A. Participants
The Artistic Director will select up to 16 proposals presented by emerging practitioners under the age of 30, from all over the world.
B. Eligibility
We invite applicants from a wide range of professions dealing with the built environment, following the overall ambition of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition. Preference will be given to applicants pursuing transdisciplinary approaches to address architecture’s most pressing challenges.
Eligible applicants must belong to the following categories:
· Undergraduate students or graduate students under the age of 30 as of December 31, 2024
· Young professionals who have graduated with an undergraduate or graduate degree, who will be under the age of 30 as of December 31, 2024
The application must be submitted online exclusively by one participant. However, a list of additional team members from different disciplines is encouraged.
There is no participation or registration fee.
Proposals will be chosen by the Artistic Director according to their merit and relevance to the overall theme of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition.
C. Applications
Applicants should apply via the dedicated application form by June 21st 2024, 11:59 pm CEST.
The following documents, to be submitted in English, are required and should strictly follow the format and limits specified to be deemed eligible for selection.
Scan of national ID/Passport showing that the applicant will be under the age of 30 on 31st December 2024 (JPEG or PDF format, MAX 300 KB).
Education documents:
Certificate of enrollment in an undergraduate or graduate degree in architecture, urban design, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, and adjacent professions dealing with the built environment, (JPEG or PDF format, MAX 300 KB) or alternatively
Certificate of graduation from an undergraduate or graduate degree in architecture, urban design, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, and adjacent professions dealing with the built environment (JPEG or PDF format, MAX 300 KB)
Written statement describing the proposed work and its inspiration and context (1 page, maximum 350 words or 1,800 characters).
Drawings, photographs, sketches, videos, renderings of the proposed work (no more than 5 items).
Projected budget up to a maximum of € 20,000 for fabrication and any extraordinary maintenance or staffing costs (for example, if the project has a performance element, the fees for performers should be included).
Curriculum Vitae (2 pages, maximum 700 words or 3,600 characters).
Short video presentation by the participant (maximum 3 minutes).
Contact information including email address, phone number, and physical mailing address.
Rights disclosure with regards to full ownership of rights to the submitted project.
In case of a team of participants, a signed agreement between the participants confirming their willingness to complete the project jointly.
Confirmation that the project has not been supported already with other financing for development or production.
List of grants for which the project has been submitted, if any.
Application form
D. Selection and announcement
The selection will be made by the Artistic Director of the Architecture Department of La Biennale di Venezia, whose decision will be final.
On July 31st, La Biennale di Venezia will announce the projects of the selected participants for the first phase and invite them to a ten-day workshop in September (subject to change) in Venice.
E. Rules of participation
Following the announcement, the selected participants will sign an agreement with La Biennale di Venezia, which will detail the conditions of their participation. All the activities will be held in English.
F. Conditions of hospitality
Participants selected for the workshop and subsequently those accessing the second phase for the production grant will be hosted (lodging and meals) for the duration of their stay in Venice during the month of September 2024 (subject to change) in selected locations provided by La Biennale di Venezia. La Biennale di Venezia will also cover the participants' travel expenses in economy class for the workshop in Venice.
G. Venice Workshop Activities
Development Workshop and presentation of the projects
The selected participants will attend an intensive workshop, in English, to develop and define their project; it will last 10 days during the month of September 2024 (subject to change).
The workshop will be run by the Artistic Director of the Architecture Department of La Biennale di Venezia and/or a group of curators and architects who will act as tutors and mentors for the group. The workshop will alternate between group and individual sessions and dedicated meetings with visiting instructors and cultural producers.
At the conclusion of the workshop, each participant will present their project.
Final selection
Each participant will be required to deliver, within three weeks of the end of the workshop, a final project draft with an updated budget and production schedule. After listening to the presentation of the projects in September and assessing the final project mentioned above, the Artistic Director will select up to 8 projects from the selected participants. These participants will move on to the production workshop, presented below.
Production Workshop
In January 2025 (subject to change), the participants will attend a set of online meetings during which they will define all aspects of their project and the production process. The goal of this workshop is to prepare the participants of the up to 8 selected projects to proceed with the production of the works once the workshop is concluded.
H. Allocation of the funds for the production and signature of the agreement
At the end of the online meetings, a grant of € 20,000 for the production will be allocated to each selected project.
The Artistic Director of the Architecture Department of La Biennale di Venezia , assisted by La Biennale staff, will approve each project for funding. After that, the financial controller of the Biennale College will approve the budgets and production schedules.
The selected applicants will sign an agreement with La Biennale di Venezia, which defines the obligations of the participants and the terms of their access to the € 20,000 grant.
I. Supervision of the participants
Between the meetings in January 2025 and the end of March 2025, the project development will be monitored and assisted online by the Biennale College team.
J. Presentation at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition
In May 2025, the works will be presented at the Biennale Architettura, out of competition.
A copy of preparatory sketches or videos must be donated to the ASAC (La Biennale di Venezia Historical Archive).
K. Conditions of hospitality – 8 selected projects
La Biennale di Venezia will provide travel expenses in economy class for the selected participants for the pre-opening of 19th International Architecture Exhibition and lodging.
L. Activities to support the non-selected projects
The participants attending the September 2025 workshop who are not selected to access the production grant will receive feedback from the Artistic Director of the Architecture Department.
La Biennale di Venezia may further support these projects by facilitating their participation in national and international grant selection.
La Biennale di Venezia reserves the right, in any case, to modify, cancel or interrupt the initiative described above, in that the announcement or the selection do not constitute a binding contract for the same, nor do they entail the right to the reimbursement of any expense other than those specified above.
The full acceptance of the Biennale College Architettura Call conditions makes the application eligible.
For further information:
college-architettura@labiennale.org
