Art Open Call 2025

When the UK left the EU, we lost valuable opportunities for youth in the UK. We lost Youth Mobility, which allowed young people from the UK to freely live, work and study in Europe. We also lost access to Erasmus+, which provided funding and opportunities for them to access education and training in Europe. The benefits of such schemes are manifold, including;

Education, language and skills acquisition.
Personal and professional development.
Economic growth, revitalising sectors with labour shortages.
Improving international relations and fostering intercultural dialogue.
Tackling inequality by providing opportunities for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Fostering innovation and creativity.

YEM UK are campaigning to ensure we restore the opportunities we once had. That’s why we are launching our Open Doors, Open Futures open call for artists across Europe to submit their vision for a united future of opportunities for European youth. The selected artworks will be featured in an online gallery on our website, promoted across our social media channels and newsletter, and printed and display in a physical exhibition in Manchester (with possible further locations).

Eligibility: You may submit up to 3 artworks under the theme ‘Open Doors, Open Futures’. The call is open to all visual artists working in 2D media (painting, drawing, print, photography, etc.). Digital submissions only.

There is no submission or participation fee.

Deadline to submit: Thursday 30th October 2025

Find out more about our Open Doors, Open Futures campaign here.