Can artists outside Canada apply to Canadian open calls?

Artist-run centres and public galleries often accept international submissions, and many pay exhibition fees to selected artists regardless of nationality. Canada Council and provincial funding is generally limited to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Eligibility is verified and marked on every listing.

What are artist fees (CARFAC fees)?

Canada has a national fee schedule, maintained by CARFAC, that sets minimum payments artists should receive for exhibiting work. Most publicly funded Canadian galleries pay these fees, meaning selected artists are paid to show, a meaningful difference from pay-to-enter models elsewhere.

What Canadian grants can artists apply for?

Federal funding through Canada Council for the Arts, provincial councils like Ontario Arts Council and Conseil des arts du Québec, and municipal programs such as Toronto Arts Council. Most require citizenship or permanent residency. Arthead lists open deadlines with eligibility verified.

Are there residencies in Canada for international artists?

Yes. Several Canadian residency programs welcome international artists, from institutional programs like the Banff Centre to artist-run and rural residencies across the provinces. Each listing on Arthead notes whether international applicants are eligible and what the program provides.

Open Calls for Artists in Canada

Residencies, grants, exhibitions, and competitions across Canada. Curated and updated weekly.

Open now3318 added in 30 days3,100+ tracked since launch

Closing this week3● URGENT

Residency

Any nationalitySackville, NB, CanadaFree entry

Call for Submissions: 2027 Open Studio Residency Program

24-hour access to a private studio space (approx. 400 sq ft), furnished 2-bedroom private apartment with separate entrance, and staff support for community outreach, technical, and logistical assistance

Struts Gallery offers two five-week residency positions in Sackville, New Brunswick for professional visual and media artists at all career stages.

Canada onlyCanadaFree entry

International Residencies Grant, Arts Across Canada and Abroad

Up to CAD 20,000 per application, for expenses not covered by the host, including artist and professional fees, travel and accommodation, safety, dependent care, and accessibility costs.

International Residencies is one of ten funding opportunities in the Canada Council for the Arts' Arts Across Canada and Abroad program. It offers support for artists, arts workers, artistic groups and artistic organizations from Canada to attend a residency abroad.

Canada Council for the Arts

Limited by country or regionSurrey, CanadaFree entry

Crescent Beach Community Gallery Artist Call 2027

Free one-month gallery space at Crescent Beach. Artists retain 100% of sales revenue. Opportunity to host events and collaborative projects during the exhibition period.

The City of Surrey invites groups of two or more visual artists to apply for one-month exhibition opportunities at the Crescent Beach Community Gallery in 2027. The gallery aims to support Surrey artists and build connections with the local community.

Closing this month9

Canada onlyCanadaEntry fee C$35

Get Noticed 2026

Exhibition at Red Head Gallery, Toronto, December 2-19, 2026; no hanging or installation fee. No monetary prize stated.

Red Head Gallery's Get Noticed open call invites Canadian artists who are not represented by a commercial gallery to submit work for a curated group exhibition in Toronto.

Limited by country or regionLethbridge, Alberta, CanadaEntry fee See official site

Art for the Moment: Call for Temporary Public Art Proposals

Up to CA$8,000 (incl. GST) per project; up to six commissions

Art for the Moment is an initiative of the City of Lethbridge Public Art Program, administered by the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge. It invites artists and artist teams to propose temporary public art projects that will be installed or performed across Lethbridge between…

Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge

Any nationalityWhitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario, CanadaEntry fee See official site

Call for Artists: Tattoo Exhibition

Latcham Art Centre, a public gallery in Whitchurch-Stouffville (Stouffville), Ontario, Canada, is looking for photo-based artists interested in tattoos and body art for a yearlong, community-centred project that collects images and stories about people and their tattoos, and the…

Limited by country or regionPerth and Smiths Falls, Ontario, CanadaEntry fee See official site

Artists Call

Total project budget of $20,000 CAD for commissioned works installed in community spaces

Linden Housing Co-operative is seeking completed artworks and commission proposals for the interior and exterior community spaces of its residential development in Perth and Smiths Falls, Ontario.

Linden Housing Co-operative

Limited by country or regionCanadaEntry fee See official site

Foreign Artist Tours Grant

Foreign Artist Tours is one of ten funding opportunities in Arts Across Canada and Abroad, the Canada Council program introduced in 2025 that combines the former Arts Across Canada and Arts Abroad programs.

Canada Council for the Arts

Canada onlyCanadaEntry fee See official site

Short-Term Projects Grant, Creating, Knowing and Sharing

Short-Term Projects is one of five funding opportunities in the Canada Council for the Arts' program Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

Canada Council for the Arts

Canada onlyCanadaEntry fee See official site

International Co-productions Grant

International Co-productions is one of ten funding opportunities in Arts Across Canada and Abroad, the Canada Council program introduced in 2025 that combines the former Arts Across Canada and Arts Abroad programs.

Canada Council for the Arts

Any nationalityEd Broadbent Waterfront Park, Oshawa, Ontario, CanadaEntry fee See official site

Call for Expressions of Interest: Indigenous Writers to Develop a Language and Culture Public Art Project

Selected writer's fee $12,000; each of three shortlisted writers paid $750 for Stage 2.

The City of Oshawa, Canada, invites Expressions of Interest for an Indigenous language and culture public art project at Ed Broadbent Waterfront Park, 169 Harbour Rd, Oshawa.

Any nationalityCanadaFree entry

Call for Expressions of Interest: Permanent Public Art for Dave Ryan Park

Total project budget: CAD $60,000 (inclusive of all artist fees, materials, revisions, fabrication, installation, and HST). Three Stage 2 shortlisted finalists each receive CAD $1,500 for concept development.

The City of Pickering, Ontario, invites professional artists and design teams to submit expressions of interest for a permanent integrated public artwork at Dave Ryan Community Park.

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Canadian open calls, answered.

Canada’s art ecosystem is anchored by strong public funding: artist-run centres, public galleries, and municipal art commissions alongside grants at the federal, provincial, and city level. Artist fees for exhibitions are a established norm here, which makes Canadian calls unusually artist-friendly.

This page gathers Canadian opportunities open right now, each verified by hand with deadline, fee, eligibility, and award listed, linking directly to the host organization’s page. Arthead itself is based in Toronto.

Can artists outside Canada apply to Canadian open calls?: Artist-run centres and public galleries often accept international submissions, and many pay exhibition fees to selected artists regardless of nationality. Canada Council and provincial funding is generally limited to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Eligibility is verified and marked on every listing.
What are artist fees (CARFAC fees)?: Canada has a national fee schedule, maintained by CARFAC, that sets minimum payments artists should receive for exhibiting work. Most publicly funded Canadian galleries pay these fees, meaning selected artists are paid to show, a meaningful difference from pay-to-enter models elsewhere.
What Canadian grants can artists apply for?: Federal funding through Canada Council for the Arts, provincial councils like Ontario Arts Council and Conseil des arts du Québec, and municipal programs such as Toronto Arts Council. Most require citizenship or permanent residency. Arthead lists open deadlines with eligibility verified.
Are there residencies in Canada for international artists?: Yes. Several Canadian residency programs welcome international artists, from institutional programs like the Banff Centre to artist-run and rural residencies across the provinces. Each listing on Arthead notes whether international applicants are eligible and what the program provides.