CaFÉ — one submission system for US competitions, with 200,000+ artists

CaFÉ call for entry for artists — one profile and one portfolio open access to museum competitions, city programmes, public art commissions and institutional exhibitions across the US. You don’t need to be physically in the country for any of it. The format is strict and the requirements are formalised — but this is exactly where artists get a shot at publications, serious exhibitions, public art and long-term projects. The platform’s community is also nearly 200,000 artists.

CaFÉ call for entry for artists — one system instead of scattered applications
Galleries, museums, government arts programmes and major cultural institutions all use the platform. Unlike catalogue-style sites, CaFÉ works as a centralised submission system. An artist builds a profile and uploads a portfolio once, then reuses it to enter different competitions. Organisers, meanwhile, manage every stage of selection inside a single interface.

A key tool for US institutional programmes
Hundreds of listings go up on the platform every year. That’s juried exhibitions, grant programmes, public art commissions, city initiatives, festivals, residencies and museum competitions. By CaFÉ’s own figures, the platform has been running for more than 20 years, and over that time it’s hosted 18,000+ calls and hundreds of thousands of submitted applications. Some opportunities are only available through CaFÉ. That’s why the platform is considered essential for Art in Public Places programmes.

What it costs
For the artist, browsing listings and building a profile is free. Entering a specific competition sometimes requires a fee. That’s set by the organiser, not the platform, and the amount is always stated in the listing. For the organiser, using CaFÉ costs considerably more. The Pro tier starts with a $225 onboarding fee. On top of that: $250 per posted call and $2.49 per application. The Plus tier costs more per call ($475), but the first 250 applications are free. Both tiers renew for $120 a year. Card or PayPal payments also carry a 3.25% processing fee.

How submitting works
The system is built to cut the technical overhead of entering many competitions. An artist builds a profile, uploads images of their work, and fills in basic information. When responding to a specific call, they pick the relevant pieces from their already-uploaded portfolio, then fill in whatever fields that call asks for. Images need to be JPEG. Minimum 1200 pixels on the long side, and up to 5MB in size. The platform itself takes no part in artistic selection and has no say in jury decisions. It acts purely as a technical intermediary.

Focused on the US — and that’s a plus too
Most listings are aimed at the United States: museums, municipalities, universities and arts centres. There are fewer international opportunities, but that doesn’t make the platform closed off. Plenty of competitions also accept online applications and are open to artists from other countries. That means taking part in American projects without relocating or dealing with complicated offline procedures.

Who’s behind it
CaFÉ belongs to Creative West — before its rebrand, it was called WESTAF. It was founded in 1974, and it’s headquartered in Denver, Colorado. A board of 22 arts leaders from the Western US also runs the organisation. Its mission, meanwhile, is making art opportunities accessible to everyone. For organisations, that means an affordable submission system; for artists, an easy way to apply.

Who this suits best
Good fit if: you want access to institutional US competitions — museum, municipal, public art — through one profile instead of a dozen separate forms. It’s especially handy if your portfolio is already ready and you only need to upload it once. Might not fit if: you’re mainly looking for international opportunities outside the US. It also won’t suit an organiser on a tight budget — here you pay both to get set up and for each individual call.