Organizer Information
Sphera is a European network of independent media that promotes socially-engaged, cross-border journalism through collaborative reports, podcasts, videos, and events, bringing together ten partner outlets across seven countries since 2021 — including StreetPress (France), 444 (Hungary), El Salto (Spain), Krytyka Polityczna (Poland), Popaganda (Greece), and VD News (Italy). The network was originally coordinated by the NGO Babel International before coordination transferred to Médianes on 1 October 2024. Médianes, founded in 2020, is a European studio and peer network that helps independent media organizations strengthen their editorial, economic, and technological independence. This edition of Sphera Media Lab is organized in partnership with Arty Farty (European Lab), a French cultural organization that runs the European Lab discourse and events platform.
Title & Description
Sphera Media Lab 2026: Masterclasses and Keynotes Call for Proposals
Sphera Media Lab is a one-day event bringing together independent media professionals from across Europe for talks, masterclasses, and workshops on strengthening independent journalism. For the 2026 edition, Sphera Network and European Lab are opening submissions from media professionals, researchers, and cultural practitioners who want to contribute a masterclass or keynote session addressing the technological, economic, and editorial independence of media. The event itself takes place on 3 December 2026 at LaVallée in Brussels, and is followed by an evening dedicated to press freedom, including the preview screening of a Sphera-produced documentary on threats facing journalists in Europe.
Theme
Technological, economic, and editorial independence for media — including topics such as digital sovereignty and shared tools, cooperative economic models, and press freedom / resisting far-right pressure on newsrooms.
Categories
- Culture
- Research
- Art Management
Eligibility
- Open to individuals: media professionals, producers/managers, and researchers/critics
- Open internationally — proposals accepted regardless of the applicant's country of origin, provided the proposal aligns with the event's themes and reflects a European perspective
- Cross-disciplinary; digital/new media focus
Program Benefits & Awards
- Selected contributors' travel to Brussels covered
- Accommodation covered
- A fee paid to selected contributors
- Sphera notes it pays particular attention to parity and diversity in its programming
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 31 August 2026
- Confirmation of selected contributors: September 2026
- Event date: 3 December 2026
Location
Brussels, Belgium
Additional Details
Sphera Media Lab is an English-language event. The evening program includes a preview screening of a Sphera-produced documentary on attacks and threats against journalists working in Europe, built around journalist testimonies. General audience registration for the event itself is separate from, and free of charge; the call described here is specifically for those proposing to speak (masterclass/keynote), not for general attendees.