This Open Call Checklist was developed following the roundtable discussion Open Calls and Contemporary Jewellery, held at the DIVA museum, in Antwerp, Belgium, on November 22, 2025, during the Obsessed! Jewellery Festival.
The discussion highlighted the important role that open calls play within the contemporary jewelry field, while also revealing recurring concerns about transparency, accessibility, and responsibility. Organizers and applicants often approach open calls with different expectations, and the criteria, procedures, and financial conditions are not always communicated clearly.
This checklist is not intended as a rigid set of rules, but as a practical tool for both organizers and applicants. Its aim is simple: to encourage open calls that are not only open in name, but also transparent, fair, and accountable in practice. It brings together a series of recommendations that can help make the entire open call process more transparent.
Illustration: Into Niilo, “What If I Fuck Up,” 2026, courtesy of the artist