Getting Your Work into Light Festivals — Open Calls and Careers

Many of the works listed in this atlas started as an answer to an open call. Light festivals constantly look for new artists — and video-mapping competitions such as Genius Loci Weimar, the mapping award of the Festival of Lights Berlin and iMapp Bucharest are built around them.

How festivals select work

Selection usually combines:

• Open calls — published months in advance, often with a theme. Amsterdam Light Festival, GLOW, Signal and many others run them every year.
• Curated invitations — artists approached by the curatorial team, often after seeing work at another festival.
• Competitions — teams receive a building template and produce a show judged by a jury and sometimes the public.
• Touring works — existing installations that travel between festivals, a big part of the circuit.

What a strong proposal includes

1. A clear concept in a few sentences — how the work responds to the theme and the site.
2. Visuals: sketches, renders, a short animatic or a video of previous work.
3. Technical rider: dimensions, weight, power, projectors or fixtures needed, sound, set-up time, weather resistance.
4. Budget: production, fees, travel, transport, crew, insurance.
5. Team and track record: short bios and links to documented past works.
6. Visitor experience: how many people can enjoy it at once, accessibility, safety.

Fees and budgets

Budgets range widely — from a few thousand euros for a small student work to six-figure commissions for landmark mapping shows. Clarify what the festival covers: artist fee, production budget, equipment rental, travel and accommodation. Competitions may offer prize money instead of fees.

Skills that studios look for

• Motion design and 3D (After Effects, Cinema 4D, Blender, Houdini).
• Real-time development (TouchDesigner, Notch, Unreal Engine).
• Projection and AV engineering: projectors, lenses, signal, networks.
• Lighting design, DMX and LED systems.
• Sound design and composition.
• Production management, permits and safety.

Most studios are small multidisciplinary teams, like the collective that once ran this domain — graphic designers, 3D animators, light engineers, developers and sound designers working together.

Building a portfolio

Document every project well: a stable video from the main viewpoint, a few photos with people for scale, and a technical breakdown. Short behind-the-scenes clips perform well on social media and help curators understand your process.

FAQ

Do I need a degree to work in projection mapping?

No. Many artists come from graphic design, film, architecture, theatre or engineering. A strong portfolio matters more than a specific degree.

Where are open calls published?

On festival websites and newsletters, and on artist-opportunity platforms. Follow the festivals in our directory and sign up to their mailing lists.

Can students participate?

Yes — many festivals, including GLOW and Llum BCN, have strong student and design-school programmes.