Organizer Information
The CitiObs Project is a European collaborative initiative focused on environmental observation, air quality monitoring, and citizen science. The project brings together researchers, designers, technologists, cultural organizations, and community stakeholders to explore how citizens can actively participate in collecting, interpreting, and acting upon environmental data.
This open call is organized in partnership with the Distributed Design Platform, an international platform that supports designers, makers, artists, and creative practitioners working through collaborative, open-source, and socially engaged methodologies. The platform has become an important network connecting creative professionals across Europe and beyond through research, experimentation, and knowledge exchange.
Through this initiative, CitiObs seeks to expand the role of artistic and design practices within citizen science by commissioning projects that engage communities in environmental monitoring and public participation. The program recognizes that environmental issues are not solely scientific or technical concerns but also cultural, political, and social matters that require creative approaches and public engagement.
Title & Description
Open Call for Creative Practitioners: Art, Design & Citizen Science
The CitiObs Project and the Distributed Design Platform invite artists, designers, makers, collectives, studios, and cultural practitioners worldwide to submit proposals for creative projects exploring the intersection of environmental monitoring, citizen science, community participation, and artistic practice.
The call seeks innovative and experimental proposals that investigate how environmental knowledge is generated, shared, and transformed through creative action. Applicants are encouraged to develop artistic interventions, participatory processes, design-led research, maker-based initiatives, or community-centered projects that engage environmental issues through creative methodologies.
Selected practitioners will collaborate with CitiObs partners to create and implement projects connected to air quality monitoring, environmental observation, and citizen-led science initiatives. The program welcomes diverse formats, critical perspectives, and context-specific approaches from different geographical regions around the world.
In addition to commissioned projects receiving financial support, several additional proposals may be showcased through the Distributed Design Platform and CitiObs communication channels, providing international visibility and dissemination opportunities.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Social Practice Art
- Participatory Art
- Community Art
- Design
- Service Design
- Speculative Design
- Research-Based Art
- Citizen Science
- Environmental Art
- Public Art
- Creative Technology
- Maker Culture
- Open-Source Practices
- Installation Art
- Multimedia Art
- Interactive Projects
- Interdisciplinary Practices
- Cultural Research
- Artistic Research
Eligibility
This opportunity is open internationally. Eligible applicants include:
- Individual artists
- Designers
- Makers
- Creative practitioners
- Cultural workers
- Collectives
- Studios
- Non-profit organizations
- Community-based organizations
Applicants may be based in any country worldwide.
Applicants should ideally demonstrate experience in one or more of the following areas:
- Community engagement
- Environmental issues
- Participatory processes
- Citizen science
- Collaborative design
- Artistic research
- Socially engaged practice
Applicants must be able to enter into a service agreement and issue invoices in accordance with EU-funded project requirements.
No age restrictions have been specified.
Program Benefits & Awards
The program will support up to five selected projects. Benefits include:
- Commission grant of up to €3,000 per project
- Formal service contract with the CitiObs Project
- Collaboration with international project partners
- Opportunity to contribute to a European environmental research initiative
- International visibility through CitiObs communication channels
- Feature on the Distributed Design Platform website
- Inclusion in a CitiObs exhibition at Fab Lab Barcelona
- Networking opportunities with artists, researchers, designers, and citizen science practitioners
- Potential coverage of approved travel and production expenses within project budgets
Additionally, up to ten non-funded projects may be selected for online presentation and promotion through the Distributed Design Platform and CitiObs networks.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Project proposal outlining concept and methodology
- Work plan and implementation timeline
- Detailed budget breakdown
- Portfolio of relevant previous work
- Short biography or biographies of applicant(s)
Please note that incomplete applications may not be considered during evaluation.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 14 June 2026
- Notification of Selected Applicants: 26 June 2026
- Contracting Period: 1 July – 31 October 2026
- Final Service Delivery Deadline: 30 September 2026
Location
Barcelona, Spain
Additional Details
Selected practitioners will be expected to:
- Design and implement a creative intervention aligned with CitiObs objectives
- Collaborate closely with CitiObs consortium partners
- Document project development and outcomes through written and visual materials
- Deliver agreed outputs according to contractual requirements
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be assessed according to:
- Relevance to CitiObs objectives (30%)
- Quality and feasibility of the proposal (25%)
- Artistic and conceptual strength (25%)
- Best value for money (20%)
Intellectual Property & Rights
- Applicants must ensure submitted work does not infringe third-party rights.
- Documentation of commissioned projects may be used by CitiObs for communication and dissemination purposes with proper attribution.
- Intellectual property conditions will be defined within the service agreement.
- Selected projects will become part of CitiObs public dissemination activities and may be exhibited through project platforms and exhibitions.
This opportunity is particularly suitable for practitioners interested in the intersections of environmental justice, community engagement, citizen science, participatory design, ecological research, and socially engaged artistic practice.