The open calls, foreseen in the Évora_27 Bid Book, are opportunities for artists, associations, institutions and communities, from Alentejo and from abroad, to be part of the artistic program of Évora 2027 – European Capital of Culture. They aim to encourage dialogue, collaboration and inclusion, with a view to the cultural and social coevolution of the Alentejo region. In this sense, four open calls are launched during the preparation of the European Capital of Culture.

Projects are expected that establish dialogues with the concept of Vagar, that deepen relationships between tradition and experimentation, that promote diversity and inclusion, that stimulate citizen participation and that contribute to a fairer and more prosperous future for all people.

We will give stage to new ideas, narratives and approaches that value cultural diversity, promote sustainability, cooperation, interdisciplinarity and intersectorality.

The open call “Vagar Line”, open until March 22, 2026, is funded by the Ministério da Cultura, Juventude e Desporto, through the Fundo de Fomento Cultural. It is aimed at cultural agents, artists, creators, and collectives active in Portugal, with the goal of strengthening the artistic programme of Évora_27 through collaborative creation and mediation proposals across all artistic fields. These projects will be presented throughout 2027 in various venues and locations across the Alentejo region, contributing to a diverse, participatory, and territorially inclusive programme.

See the results, announced on May 22, 2026: CLICK HERE

Year of implementation: 2027
Target audience: Cultural agents, artists, creators and collectives who are nationals of, residents in, or professionally active in Portugal.
Budget: €1,000,000
Applications: 22.01.2026 to 22.03.2026
Regulations: (PDF attached here)
Application form:Évora_27 VAGAR LINE 
FAQ: (PDF attached here)
Jury: John Romão, Jury President (Artistic Director of Évora_27); Delfim Sardo (Curator, university professor, writer, art and architecture critic); Filipa Oliveira (Director of MNAC – National Museum of Contemporary Art); Magda Bizarro (Co-director of the Artistic Programme of the Festival d’Avignon); Mário Carneiro (General Director of the GDA Foundation). Alternate members: Luís Fernandes (Musician, programmer, artistic director of Theatro Circo and Gnration); Sara Franqueira (Set designer, university professor, co-curator of the 16th edition of the Prague Quadrennial).

Information sessions: Closed.

More info: linhadovagar@evora2027.com

Our Lab is an open call open to artists, whether individually or collectively, and to collective entities of a private or public nature, residing or headquartered in Europe (excluding Portugal) or in non-European countries, with proven experience in the fields for which they are applying.

The open call Our Lab invites international artists and cultural organizations to explore the concept of Vagar, the central theme of Évora_27. The proposed projects should offer creations that strengthen human essence and imagine alternative futures, in harmony with European values.

The call covers the following artistic areas: Theatre, Dance, Music, Circus, Street Arts, Opera, Architecture, Design, New Media, and Cross-disciplinary Artistic Projects. Selected projects will be presented in Évora and across the Alentejo region in 2027, in four different types of spaces: cultural (such as theatres and museums); heritage (such as convents and churches); public and urban (such as streets, squares, and avenues); and natural (such as gardens or the Montado, Alentejo’s unique agroforestry ecosystem). The selected projects will form part of the official artistic programme of Évora 2027 – European Capital of Culture, during the year 2027.

See the results, announced on 17 April, 2026: CLICK HERE

Explanatory note: CLICK HERE

Year of implementation: 2027
Target audience: Artists, whether individually or collectively, as well as legal entities of a private or public nature, residing or headquartered in Europe (except Portugal) or outside Europe, with proven experience in the fields for which they are applying.
Budget: 2.000.000€
Applications: 13.11.2025 a 13.01.2026 - deadline extended until 31.01.2026
Regulation: (PDF attached here)
Application form:Évora_27 OUR LAB
FAQ: (PDF attached here)
Júri: John Romão, President of the Jury (Artistic Director of Évora_27); Chloé Siganos (Director of Performing Arts at the Centre Pompidou); Javier Peña Ibáñez (Curator, cultural programmer, director of the Concêntrico Festival); Joana Henriques (Director of Public Programs at MAAT - Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology / EDP Foundation); Rui Horta (Choreographer, dancer and cultural programmer, founder and former director of O Espaço do Tempo). Substitute members: Lorenzo Pappagallo (Curator, cultural manager and artistic director of the Escena Patrimonio Dance Festival, UNESCO Spain); Lucía García (Director of IMAL - Interactive Media Art Laboratory, Brussels).

