Organizer Information
Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling (KE, the Artists' Autumn Exhibition) is a juried exhibition for contemporary art that has been held annually since 1900, and at Den Frie Udstillingsbygning in Copenhagen specifically since 1915. It was founded as an alternative to Charlottenborg's spring exhibition, which at the time accepted only works by academy students. KE operates as a democratic, open platform: any artist, regardless of network, background, nationality, age, or place of residence, can submit work to be assessed by a jury of practicing artists, who judge submissions without knowing the applicants' names. Over its history, more than 6,000 artists have exhibited through KE, including figures such as Vilhelm Lundstrøm, Asger Jorn, and Per Kirkeby. Accepted artists receive five years of membership in the association that runs the exhibition. KE is hosted at Den Frie Udstilling, Denmark's oldest artists' association, founded in 1891.
Title & Description
Open Call — Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling (KE26)
This is the open call and submission guidelines for Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling, a censored (juried) group exhibition held at Den Frie Udstillingsbygning in Copenhagen. All types of works are accepted regardless of the artist's nationality, age, or place of residence. Submissions are assessed digitally by a jury across three rounds. Categories covered by the guidelines include general visual works, works for the outdoor sculpture garden, performance, workshops and events, video/digital works, site-specific works, and mixed-format or other media.
Note on the source text: the guidelines are titled "Guidelines for Open Call KE26" throughout, but the registration fee section refers to applying "for KE25." This appears to be an inconsistency in the source document — the article below follows the "KE26" title used elsewhere in the text, but this discrepancy should be verified before publishing.
Categories
- All Discipline
- Visual Arts
- Performance
- Sculpture
- Video/Film
- Installation
Eligibility
- KE accepts all types of works, regardless of the applicant's nationality, age, or place of residence
- Open to individual artists and artist groups
Program Benefits & Awards
- Artists whose work is accepted and exhibited receive a fee of DKK 2,000 (the same applies to artist groups)
- Accepted artists receive membership in the KE association for 5 years (per organizer background research; not restated in the submitted guidelines text itself)
Application Fee
Registration fee of DKK 380, paid online via KE's website during the application period. This is required as the first step to apply. A receipt is emailed upon registration of payment, but KE does not store payment information, so applicants must save their own receipt for accounting purposes. There is no right of cancellation after purchase.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 2 October 2026
- Editing deadline for submitted material: 5 October, 24:00 (also referenced elsewhere in the source as the general application deadline of 2 October, 24:00 — see Additional Details)
Location
Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, Copenhagen, Denmark
Additional Details
- Date discrepancy in the source: one section states the application form can be filled in and edited "in the period 22 September to 2 October 2026," with the form locking at 2 October, 24:00; another section states submitted material can be edited until 5 October at 24:00. These two deadlines conflict and should be clarified with the organizer before publishing.
- Works are juried digitally across three rounds; jurors assess only what is submitted through the application form (images, links to digital works, and comments to jurors)
- One application allows up to 6 works to be uploaded; a work made of several units (e.g. a series) is assessed and accepted/rejected as a single work
- Applicants may choose the category for each work
- Applicants are identified to jurors only by a case number (assigned with the payment receipt, along with a PIN for login), keeping them anonymous during jurying
- No confirmation email is sent after saving an application; applicants should check that the system shows "SAVED"
- KE sends automated emails that may be filtered as spam; applicants are advised to check their spam folder and monitor the website
- Only works no more than two years old are exhibited, and only works not already accepted at other Danish state-recognized juried exhibitions (Kunstnernes Sommerudstilling, Kunstnernes Påskeudstilling, and Forårsudstillingen at Charlottenborg) are eligible; prior exhibition elsewhere does not affect jurying
- Sculpture garden submissions: maximum 300 cm high with a 100 cm radius, must be safely ground-installed, must not obstruct traffic, heavy works must be delivered on a standard euro pallet at a maximum of 100 kg, and works cannot be insured since the outdoor area is unlocked and unsupervised
- Performance submissions require two documentation videos (a 1-minute version and a full-length version) plus a text description, and applicants may state how many times they wish to perform
- Workshops and events (a newly opened category for 2026) must be documented with video or photo and a full descriptive text, including duration and space requirements
- Video works longer than 1 minute must be uploaded in two versions (full-length and a 1-minute edit); jurying in the first two rounds is based on the 1-minute edit
- Digital works (video, animation, sound, etc.) must be hosted online (e.g. Vimeo or YouTube), optionally password-protected, and anonymized for jurying; accepted works may later be resubmitted with credits
- Artists exhibiting video/screen-based works must supply and bring their own screens; KE does not provide screens, and non-functioning screens may result in a work's removal
- Digital works must be saved in MP4 format (minimum ~15,000 kbps recommended); sound files must be in WAV format
- Mixed-format or other media works (e.g. total installations, digital art) should be uploaded under the "other" category, where documentation photos, video, animation, and sound can be included