This is a new weekly format I decided to share from my own research for opportunities. Every Tuesday (if there are opps available) I will publish a curated list of open calls, grants, jobs, and exhibitions for artists and builders working in emerging new technological fields touching either crypto, AI, and art.
The goal is simple: put real opportunities in one place so you can act fast. Paid work and soonest deadlines come first. Soft exposure calls sit at the bottom, with the catches said plainly. Take what fits. Skip what does not. Forward the rest to someone who needs it.
1. Gumroad Creators-in-Residence
Gumroad is hiring creators-in-residence so you can make art full time from anywhere. Pay is $60,000 for one year. No application fee. Anyone can apply by emailing a portfolio of recent work to support@gumroad.com. Catch: this was announced on X only so far, so expect a flood of applicants, and the full terms are still TBD.
https://x.com/gumroad/status/2096260263850774537
2. Decentraland Friendzone Mobile Buildathon
Build a mobile-first social hangout or game inside a Decentraland World. Prize pool is $8,000 in MANA ($3,000 / $2,000 / $1,500 / $1,000 / $500). Free to enter. Deadline: 11 September 2026. Builders worldwide. Catch: your World must be public, open source, mobile-tested, and on GitHub.
https://dorahacks.io/hackathon/friendzone
3. Lumara Film Festival (MoonPay and Venice.ai)
AI film festival with nominee screenings planned in New York in October. Grand prize is $32,000 plus 3.2 million Venice credits. The advertised cash pool across categories is $100,000, plus matching credits. Free to enter. Safe deadline: 14 September 2026, 11:59 PM ET on FilmFreeway (the festival site still says 15 September). Filmmakers working with AI can apply worldwide.
https://lumarafilmfestival.com/
4. Art on Tezos and TezTree
Community-voted Tezos support call. Up to 1,000 tez. Free. Deadline: 15 September 2026. Anyone can apply and vote.
https://funding.teztree.com/open-call
5. Innovate Artist Grant
Two cash grants of $1,800 each this cycle: one visual artist, one photographer, plus honorable mentions. Application fee: $35. Deadline: 17 September 2026, 11:59 PM PST. Visual artists and photographers worldwide, 18+. Check the current medium rules before you pay the fee.
https://innovateartistgrants.org/
6. Las Flores Web3
Web3 and AI film festival with 2026 events in Montreal (26–28 October) and Mexico City (10–13 November). Pay is exposure, not cash. Entry fee listed in the $50–$65 range. Deadline listed as 21 September 2026. Confirm the live fee and close on FilmFreeway before you pay.
https://filmfreeway.com/lasfloresweb3
7. Blockreel Film Festival
Web3 film festival. Deadline listed as 28 September 2026. Apply on FilmFreeway. Check that page for the current fee and who qualifies before you pay. Catch: any large USDC prize language is funding-dependent. Do not treat it as locked cash.
https://filmfreeway.com/BlockreelFilmfestival
8. HUG .ART Odyssey “Time”
Open call for a story, images, or a video under three minutes, tied to .ART’s Odyssey magazine / Art Across Years. Five winners listed at $100 each plus publication. Free. Deadline listed as 30 September 2026, 12pm EDT. Apply by emailing avs@nic.art with the subject line Time. Confirm prize, time, and inbox on the live HUG page before you send.
https://hug.art/open-calls/art-across-years
9. NEXT ART AI
AI art award. Total prize pot KRW 21 million; grand prize KRW 5 million. Free. Deadline: 30 September 2026, 23:59 KST. One AI image or video per category. Disclose your tools and prompts. Prize money is paid after tax.
https://next-art-ai.com/en/apply/overview
10. We Are Human films
Hybrid AI film call tied to Article 1 of the UDHR. Prizes: €5,000, €3,000, and €2,000. Free. Deadline: 30 September 2026, 23:59 CEST. You must be 18 or older. Films 1 to 10 minutes. An ethics notebook is required on submit.
https://wearehuman.foundation/en/call-for-films/
11. HAMLET / Waag
Trust me, I’m an AI/rtist: open call for creative interventions. Award: €20,000 excluding VAT. Free to apply. Deadline: 30 September 2026, 23:59 CEST. For artists, designers, and people in theatre, dance, or games. Catch: you need an EU VAT number. Apply via Homerun from the Waag page.
