 2025, 18:00)
Application process
We’re working with a two-step application process to make it more accessible for everyone:
Step 1: Initial Selection, Guidance & Budget
We invite you to introduce your concept in this initial phase of the application process. Following the first round, 15 participants will be selected by a joint committee. If selected, you’ll receive a development trajectory co-organized by Amarte and Motel Mozaïque. This includes personal and group guidance, a fixed fee for developing your project proposal, and support on broader topics such as securing funding and navigating your artistic practice. This phase is designed to support your growth as an artist—regardless of the final Open Call outcome—by expanding your network and deepening your understanding of the cultural sector. You can find the detailed explanation for the first round of applications below.
Step 2: Final Selection, Further Guidance & Production Support
In the second round, your developed concept will be considered for final selection. From this group, 5 participants will be chosen to be part of the official MOMO Festival 2026 program (16–18 April). These final participants will receive additional guidance, a production budget and further support to realize their work for the festival.
The selection process
The applications will be reviewed and evaluated by a selection committee from MOMO and the Amarte Foundation. The evaluation and selection will be based on artistic quality, relevance to the theme, feasibility, originality and the creative profile of applicants. A total of 5 projects will be part of the final selection. Four of these will be selected by the selection committee and one will be selected via public vote.
Timeline
• 15 August 2025: Inspiration meeting
• 18 August 2025: Inspiration meeting
• 31 August 2025 (23:59): Deadline for first round applications
• Late September 2025: Announcement of the outcome of the first round: selected 15 projects will be contacted by the open call coordinator
• October 2025: Workshop for the 15 shortlisted projects
• 31 October 2025: Second submission of proposals deadline
• 7-21 November 2025: Public vote by MOMO community
• Late November 2025: Final selection announcement
• Beginning December 2025: Meeting with selected artists
• Mid February to festival: Production
• 16-18 April 2026: MOMO Festival
How to apply?
The MOMO x Amarte 2026 Open call is now closed for entries!
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In the first round we ask for a simple concept submission via the application form. This can be in any medium you prefer, as long as it relates meaningfully to the theme Fugitive Roots.
You can choose the format that suits you best:
• Written (max. 500 words)
• Visual/graphic document (max. 2 PDF pages)
• Video (max. 3 minutes)
Whichever format you choose, make sure to include the following:
• A clear description of your concept and overall vision, and how it relates to the theme Fugitive Roots
• The disciplines and mediums involved in your project
• The ideal setting you imagine for your work, including any spatial needs or considerations – keeping in mind that MOMO works with unconventional venues; settings like black box are not possible to offer
• Your intended audience and how you plan to engage them
Questions? Get in touch with us!
Do you have questions about the process or the theme, or need some more inspiration? Open Call coordinator Defne is happy to support, feel free to reach out via opencall@motelmozaique.nl.
We can’t wait to hear what you’re growing, where you’re rooting.