Tips and opportunities in January 2025

Do you want to become more confident in your accounting and business skills this year? Or sell original works at art salons? During the first quarter of the year, there are many opportunities for courses and open calls.

Open calls

Apply for participation at Southern Sweden Design Days

Southern Sweden Design Days celebrates its fifth anniversary in Malmö on May 22-25. Do you want to participate with an exhibition, presentation or other program item? Applications are open to anyone working in design, architecture and arts and crafts. Participants can participate with exhibitions, workshops, shop windows, performances and more. Apply by January 15 via the SSDD website.

The Hälsingegårdar World Heritage Residency

The scholarship welcomes anyone who is interested in the World Heritage Site Hälsingegårdar in an artistic or research way, and can connect it to other world heritage sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. One month's accommodation at a World Heritage Site, travel, and 50,000 SEK are included. Apply by February 16th. Read more and apply via Region Gävleborg!

The High Coast Residency

Visual artists active in the Nordic countries can apply for the scholarship, which consists of a cash grant of 10,000 SEK and 2 weeks of accommodation in the High Coast. The resident artist has the opportunity to bring their family or a close friend and will therefore be able to have their wishes for accommodation within the municipality's borders. After the residency, the artist is expected to exhibit their work in Kramfors Art Gallery. The last day to ask questions is January 20th at 4:00 PM, apply by January 24th. Read more and apply via Konstpool.

Apply for a grant from the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation

The foundation supports artistic endeavours. You can apply for grants for, study trips, development of your craft and projects. To apply you must be able to show examples of your works. But you do not need to have a specific level of education or have visual and design activities as your main occupation. Deadline February 1. Read more on the foundation's website!

Grant from Längmanska Kulturfonden

Do you have a dream project? Try applying for a grant to get the funds make it come true! Längmanska awards scholarships for projects in the humanities, natural sciences, art and literature as well as public education. Even you who are new to the field can apply for this scholarship. Granted amounts are usually in the order of SEK 10,000 – 50,000. Deadline January 15. Read more here!

Project grant from Stockholm County

Do you want to produce culture that the public can take part in? Or develop new methods, processes and collaborations? Then you can apply for Region Stockholm's project support for culture. Apply by 18 February 2025. You can submit your application here and read more about the grant and what the application must contain.

The Byggnads Culture Grant

Byggnads is the largest Swedish construction trade union. The union annually awards scholarships to professional cultural workers who have established themselves in their field. In other words, this is a scholarship for you those of you who have been active for some years. Apply no later than March 31, 2025. Read more about the grant on Byggnad's website.

Apply for a place at the cultural incubator Katapult - Haninge/Stockholm

Do you want support in starting up or developing your business? Katapult is an incubator with low thresholds that welcomes creative entrepreneurs. Through the incubator, you can get a co-working workplace, coaching, networking meetings, access to courses that strengthen you in grant applications, marketing or entrepreneurship – and more. Everything is free for the members of the incubator. Read more and apply to Katapult here.

Artist Grants

Konstnärsnämnden, The Swedish Arts Grants Committee, currently has open calls.

• International exchange and travel grants aim to support artists in creating, developing, and deepening international contacts. You can apply for funding to travel abroad for work residencies, exhibitions, or seminars. You can also apply to invite foreign artists to Sweden for shared work or exchange. Apply by 13th February at 14:00. Read more here!

• Residency in Berlin, Bethanien Künstlerhaus Bethanien is a studio program and project workshop for international contemporary art. The scholarship is 130,000 SEK and the residency runs from January to June 2026. Apply by 14 February at 2:00 PM. Read more here!

Salons for those who want to exhibit and sell artwork

Art salons are arranged in many places in the country. They are a way for emerging artists to reach new audiences and sell artworks, or to build on their artistic CV. Many salons are have jury who decide which works will be presented at the salon. Those who want to be represented at the salon need to apply with a presentation of one or a few works that they want to exhibit. The salons often aim to promote the local art scene: it is common for the salons to only assess applications from artists with a local base. You may need to be registered in, work in, or have strong personal ties to the region that the salon represents. Feel free to search for salons in your region (län), municipality (kommun) or community to find more opportunities!

