Organizer Information
Region Gävleborg is a public regional authority in Sweden responsible for cultural development, heritage management, and international cultural cooperation. Through its cultural affairs department, the region administers programs that support artists, researchers, and cultural practitioners working with heritage, sustainability, and international exchange. One of its key responsibilities is the stewardship and international promotion of the UNESCO World Heritage Site
Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland. Since the site’s inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012, Region Gävleborg has initiated several programs to activate the heritage through contemporary artistic, research-based, and cross-cultural practices. The World Heritage Residence/
Scholarship was established by the Regional Assembly in 2018 as a long-term initiative to foster global dialogue between UNESCO World Heritage Sites and contemporary cultural production.
Title & Description
World Heritage Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland – International Scholarship & Residency
The World Heritage Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland International Scholarship and Residency is a
fully funded cultural residency and grant program designed for professional artists, cultural practitioners, and researchers from around the world. The program offers participants the opportunity to spend four weeks living and working at one of the UNESCO-listed Hälsingland farmhouses in Sweden while developing a project that creates a conceptual, artistic, or research-based connection between this site and another UNESCO World Heritage Site elsewhere in the world.
The residency emphasizes artistic quality, cultural exchange, and critical engagement with heritage values such as preservation, identity, memory, and universal cultural significance. Participants are encouraged to work site-specifically and to respond to the architectural, historical, and social context of the Hälsingland farmhouses, while situating their work within a broader international UNESCO framework. The project outcome may take many forms, including artistic production, research, documentation, writing, or performative work, as long as the proposed approach is clearly articulated and feasible within the residency period.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Interdisciplinary Art Practices
- Cultural Heritage Projects
- Research-Based Artistic Practice
- Writing and Cultural Research
- Performance and Site-Specific Work
Projects must relate to UNESCO World Heritage values and demonstrate a clear conceptual link between Hälsingland and another World Heritage Site.
Eligibility
- Open to international applicants from all countries.
- Applicants must be professional artists, cultural practitioners, or researchers with documented experience.
- Both individual applicants and teams are eligible (with conditions).
- The proposed project must explicitly connect the Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland with at least one other UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Applicants must be able to complete a four-week residency on site in Sweden during the designated period.
There is no age restriction specified.
Program Benefits & Awards
Selected applicants receive a comprehensive support package that includes:
- A scholarship grant of 50,000 SEK to support the development and realization of the project.
- A four-week residency at one of the UNESCO World Heritage farmhouses (Kristofers in Järvsö or Erik-Anders in Söderala).
- Travel costs to and from Hälsingland, Sweden.
- Accommodation at the selected World Heritage farm during the residency period.
- Access to a car for local transportation related to the residency.
- Direct engagement with a UNESCO World Heritage environment and regional cultural stakeholders.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit a complete application via the official online form, including:
- Personal and contact information.
- A professional CV or résumé.
- Portfolio or documentation of previous relevant work.
- A detailed project proposal describing the idea, methodology, and UNESCO World Heritage connection.
- A motivation statement explaining the relevance of the project and the applicant’s interest in the residency.
All sections of the application form are mandatory. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Period: 28 February 2026
- Notification of Results: November 2026
- Residency Period: Summer 2027
Location
Hälsingland, Sweden
Additional Details
If applying as a team, the four-week residency period must be shared among team members, and this division must be clearly stated in the application. Additional travel or living costs for extra participants are not covered beyond the scholarship amount. Applicants are responsible for coordinating practical arrangements directly with the farm hosts. Pets are not permitted at the residency locations. Selection is based on artistic quality, relevance to UNESCO values, feasibility, and clarity of the proposed project.
