Glossary of art opportunity terms

Plain-language definitions of the words you'll meet in a call for artists.

Call for artists (open call): A public invitation for artists to submit work for an exhibition, project, publication, or program. Open calls may be free or charge an entry fee, and may be open to all media or limited to a theme, medium, or region.
Juried show: An exhibition whose entries are selected by one or more jurors from the pool of applicants. Acceptance is competitive; a non-refundable entry fee usually applies whether or not your work is accepted.
Prospectus: The official document for a call that lists the rules: eligibility, entry fee, media and size limits, deadlines, sales commission, and how work is delivered. Read it in full before applying.
Entry fee: The (usually non-refundable) amount charged to submit to a juried call, often $20–$50 and sometimes $0. It covers jurying costs and is separate from any sales commission.
Sales commission: The percentage of a sale the organizer keeps if your work sells during the show, commonly 0–40%. A 0% commission means you keep the full sale price.
Artist residency: A program that gives artists dedicated time, space, and often housing to make work, usually for a set period. Terms vary widely: some charge a fee, others are fully funded with a stipend.
Fully funded residency: A residency that covers costs (typically housing and materials) and provides a stipend or award, so the artist pays little or nothing to attend.
Grant: Money awarded to an artist or project that does not have to be repaid, from an arts council, foundation, nonprofit, or government program. Grants often have annual deadlines and specific eligibility.
Fellowship: A merit-based award, often larger than a typical grant, that supports an artist's practice for a period of time and may include mentorship, exhibition, or residency components.
Stipend: A fixed sum paid to an artist to offset costs during a residency, commission, or fellowship, for example travel, materials, or living expenses.
Exhibition window: The start-to-end dates a show is physically hung. It matters for planning because the same physical artwork cannot be committed to two overlapping exhibition windows at once.
Submission platform: Software organizers use to receive and jury entries, for example CaFÉ, EntryThingy, ShowSubmit, ArtCall, or Zapplication. You apply on the platform the organizer chose; each call lists only its own opportunities.