Most open calls lose their best candidates in the first 90 seconds. Here is how to write one that keeps strong applicants reading — and applying.
Every year, hundreds of residencies, grants, and exhibition programs publish open calls that attract far fewer strong applicants than they deserve. The problem is rarely the opportunity itself. It is almost always the writing. Vague eligibility criteria, buried deadlines, institutional language that reads like a legal disclaimer — these are not minor stylistic issues. They are structural barriers that push away exactly the kind of artist you are hoping to reach.
Arts administrators frequently ask some version of the same question: why does our applicant pool feel thin? The answer, more often than not, is in the call itself. This guide walks through what artists actually need to know before they apply, how to write brief and eligibility language that works, and the most common mistakes that quietly deter your strongest candidates. 
Understand What Artists Are Actually Deciding
When an artist reads an open call, they are not passively absorbing information. They are making a rapid series of decisions: Is this for me? Is this worth my time? Do I have a real chance? Each of these questions needs a clear answer within the first two paragraphs. If it does not, most artists — especially mid-career and established practitioners who receive multiple opportunities — will move on.
Applying for a residency, grant, or open call carries genuine costs: time to prepare a proposal, curate a portfolio, write a statement, gather references. Before an artist invests that effort, they need enough information to judge whether the investment is reasonable. An open call that withholds this information is not being mysterious — it is being inconsiderate of the applicant’s time, and it shows.
The best open calls read like an invitation written by someone who genuinely wants you there — specific enough to feel real, open enough to feel possible.
Writing the Brief: What Goes First and Why
The brief — the top section of your open call — carries the heaviest lifting. It needs to answer five questions in as few words as possible:
The Five Questions Every Brief Must Answer
- Who are you, and what is the mission of your organization or program?
- What exactly are you offering? (Duration, location, stipend, materials, accommodation — be specific.)
- What kind of work or practice are you looking for?
- Who is eligible?
- When is the deadline, and what does the application require?
Write the brief in plain language. Avoid the instinct to open with a paragraph about your organization’s founding year and philosophical heritage — save that for a secondary section. Start with what you are offering and who it is for. This is not the place for institutional voice; it is the place for clarity.
On length: a brief should be brief. Three to five paragraphs covering the five questions above is almost always enough. If you find yourself writing more, you are likely including information that belongs elsewhere — or information that does not need to be there at all.
On Tone
Your brief sets the relational tone of the entire opportunity. An overly formal, legalistic brief signals a bureaucratic experience ahead. An enthusiastic but vague brief signals disorganization. The right tone is direct, warm, and specific — as if you are writing to one artist you genuinely hope will apply, not broadcasting to an anonymous crowd.
Writing Eligibility Language That Works
Eligibility criteria are where most open calls go wrong. There are two failure modes: criteria that are so narrow they exclude artists who would genuinely thrive in your program, and criteria that are so vague they leave artists unable to self-assess whether they qualify.
Be concrete about what you require, and be honest about what you prefer but do not require. If you strongly prefer early-career artists but will consider mid-career applicants, say so. If your residency is technically open to all disciplines but has historically focused on visual art, that context helps artists make an honest decision about fit.
Eligibility Language: A Practical Checklist
- State geographic eligibility plainly — citizenship, residency, or nationality requirements if applicable.
- Define career stage if it matters — and avoid vague terms like “emerging” without explanation. (Emerging by what measure? Years out of school? First solo exhibition?)
- Specify any disciplinary or medium restrictions, and distinguish between requirements and preferences.
- Include language access considerations: is the application available in languages other than English?
- State any physical requirements or accessibility features of the program clearly and without euphemism.
- Note whether application fees apply, and whether fee waivers are available.
One commonly overlooked element: nationality and visa status. International artists in particular need to know whether your program can support a visa before they invest significant time in an application. If your program cannot host international participants, say so directly rather than leaving it implicit.