https://waag.org/en/article/open-call-creative-interventions-trust-me-im-airtist/
12. HUG Masks at ICANN
Open call listed at $100 to each of three winners, plus an exhibition. Free. Deadline listed as 1 October 2026. Catch: you need an active .ART domain. Confirm numbers on the live page.
https://hug.art/open-calls/masks-at-icann
13. Beyond the Algorithm (Webbie)
Submit the work that feels most like you, not algorithmic bait. Free. Opened 7 September. Due 4 October 2026, 11:59 PM EST. Pay is exposure plus gallery, magazine, AR, and an invite to mint on Objkt where you set the price. No cash prize. Submit on Webbie after login.
https://webbiesocial.com/insights/coming-soon-beyond-the-algorithm-webbie-socials-first-community-partners-open-call
Apply: https://webbiesocial.com/open-calls
14. HUG Remix a Legend
Digital and AI open call to reinterpret Latif Karimov. Three winners get $100 each plus a Baku LED museum display. Free. Deadline: 22 October 2026. Open globally.
https://hug.art/open-calls/REMIX-A-LEGEND
15. HUG .ART Award
$15,000 cash plus residencies and other awards. Free. Deadline: 1 November 2026. You must be 18 or older. Catch: an active .ART domain is required to apply.
https://www.award.art
16. Decentraland Creator Success
Builder program. You learn AI game-design skills, write a GDD, get funded, then playtest. Pay is $1,000 for V0, then $3,100 for V1, up to $4,100 total. Free to apply. First round closes 30 November 2026. You must be 18 or older. Catch: this is not a visual art grant. You get paid after V0 is finished and playtestable, not when you are accepted.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2xYxbrn75q2SjX-_MGyWmjQaEVOGVDg8-Uj9iXMMYA_zT_A/viewform
17. AI ZONE International
AI film festival. Deadline: 30 November 2026. Grand prize is $500 USD plus laurels, and only if you are officially selected and agree to publish on AI Zone. Filmmakers working with AI can apply on FilmFreeway. Check that page for fees and category rules before you submit.
https://filmfreeway.com/AIZONEInternationalAIFilmFestival2026
18. micro1
micro1 hires people for paid AI contract work. Adults worldwide can apply. Applications are rolling.
Referral Link (apply through my referral and if you are hired I get a bonus!): https://refer.micro1.ai/referral/jobs?referralCode=8d5967ca-36df-4b59-a7c8-6839ea65737f&utm_source=referral&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=job_referral
19. Base Creator Grant
Up to $4,000 for independent creators making content about Base, its ecosystem, and its builders. Free. Catch: Round 1 is paused on the official form. Watch @base for Round 2.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdh54xkxhkHWIPP9N7pRnWWb2HV6qeg7TpDKwpW2qfwb9fY1w/viewform
20. Artcrush Heathrow
Anamorphic art on Heathrow Terminal 5 digital boards. Six winners. Free, and you keep your IP. Deadline: 14 September 2026, 9am PST. Enter by commenting one to three works, retweeting, and tagging two friends on their post. Catch: pay is $0. The reach is real, but entry is an engagement farm.
https://x.com/Artcrush/status/2096321985240330633
21. Tezos for Humanity (First Rain)
Indie charity group mint on Tezos, 1–31 October 2026. Listed here to amplify other artists’ open calls. Catch: the mint URL is still TBA. The tweet is the announce door for now.
https://x.com/FirstRainArt/status/2094535673797579207
22. Render Network — Miami After Dark
Submit a roughly 2-minute looping animation on the theme Miami After Dark. About 10 to 15 artists get selected for a continuous wall projection on a 50-foot screen at the National Hotel Miami Beach on 2 December 2026, during Miami Art Week. Free. Deadline: 15 November 2026. Digital artists worldwide. Catch: pay is prestige and Render Network credits after selection, not a cash check. You must render on Render Network.
https://renderfoundation.typeform.com/to/NGgLRjhY
Until next time!
Empress Trash
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Disclaimer
This list is a curation of public found information, not an offer of employment, funding, or representation. Every opportunity here is run by a third party. I verify what I can against official pages and announcements before publishing, but details change: deadlines move, fees appear, prize pools shrink, and forms close without notice. Always read the live application page, terms, and eligibility rules yourself before you apply, pay a fee, or send work. I am not responsible for third-party decisions, missing payments, changed terms, scams, or any loss that comes from using a link in this edition. Inclusion is not an endorsement.