Project Area 2025 Open Call - Apply by 22nd DecemberEverything you need to know about the Open Call

Want to exhibit your work at Sónar 2025? The Project Area 2025 Open Call is now open, with applications accepted from individual artists, creators and collectives, as well as companies, studios and start-ups

 

At Sónar+D, we’re interested in how the creative industries are interacting with state-of-the-art technology, innovative design, radical thinking, and cutting-edge research.  This all comes together at our interactive exhibition space Project Area. Located at the very heart of the festival in Sónar by Day, it’s where you’ll find projects, prototypes and products from around the world. 

 

If you have an artistic or technological project, prototype or product that you’d like to see as part of Project Area 2025 at Sónar+D on 12th, 13th, and 14th June next year, then this open call is for you. 

 

Please read through the below guidelines very carefully before sending us your submission via the application form

 

 

IMPORTANT

 

  • Do not send us submissions for musical performances or DJ sets. This is not an Open Call to perform at Sónar 2025, and any proposals that include such elements will be deleted on reception.

     

  • Project Area 2025 cannot accommodate exhibits that use amplified sound: we recommend that you adapt the project to use headphones if this is a critical component. 

     

  • We’re not accepting submissions from Universities or Higher Education Institutes for the Project Area 2025 Open Call. If you’re from a University and are interested in exhibiting at Project Area 2025, please get in touch with us via this form

 

 

What kind of applications are we looking for?

 

We’re looking for concrete projects, prototypes, products that fit into the spaces between the arts, (digital) creativity, and tech, under the following categories:

 

  • AI & Music*: We’re looking for examples of innovative and unique research, design and tech that applies AI and machine-learning to music production and performance tools.

     

  • New Perspectives in AI: This category is for innovative, state-of-the-art, and above all, creative projects that use AI in radical ways, going beyond what’s already on the market. So if you’re sending us your AI image or audio generation tool, explain why it’s a leap forward.  

     

  • Music Tech*: From digital gadgets to modular synths, we want the best music tech around at Project Area 2025.  We’re especially interested in innovative technology and inventive designs.

     

  • Nature & Tech: Got a project that lets us listen to plants or explore the fungi underworld? We want you at Project Area 2025. This category is for scientific and technological work with an artistic edge that seeks to deepen our understanding of - and increase our connections with - the natural world.  

     

  • Quantum Computing in the Arts: Quantum computing will be a central theme at Sónar+D 2025, so we’re interested in anything that makes use of this cutting-edge technology for artistic purposes: whether it’s visuals, music, video, or something else entirely.

     

  • Alternative Futures & Radical Research: If you’re working on something that no-one else is looking at, we want to hear from you. Examples: Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI), non-binary futures, terraforming, radical decentralisation, materiality of invisible technology

 

*Please note that we will not be accepting any applications for DJ sets or any kind of performance. Any applications that include such proposals will be immediately deleted on reception. 

 

 

Who are we looking for submissions from?

 

We’re accepting submissions from two categories of individuals and organisations.

 

  1. Artists, creators and collectives*
  2. Companies, studios, and start-ups

 

Please note that we’re not accepting submissions from Universities or Higher Education Institutions for the Project Area 2025 Open Call. If you’re from a University or Higher Education Institution and are interested in exhibiting at Project Area 2025, please get in touch with us via this form

 

*If you fall under category 1) and your project is selected, we’ll provide a fee to help you bring your project to Project Area 2025. Please read below for more details.

 

What do we offer in return?

 

If your project is selected, we’ll help you exhibit your project at Project Area 2025, where it will be on display for over 25,000 attendees as part of Sónar by Day 2025. You’ll be part of a dynamic community of exhibitors from around the world, which offers a unique environment to meet people working in similar and parallel fields. You’ll have the opportunity to develop contacts, exchange ideas, and gather valuable feedback on your work from a range of professionals and artists, as well as from the general public.

 

Additionally, if you’re an individual artist or creator, or part of an artistic collective, we’ll provide a fee of €1000* to help you bring your work to Project Area 2025. To qualify for this grant, your project must be artistic, which means it is not designed for or being developed for commercial purposes. We reserve the right to exclude projects that are falsely submitted under this category from consideration for the grant.

 

*All amounts that Sónar will pay to the artist, creator, or collective will be paid within 30 days following the festival, upon submission of the corresponding invoice by the Participant. These amounts will be subject to the applicable withholdings and taxes according to their tax residence. 

 

For all exhibitors, we offer:
 

  • Physical exhibition space including all electricity costs and cleaning services, plus on-site assistance from the Sónar+D Project Area team.
  • 5 x Exhibitor Passes for Sónar 2025: 
    • access to the exhibition space to assemble and disassemble your exhibit before and after the festival, as well as access before and after Project Area opens each day. 
    • 2 x meal and drink tickets (for lunch on Thursday and Friday).
    • VIP access to the entire Sónar+D, Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night programme.
    • Invitation to the Sónar 2025 Welcome Dinner on Wednesday 11th June.
    • Access to a dedicated Networking App to connect with the entire professional community at Sónar.
    • Artist/Participant-only shuttle bus service from Sónar by Day to Sónar by Night, and from Sónar by Night back to Plaça Espanya.
  • 3 x Additional VIP SonarPass+D tickets:
    • VIP access to the entire Sónar+D, Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night programme.
    • Invitation to the Sónar 2025 Welcome Dinner on Wednesday 11th June.
    • Access to a dedicated Networking App to connect with the entire professional community at Sónar.
    • VIP shuttle bus service from Sónar by Day to Sónar by Night, and from Sónar by Night back to Plaça Espanya.
  • Discount codes for purchasing additional tickets for Sónar 2025

 

 

Please note: 

 

  • Sónar+D will not cover any production or development costs for any project. 
  • At least one exhibitor must be present at all times at the exhibition stand in Project Area during opening hours: 10:30 - 18:00 on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th June; 15:00 - 19:00 on Saturday 14th June 2025.
  • Participants will be responsible for assembling and disassembling their projects during the following times:

Assembly - 10:00 - 20:00 on Wednesday 11th June

Disassembly - 9:00 - 12:00 on Sunday 15th June

Projects may not be assembled or disassembled outside of these times; Sónar+D cannot assist with assembly or disassembly. 

  • We encourage you to assemble your project to present it in the best possible way to the public; we’ll provide you with advice and insights to help you make the most out of the exhibition..
  • Sónar+D will not be responsible for the security of any equipment, materials, or other items brought into Project Area.
  • Safety and respect for labour regulations are non-negotiable, so your participation will be subject to your project complying with all necessary safety measures and risk prevention protocols.
  • Depending on the nature of your project, we may require you to take out insurance that covers potential damages to third parties. This is to ensure peace of mind for everyone during the event. We will discuss this with you individually if necessary. 

 

 

 

How do I apply? 

 

This is the simple part! All you have to do is fill in the application form by Sunday 22nd December 2024.