With Plant! the COAL Prize 2023 invites artists from all over the world to sow the seeds of creation and action, to germinate new research and experimentation, so that an inventive and resilient plant-based way of thinking can flourish in the world to come. This Prize is a call to act, to transform, to heal, to revive, to hybridize. A call to feel the richness of plants, their balances and dynamics, from seed to calyx, from molecule to ecosystem. A call to try and, why not, to fail, because failure is the seed of growth.
Every year, ten projects are shortlisted by a committee of professionals among the projects received through the international open call. The COAL Prize and its special mentions are awarded from among these ten projects by a jury composed of representatives of the partner organisations and personalities from the fields of art and ecology. In addition, all applications considered by COAL and the selection committee will become part of a network of artists and projects may be solicited or promoted for opportunities and actions carried out by COAL and its partners.
COAL is an association created in 2008 by professionals of contemporary art, ecology and research that mobilizes artists and cultural actors on societal and environmental issues and promotes the essential role of creation and culture in raising awareness, transforming territories, and implementing concrete solutions. COAL is at the origin of about fifty exhibitions for important cultural structures all over France. COAL also promotes the emergence of a culture of ecology and the transformation of territories through art by developing artistic programs specifically designed for the territories in which they are located, such as the programs Appel d’Air and Sols fiction for the Grand Paris, Nature in Solidum for the Parc Régional du Haut-Jura or Stuwa for the Syndicat d’initiative du Sundgau.
COAL has been awarding the COAL Prize Art and Environment every year since 2010 and the COAL Student Prize – Culture & Diversity since 2020. The COAL Prize is supported by the European Union through the European cooperation programme ACT – Art Climate Transition, the French Office for Biodiversity, the Museum of Hunting and Nature, the Fondation François Sommer and the Fondation LAccolade, as well as by a partnership with the Centre Wallonie Bruxelles/Paris and the Ateliers Médicis.
Location:
FranceBenefits
- The winner of the COAL Prize will be awarded 12,000 euros and benefits from a residence in the heart of the Domaine de Belval, property of the François Sommer Foundation, run by the scientific and educational teams of the Museum of Hunting and Nature and those of the Domaine de Belval. Located in the commune of Belval-Bois-des-Dames, in the French Ardennes, the Domaine de Belval is a veritable observatory of rural life and wildlife, which welcomes artists selected each year for their contribution to the renewal of the vision of the relationship between human and his natural environment. > See the residence charter
- The winner of the Jury’s Special Prize will be awarded 3,000 euros.
- The winner of the NOVA_XX mention is invited by the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles/Paris to exhibit at the NOVA_XX 2023 international biennial, which will be held from December 2023 to February 2024 at the Centre Wallonie Bruxelles in Paris and outdoor. Founded in 2017 in Brussels by Stéphanie Pécourt, director of the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles/Paris, NOVA_XX is an international biennial dedicated to artistic, scientific and technological entanglement in a feminine and non-binary mode and in the 4.0 era.
- – The winner of the Ateliers Médicis mention receives a residency in Clichy-sous-Bois/Montfermeil, in connection with the regional forest of Bondy, near Paris. The Ateliers Médicis welcome artists of all disciplines to residencies and support the creation of works that are thought out in relation to the territories. They encourage or organise encounters between artists and local residents.
Eligibilities
Applicants must meet the following requirements, and the selection committee will assess them:
- Artistic value;Relevance to the Prize (understanding of the theme – PLANT);
- The originality of the project, which includes the ability to introduce new approaches, themes, and points of view;
- Pedagogy which means the ability to get a message across and raise awareness;
- Social and participative approaches, including engagement, efficiency, testimony, and societal dynamics;
- Eco-design and feasibility.
Eligible Regions: Open for All
Application Process
- The application should include the following documents
in a single PDF saved as SURNAME_Name_2023_Projecttitle, and not exceeding 30 Mb: - The completed application form, download it
- A detailed description of the proposed project, describing its artistic dimension, its relevance to the theme PLANT!,
including a note on the technical feasibility of the project and a budget estimation - At least two visuals illustrating the project
- A CV and a portfolio
Application Deadline: March 19, 2023
Application ClosedOfficial link
