Kiruna 2029 European Capital of Culture: Artistic Projects and Early Ideas (Sweden)
Kiruna 2029 European Capital of Culture, Kiruna
- ✓ Hand-verified by Arthead editorial, Sep 10, 2026
About this call
Kiruna 2029 European Capital of Culture is the title awarded to the Swedish Arctic municipality of Kiruna, and its organising team is now gathering proposals for the official artistic programme of that year. The call runs on two tracks. Artistic Project is for larger, developed proposals that an external organisation can lead and administer, and its form closes on 31 October 2026; Test an Idea is for early stage concepts, pilot initiatives and collaborations that still need development, and that form stays open until 31 December 2026. Proposals are assessed against five published criteria: Homemaking, European Adventure, Perspectives, Finding New Ways and Power of Culture. Work does not have to take place in Kiruna itself, but it must carry a clear and relevant connection to the place, to a city being physically relocated because of the expanding underground iron ore mine beneath it, and to the Sami and Tornedalian communities whose homeland it sits in. No artistic discipline is prioritised. The organisers set out the timeline themselves: review through November 2026, an assessment group in December, an assessment meeting in January 2027, feedback to applicants in January and February, further dialogue with selected project owners from February to May, and contracts signed in the summer of 2027.
Who can apply
- Open to applicants of any nationality
- Medium: Painting / Drawing / Printmaking / Photography / Sculpture / Installation / Ceramics / Textile / Ink / Performance / Video / New Media / Mixed Media / Writing
- Free entry
- Open to all artistic disciplines; the organisers state that no art form is prioritised. Larger Artistic Project proposals generally need an organisation or structure able to manage finances and administration, while individuals can enter through the Test an Idea track. Projects may happen outside Kiruna but must hold a clear and relevant connection to it. Kiruna 2029 cannot be a project's sole funder and contributes at most half the budget, so co-financing is required. No application fee is stated on the organiser's page.