Annual open calls reaffirm the Foundation’s support for creative practitioners across disciplines and geographies
Courtesy of the Sharjah Art Foundation.
Sharjah Art Foundation has announced the launch of its 2025 open call opportunities across three of its key programmes: the Sharjah Film Platform Short Film Production Grant, the Publishing Grant, and Corniche, its annual comics anthology. These initiatives reflect the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to supporting emerging and established creative practitioners in the UAE, the region and internationally.
Sharjah Film Platform 8: Short Film Production Grant
Applications are now open for the eighth edition of the Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) Short Film Production Grant. Offered in conjunction with the Foundation’s annual festival celebrating independent cinema and moving image, the grant supports the completion of short films that explore new approaches to contemporary filmmaking. Selected films will be premiered at a future edition of the Sharjah Film Platform.
The grant is open to independent filmmakers globally, with no restrictions on age, genre or geographic origin. Short films are defined as works with a runtime of 50 minutes or less, including credits. A total of 120,000 AED (approximately 30,000 USD) is available. The number of grantees and the amount awarded to each project will be determined according to individual project needs.
Applicants must submit a recorded three-minute pitch. Proposals will be evaluated based on the film’s concept, structure, originality, and the applicant’s creative and technical skills.
Deadline: 11:59 pm UAE time (GMT +4), 19 June 2025
Publishing Grant 2025–2026
Writers, editors, translators, scholars, collectives, independent publishers and cultural producers are invited to apply for the 2025–2026 Publishing Grant. The programme supports projects that embrace experimental publishing models and contribute original ideas to contemporary artistic and critical discourse.
A total of 30,000 USD will be awarded to multiple recipients. Individual requests may not exceed 15,000 USD. The grant is particularly intended for underrepresented voices working in or on the Global South, Indigenous and diasporic communities, or other structurally marginalised contexts.
Proposals should demonstrate clear thematic focus, conceptual development and strong graphic or editorial design. Projects may be individual or collaborative; previous awardees have included independent editorial collectives and non-commercial initiatives based in Palestine, India, Ghana and Kuwait.
Deadline: 11:59 pm UAE time (GMT +4), 17 August 2025
Corniche 7: Comic Anthology
Illustrators and comic artists are invited to submit pitches for six-page comics to be featured in the seventh edition of Corniche, the Foundation’s annual comics anthology. Embracing a wide range of genres—including biography, science fiction, fantasy, mythology and art history—Corniche offers a free-form platform for graphic storytelling.
Selected artists will be invited to Sharjah for a three-day creative exchange, after which the final comics will be compiled and published in an anthology to be launched at Focal Point 2025, Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual art book fair (12–14 December 2025).
Initiated in 2019, Corniche began as a comic-making workshop overlooking Sharjah’s coastline. Since then, it has grown into a key platform for local and regional illustrators to meet, experiment and publish their work.
Deadline: 11:59 pm UAE time (GMT +4), 30 June 2025
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art in the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, engaging in dialogue with the international arts community. Through a wide-ranging programme of exhibitions, performances, publications, grants, and residencies, the Foundation supports the production and presentation of contemporary art while preserving and celebrating the region’s cultural heritage.
The Foundation’s core initiatives include the Sharjah Biennial, the annual March Meeting, a robust publishing platform, and year-round educational and community programming.
For more information, please visit sharjahart.org
