Open Call
Poster Competition
Join us in envisioning the future of our rivers! Whether you’re an illustrator, graphic designer, painter, photographer, printmaker, landscape architect, or artist working in any other 2D media, we invite you to submit your creative interpretations for a poster representing the Rivers of the City Festival 2050.
We are The Collective Foundation, creators of the Rivers of the City initiative, who work to reconnect neighborhoods with urban rivers through art and architectural installations. We give voice to urban rivers by involving tens of thousands of people in our “Rivers of the City” festival and placemaking initiatives, demonstrating the potential that rivers have for our lives. We reach more than 1 million people annually and this year we are spreading the initiative much further across Europe through the network of EU National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC).
This contest is organized in partnership with Visa, who are generously funding an exhibition of 12 selected works, as well as providing monetary awards for 3 winners who will also win a trip to Sofia, Bulgaria for the Rivers of Sofia Festival on August 30, 2024.
Visa emphasizes the importance of sustainable cities development by partnering with urban transit agencies to implement over 600 projects worldwide, facilitating sustainable mobility through contactless ticketing and fare payment solutions. Additionally, Visa collaborates with various stakeholders to support smart city innovations, fostering the growth of urban environments that are both economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable.
Rivers are more than just bodies of water; they are cradles of civilization and a source of life for both humans and nature. Historically, cities have formed around them as lifelines for communities teeming with biodiversity, natural habitats, and cultural heritage.
However, in the last century, urban rivers worldwide have become massively neglected, polluted by sewage and industrialization, and often directed into concrete beds. Even leading world capitals such as Paris and London struggle with socializing their rivers and cleansing them from poisonous sewage pollution.
With pressing issues like climate change and increasing droughts, water scarcity, and severe floods, rivers are key to the future of our life. Through this contest, we aim to inspire creatives to bravely express the concept of the Rivers of the Future as both a potential and a challenge.
We are excited to see all of your ideas and to imagine the future of urban rivers together!
The poster should be created for the Rivers of the City Festival 2050. The location for the futuristic festival may be an existing river, local to you, distant, or an imaginary one. You can be as abstract or as realistic in your vision as you wish. Use illustration, text, photography, collage, architectural rendering, or mixed media—the blank page is yours to pour your imagination into.
Artists can consider, but are not limited to, these focus areas as inspiration for submissions. Artists may also consider the idea of beauty (or absence of beauty) in and along rivers and their surrounding habitats. Works could highlight aspects of the diverse flora and fauna found along riverbanks and underwater, as well as biodiversity enhancement, public access, flood issues, and cultural preservation in their designs. Works may depict both actual conditions and desired transformations.
Winners of the People’s Choice Award, the Jury’s Award, and the Jury’s Runner-Up award will receive paid airfare and lodging accommodations to visit Sofia during the Rivers of the City – Sofia festival, where they will be awarded publicly at an official ceremony on Saturday afternoon, on August 31. The 12 works selected for the exhibition will be printed and exhibited during the Rivers of Sofia Festival 2024. The 24 works selected for the online international exhibition will be featured throughout an international communication campaign across Europe.
June 14
July 28
July 28 – August 11
August 12
August 12
August 30 – September 1
August 31, 2024, in Sofia, Bulgaria
Open to individuals residing in any country within the EU, Ukraine, Serbia, and North Macedonia.
All 2D media accepted, including illustrations, paintings, photography, printmaking, and mixed media.
Vertical or horizontal images in A1 Size (594 mm x 841 mm), or larger, in similar proportions.
Free of charge.
Upload your work with the following details in the submission page:
Optional:
How well the work reflects the theme of Rivers of the Future.
Originality and artistic expression.
Emotional and intellectual impact on the viewer.
Quality of execution and craftsmanship.
Founder, The Collective Foundation
Founder, Poiema Foundation
Marketing Manager, Visa
Founder and Co-creator, Zavod Iskriva / Amazon of Europe
Public Diplomacy Office of the Embassy of Greece in Bulgaria / on behalf of the EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) Bulgaria
In partnership with Visa, we aim to support environmental sustainability and promote cultural heritage through the Rivers of the City initiative. Join us in envisioning a future where rivers thrive as sources of life and inspiration for generations to come.
We did not limit the number of entries in order to allow you to unleash your imagination.
Yes! We believe that by dreaming together, we can come up with bolder ideas.
It is not mandatory to include text; we chose not to make it a condition and rather to give you the freedom to compose your posters as you see fit. If you believe that your application needs a title, you can add it. However, please note that we reserve the right to add text later if necessary.
Yes; we want to give you the maximum freedom to express your dreams and vision! You decide how to make your work stand out, whether with or without a message.
We did not set a standard orientation because, in collaboration with Visa, an image could be used both vertically and horizontally. Based on the collected images, we will create a consistent vision for the exhibition based on the submitted works. Regarding file sizes, once we select the winning works, we will contact the participants directly to discuss file sizes and print size for the exhibition.