The Information Artists Need to Decide Whether to Apply
Beyond the brief and eligibility criteria, there is a category of information that artists specifically need — and that organizations often withhold, usually out of habit rather than intention. Here is what belongs in every open call, stated clearly:
Compensation and Support
State the stipend, honorarium, or award amount explicitly. If housing is provided, describe it. If a materials budget is available, name the figure. If travel support is available, say how much and under what conditions. Vague language like “support provided” or “competitive compensation” signals either that the numbers are unflattering, or that the organization has not thought this through — neither impression serves you.
Selection Criteria
Tell applicants how they will be evaluated. What does the jury or selection committee look for? Is this primarily about artistic merit? Community engagement potential? A specific thematic fit? Applicants who understand your selection criteria can present their work more effectively — which raises the quality of your applicant pool.
Timeline and Process
The application deadline is obvious, but include the full timeline: when will applicants be notified? Is there an interview stage? If so, when? Artists managing multiple applications need this information to plan. The absence of a decision timeline is one of the most common frustrations artists report about open calls.
What the Application Requires
List every required document, its format, and its length limit. If you ask for a project proposal, tell applicants how long it should be. If you require references, tell applicants how many and whether they must be submitted in advance or only upon request. Unexpected requirements discovered late in the process cause high application abandonment rates.
Every sentence an artist spends decoding your open call is a sentence spent not applying. Clarity is not a courtesy — it is a competitive advantage.
The Most Common Mistakes That Deter Strong Applicants
The following patterns appear repeatedly across open calls from institutions of every size. Most are easy to fix once you know to look for them.
- Burying the deadline The deadline should appear in the first screen of text — ideally in the brief itself, and again at the top of the application requirements section. Deadlines that appear only at the bottom of a long document get missed.
- Vague eligibility that requires a follow-up email to decode If applicants are emailing you to ask whether they qualify, your eligibility language needs revision. Every question you receive is a signal that something is unclear. Keep a log of eligibility questions and use them to update your language for the next cycle.
- Using institutional language instead of plain language Phrases like “applicants must demonstrate an exemplary commitment to cross-disciplinary praxis” tell an artist very little and signal that the organization is writing for itself, not for the people it wants to attract. Write the way you would speak to a compelling artist in a studio visit.
- Omitting the selection timeline Not knowing when a decision will come creates anxiety and erodes trust in a program over time. If you do not know yet, give a rough window. If the timeline changes, communicate it. Artists talk to each other.
- An application portal that contradicts the open call The information in your open call and the information in your application platform must match. Word limits, required documents, and file format requirements should be identical in both places. Inconsistencies signal poor organization and make artists doubt whether the information they are reading is current.
- Not stating what happens to unsuccessful applications Will applicants receive feedback? Are applications held for future consideration? Are application materials deleted after a certain date? These are reasonable questions that artists deserve an answer to — particularly if you are asking them to share unpublished work.
- Hiding the fee — or not acknowledging it Application fees are a known deterrent for early-career and under-resourced artists. If you charge a fee, state it clearly and early, include information about fee waivers, and — if you can — consider whether the fee is necessary. A fee mentioned late in the process, or buried in the application portal, breeds resentment even in applicants who can afford it.
A Note on Reaching the Right Artists
Even a perfectly written open call does not work if it does not reach the people it is meant for. Distribution is often treated as an afterthought — a post sent to an existing mailing list, a few shares on social media — but the quality of your applicant pool is directly shaped by where your call appears and who sees it.
The most effective distribution strategy combines your own channels with platforms that artists actively use to search for opportunities. That means being present on the platforms where artists are looking — not just the platforms where your organization already has an audience. Geographic reach matters too: if your program is genuinely open to international applicants, your distribution should reach beyond your home country.
Think also about timing. Calls that appear on aggregator platforms tend to receive a significant portion of applications in the final two weeks before the deadline. Publishing early — and refreshing your listing partway through the open period — helps maintain visibility across that full window.
List on ArtInfoLand
Reach Artists Where They Are Already Looking
ArtInfoLand connects residencies, grants, and open calls with a global community of artists across 85+ countries. Your listing reaches practitioners actively searching for opportunities — with filtering by discipline, location, and career stage so the right artists find you.