A Nossa Vez is an open call aimed at artists, associations, and cultural agents from Alentejo, covering all artistic fields and traditional arts & crafts of the region.

The general requirements for access to the open call require that projects have a European dimension and involve collaboration and co-production between cultural associations and/or national and international artists.

The selected projects are intended to be integrated into the official artistic programme of Évora_27 – European Capital of Culture.

See the results, announced on April 15, 2026: CLICK HERE

Explanatory note: CLICK HERE

Year of implementation: 2027
Target audience: Artists and cultural associations based in Central Alentejo and other subregions of Alentejo; artists from Alentejo who are not currently residing in the region
Budget: € 1.300.000
Applications: November 10, 2025 to January 10, 2026 - deadline extended until 17 February 2026
Regulation: (PDF attached here) 
Application form:Évora_27 OUR TURN
FAQ: (PDF attached here)
Júri: John Romão, President of the Jury (Artistic Director of Évora_27); Celina da Piedade (Accordionist, singer, composer and researcher); Jesse James (Curator, cultural programmer and artistic director of the Walk&Talk Biennial); Rita Fabiana (Curator and coordinator of Live Arts at the Modern Art Centre of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation); Tiago Navarro (Director of the School of Arts of the University of Évora). Substitute members: Ana Borralho (Artist and cultural programmer); Luís Sousa Ferreira (Designer, cultural programmer, and assistant to the Artistic Director of Teatro Nacional D. Maria II).

Information sessions: Closed.

More info: anossavez@evora2027.com

Are you between 18 and 25 years old and interested in joining a European cultural cooperation project? Do you want to contribute to the future of culture in the city of Évora? Would you like to travel to the European Capitals of Culture, Liepāja (Latvia) and České Budějovice (Czech Republic)?

We are offering 7 spots for young people to participate in workshops, study visits, and the creation of a cultural event in Évora and in Liepāja (Latvia).

This is more than just an international experience — it’s a space to learn leadership, event organization, and cultural cooperation in practice.

Participation is free of charge.

Apply to the ECoC Youth Clubs, an Erasmus+ program, by 3 May.

Target audience: Young people aged 18–25

Application deadline: 3 May, 2026.

Application form: CLOSED

The definition of happiness varies from person to person. It can even be considered a state — a state of well-being and satisfaction. How can we be happy? And above all, how can we be happy in an unhappy society?

Ana Borralho and João Galante, at the invitation of Évora_27, are looking for 12 young people, aged between 18 and 23, for the performance "Gatilho da Felicidade". An intense, honest, and necessary conversation. We fire towards love, fear, family, and the future, in a kind of Russian roulette, seeking to reach the core of today’s youth. In a game of questions and answers, we get closer to happiness.

Target audience: People aged 18–23

Rehearsals and performances after working hours: 8 to 16 May

Application deadline: 21 April, 2026.

Application form: CLOSED

Designed by the Artistic Direction of Évora_27 and coordinated by choreographer and programmer Madalena Victorino, the open call “Our Voice” is aimed at the eighteen school clusters of Central Alentejo and the two private educational institutions in Évora.

Including mapping periods, creation, artistic experimentation and curatorial work, “Our Voice” involves school communities in an active participation process, both inside and outside schools, fully discussed, reflected upon and defined by students across all levels of education. The results of the developed projects will be integrated into the official artistic programme of Évora 2027 – European Capital of Culture.

Évora_27 is looking for 18 artist-mediators to, over two academic years (Sept. 2026 – June 2027 and Sept. 2027 – June 2028), develop cultural inquiries, collective creations between classes and schools, experimentation labs, and curatorial workshops with students, who will also act as programmers of Évora_27.

Full information for the artist-mediators application: CLICK HERE (attached PDF)

Target audience: Artist-mediators with artistic experience in school contexts

Application deadline: April 8, 2026, at 11:59 PM

Applications for artist-mediators: CLOSED

Concept, funding and coordination: Évora 2027 Association

Institutional partnership: National Arts Plan

Institutional support: Alentejo Regional Services Directorate

Open call regulations

Open call form: Évora_27 OUR VOICE