NordArt 2027 — an open call for one of Europe’s largest contemporary art exhibitions, with a €10,000 prize
An open call for artists with free entry and a real exhibition payoff — that is what sets NordArt apart among the big contemporary-art surveys. This annual show in Büdelsdorf in northern Germany selects about 200 artists from around the world out of thousands of applications and shows their work for four months across 22,000 m² of industrial halls and an 80,000 m² sculpture park. The top award is the NordArt Prize of €10,000, and applications are open until the end of October.
About the exhibition
NordArt has run since 1999 on the site of the former Carlshütte iron foundry in Rendsburg-Büdelsdorf — its huge industrial halls have become one of Europe’s most recognisable exhibition venues. It is organised by the non-profit cultural initiative Kunstwerk Carlshütte: artist and chief curator Wolfgang Gramm together with the Ahlmann industrialist family (the ACO group). More than a quarter-century of history gives the show weight and stability.
The scale is serious: each year around 3,000 artists from nearly 100 countries apply, and some 200–250 are selected for the final show. Every edition is built around a curatorial theme, there is an annual country pavilion and a marked focus on contemporary Chinese art; art symposia have run since 2000. The show draws more than 100,000 visitors a season.
The 2027 edition runs from 5 June to 3 October. For an artist it is not just four months on show in a world-class space, but also a line in your biography that curators, gallerists and collectors recognise.
Who can take part
Artists from all over the world are invited, with no restriction by nationality — anyone from any country may apply. All media are accepted: painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, as well as large formats for the sculpture park. Selection is made by the curatorial team led by Wolfgang Gramm; the decision will be announced by mid-February 2027.
What participants get
The terms for selected artists are transparent:
— a place in the exhibition and a full page in the printed catalogue;
— a free copy of the catalogue and insurance of the works for the run of the show;
— sales with no commission taken by the organisers;
— a shot at the NordArt Prize of €10,000 and a Public Choice Award (€1,000).
Why it’s worth your attention
Unlike many other open calls, here there is no entry fee and no commission on sales — the organisers do not make money off the artists. That said, competition is stiff (thousands of applications for a couple of hundred places), and participation does not include a stipend: shipping work to Germany and back is usually on the artist, so plan for it in advance.
In return the payoff is rare for a free open call: the work is seen by a hundred-thousand-strong audience over four months, and the NordArt name in a biography builds international reputation. For those working with large formats and sculpture, it is one of the few venues in Europe where big pieces are shown properly — and in an 80,000 m² park at that.
What you need to apply
You apply online through the NordArt site. You submit up to 10 works with images and details for each: title, year, technique, dimensions. No separate motivation letter is required — the work itself decides. Tip: NordArt likes strong, “exhibition-scale” pieces and large formats — show what looks striking in a big industrial hall.
The application deadline is 31 October 2026.
