S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION invites artists from all disciplines to apply for a unique interdisciplinary residency programme focused on the future of water in Europe. At a time when water scarcity, pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss are reshaping societies and ecosystems, AQUA MOTION supports artistic experimentation that engages with these challenges through collaboration with scientists, technologists, local communities, and water experts.

What do we offer?

• EUR 40,000 budget per artist residency, covering artist fees, costs associated with participation in exhibitions and public events, and other relevant expenses necessary for the successful implementation of the residency (including production of artworks or prototypes).
• Access to specialised resources, technological infrastructure, and facilities provided by the residency host institutions.
• Participation in an individualised Mentoring Programme
• Expert guidance and support within the interdisciplinary 5-Helix structure, enabling artists to collaborate closely with business, academia, government, environment, and civil society representatives.
• Access to the extensive Europe-wide S+T+ARTS network, including participation in community-building events, workshops, and networking opportunities (both online and in-person).
• Opportunities to present artistic outcomes at prominent international exhibitions and events, including potential participation at a conference at the Ars Electronica Festival, UNESCO Venice Biennale, Brussels-based pop-up events, and other high-visibility events.
• Visibility through high impact communication activities to promote the artistic output and its innovation spillovers.

Expected output from artists

• Development and production: Produce a tangible, presentable, art-driven innovative artistic outputs addressing specific regional water management challenges.
• Collaboration with Residency Stakeholders: Work closely with diverse stakeholders, including the Consortium Partners, Residency Hosts and WIL members to ensure outputs are deeply connected to regional contexts and address specific water-related issues effectively.
• Presence at residency host site and region: Residents are expected to spend a minimum of 5 weeks at the site and region of the residency host / co-hosting partners.
• Participation in Residency and Scale up meetings and visibility events: Artists are expected to participate at the in-person Residency Kick-off Meeting in Azores, Portugal (October 1-2, 2025); two local events/showcases/exhibitions, one pop-out event in Belgium (these events will be discussed, agreed and co-organized with the Residency Host Institutions)
• Community engagement: Actively participate in and contribute to local, national, or international community-driven events, workshops, seminars, and educational activities.
• Dissemination and communication: Engage proactively in the dissemination and communication strategies of the residency, including sharing content on social media, contributing articles for platforms such as STARTS.EU, and participating in interviews (written, audio, video) to enhance public visibility and project impact.
• Impact assessment: Collaborate in the collection of qualitative and quantitative data to support the comprehensive impact assessment and behavioural change analysis conducted by the S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION project.

Admissibility Criteria

• Open to artists of any nationality able to travel to the country hosting the Residency
• Applicants must have a valid fiscal ID (e.g., VAT number).
• Applicants must be independent of AQUA MOTION consortium partners (no current employees or affiliates).
• Not eligible if already granted a S+T+ARTS residency for 2025 or 2026.
• Must have at least 5 years of artistic practice and a documented portfolio

Preparation and Submission

STEP 1: Identify the Challenge
Review the Challenges Booklet to select the water-related challenge you want to address.
Note: You may submit up to 2 proposals, each for a different challenge; preference must be indicated in the application form.

STEP 2: Complete the online application (via Zealous platform), providing:

• Administrative info (you + collaborators)
• Selected challenge(s) + priority
• Motivation (max. 200 words)
• Title of your proposal
• Abstract (max. 300 words)

STEP 3: Complete the ‘Artistic Proposal’ section (via Zealous platform), which contains three main sections:

• Excellence/Innovative Aspect
• Implementation
• Impact

STEP 4: Upload all required documents

• Project budget + timeline
• CV (max. 2 pages, PDF)
• Portfolio (2-3 relevant projects, PDF)

Webinar for Artists

Discover all the information on “how to apply”: an overview of the open call, including the application guidelines and the application submission form. The last part of the session was dedicated to answering participant’s questions.

For technical questions pertaining to the application platform, contact:
Zalán Szcsotka, aquamotion@proprogressione.com

For information about S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION project at MUSE contact:
Judith Inglavaga, judith.inglavaga@muse.it

STARTS Aqua Motion è finanziato dall’Unione Europea nell’ambito dell’iniziativa STARTS – Science, Technology and Arts della DG CNECT con l’accordo di sovvenzione LC-03568055. I punti di vista e le opinioni espressi sono esclusivamente quelli dell’autortrice/e o delle/gli autrici/ori e non riflettono necessariamente quelli dell’Unione Europea o della DG CNECT. Né l’Unione Europea né l’autorità concedente possono essere ritenute responsabili.