• Halland Spring Salon is for visual and design artists active in Halland, or with other clear connections to the county, can apply to participate in Halland Art Association's jury-judged Spring Salon 2025. Apply by January 31st.
• The Spring Salon in Gävle at Gävle Art Center welcomes everyone with a strong connection to Gävleborg to apply. Apply during week 5.
• The Spring Salon in Mora welcomes artwork in all techniques, from those who have a connection to the Siljan region.
• Skärholmen Spring Salon in Stockholm is looking for artists with a connection to the Skärholmen neighborhood (Bredäng, Sätra, Skärholmen, Vårberg). The salon has no size restrictions for works that applicants want to show. Apply by February 9th.
• The Solna Spring Salon in Stockholm does not require applicants to have a local connection, but the application must be made on site. Applications are open March 11-12.

Events and courses

KRO's courses and seminars for professionals - online

The Artists' Association of Sweden (Konstnärernas Riksorganisation, abbreviated KRO) often arranges free online courses/webinars for all visual and design artists. The webinars focus on practical knowledge that will help you develop your business. You do not need to be a KRO member to participate, but you do need to register in advance. If you miss the webinar, you can access the material afterwards for a limited time through your pre-registration. The seminars are in Swedish.

• Start your own business as an artist January 15, 10:00-13:00. Which business form suits you best? What laws do you need to keep track of? The course goes through the start-up budget, business plan and the various practical steps you have to go through to register your company.
• Accounting I: basic accounting in theory February 17, 10:00-12:00. Learn theoretical knowledge in basic accounting. The course covers basic economic concepts and the connection to the company's financial statements and any annual report. You will also get an overview of company forms, which costs are deductible, what VAT is and why you should report it.
• Accounting II: accounting in practice February 19, 10:00-12:00. The course is based on the previous theory course, and shows you how to record events throughout your business year. Learn how to record customer and supplier invoices, record VAT. You will also learn about accounting examples that may be relevant in artistic activities.
• Accounting III: reconciliations, accruals and financial statements, February 21, 10:00-12:00. Learn how to reconcile accounting accounts, accrue various costs, draw up an inventory list, prepare for a tax return and more.
• Selling at a market, fair or in an online store, March 14, 10:00-13:00. Learn sales strategies – from markets and fairs to online shops and partnerships with retailers. Here you will get concrete tips, legal guidance and practical solutions to succeed with your sales.

STPLN’s Free Workshops for Freelancers – Malmö

Join new, short, and free workshops and lectures to improve your cultural entrepreneurship over a coffee. STPLN supports independent cultural and creative freelancers towards sustainable and creative entrepreneurship.

• Starting out with Spreadsheets! 22 January, 10:00 – 11:30. This is an entry level workshop in spreadsheet editing, where you will get acquainted with spreadsheets in order to be able to create and analyse budgets efficiently. This workshop is organised as a preparatory element to budgeting, and the lecture Building Bigger Budgets: Let’s Talk Numbers!
• Applying for Funding & Project Budgets 28 January, 10:00-16:00. Financing a cultural project can turn well-crafted daydreams into tangible reality, but how do you proceed? How much time is it reasonable to spend on your application? Do I need to know what the project will lead to before I know if I will receive funding?
• Building Bigger Budgets: Let’s Talk Numbers! 5 February, 13:00 – 16:00. This workshop will guide you through the art of budgeting for projects involving multiple parties and demanding clear financial reporting. If you're eyeing a grant or funding for your next big thing, this is the workshop for you!
• Bookkeeping Done Easy, 19 February, 13:00 – 16:00 Do you keep your receipts in a shoebox? Do you get anxious just at the thought of sending an invoice? Now you can learn how to do your bookkeeping to your advantage. This lecture will provide you with many tips and tricks on how to handle taxes, VAT, invoices, deductible expenses, and how you can do your bookkeeping online.

Seminar on Visions in the North stage 2: on Sustainable Habitats in Norrbotten and Västerbotten – Stockholm and online

Visioner i Norr stage 2 is initiated by Rådet för hållbara städer (the Council for Sustainable Cities), the government's initiative for sustainable urban development. By inviting cultural and creative industries to work exploratively and innovatively with concrete societal challenges, long-term sustainable living environments can be created. Now the Council for Sustainable Cities invites you to a half-day seminar that takes place at ArkDes in Stockholm and that is broadcast live digitally. Welcome to take part in presentations, conversations and knowledge exchange! Tuesday 21 January 2025 at 12:30–17:00. Advance registration is required for both physical and digital participation. Limited number of seats.

Publicerat 10 January 2025