Organizer Information
Salzburg Global is an independent nonprofit organization that brings together leaders and practitioners from around the world to address complex global issues through dialogue, collaboration, and interdisciplinary exchange. Founded in 1947, the organization has convened more than 40,000 Fellows from over 170 countries through more than 1,100 sessions. Its programs cover areas including Culture, Education, Peace & Justice, Health, and Finance & Governance. The organization’s historic home is Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria.
Title & Description
The Cultural Futures Forum: Whose Creative Labor Counts?
The Cultural Futures Forum: Whose Creative Labor Counts? is the opening session of Salzburg Global’s four-year Cultural Futures Forum, focusing on recognition, equity, and the future of creative work.
The program examines how artificial intelligence, automation, digital platforms, changing labor markets, and new models of cultural production are affecting the people who create and sustain culture. Rather than focusing only on whether technology will replace creative jobs, the Forum will explore who owns the systems through which creative work is produced and distributed, who benefits from technological productivity, and how creative workers can gain fair remuneration, security, recognition, and opportunities for sustainable careers.
Participants will also discuss pathways into creative professions, social protection, labor rights, collective representation, education, funding, and cross-sector approaches to building resilient cultural workforces.
Categories
- Arts & Culture
- Visual Art
- Film
- Design
- Architecture
- Music
- Literature & Writing
- Curating
- Creative Industries
- Cultural Policy
- Arts Management
- Technology & AI
- Research, Entrepreneurship
Eligibility
This is an international opportunity open to people working within or alongside the cultural and creative sectors. Potential participants include artists, designers, architects, filmmakers, musicians, writers, curators, creative entrepreneurs, cultural institutions, researchers, policymakers, technology professionals, funders, and civil-society representatives.
Applicants should demonstrate relevant professional experience, leadership, or involvement in initiatives connected to the cultural and creative sector and be interested in cross-sector and international collaboration. Salzburg Global particularly welcomes perspectives that have historically been less visible in cultural leadership, including participants from the Majority World, people of color, disabled and LGBTQ+ people, and individuals from low-income, Indigenous, ethnically diverse, or migrant backgrounds.
There is no specific age limit stated on the official session page.
Program Benefits & Awards
Selected participants join an international and interdisciplinary cohort and contribute to a co-designed program of discussion and collaborative learning. Benefits include participation in the Salzburg residential Forum, international peer networking, continued online exchange, and opportunities to develop ideas and collaborations beyond the session.
The program will contribute to the Cultural Futures Outlook, an annual collection of articles, digital content, and open-access resources. Participants also become part of an international network connecting different Forum cohorts.
A limited number of scholarships are available to cover participation costs and travel. Partial scholarships may cover either participation costs or travel. Scholarship consideration particularly prioritizes applicants from the Majority World and historically underrepresented communities.
Application Fee
None
For selected participants who self-fund, the participation fee is US$6,000, including accommodation and meals during the program. Self-funded participants must arrange and pay for their own travel to and from Salzburg.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 19 October 2026
- Online Co-Creation Meeting 1: 4 February 2027
- Online Co-Creation Meeting 2: 18 February 2027
- In-Person Program: March 14–19, 2027
- Arrival: March 14, 2027, from 15:00
- Departure: 19 March 2027
Location
Salzburg, Austria
Additional Details
The program is not a conventional artist residency, exhibition open call, or competition. It is a curated international Forum centered on dialogue, peer learning, cultural policy, creative labor, and systemic change.
Participants are expected to be available for both online preparation meetings and the full residential program. Selection considers the relevance of an applicant's work, the experience and perspectives they can contribute, their ability to participate in peer learning, and their potential to apply the program's ideas and relationships within their wider work or community.