CALL FOR ENTRIES
The International Image Festival, in its 25th edition, to be held from September 11 to 18, 2026, in the cities of Bogotá and Manizales, invites the academic community of designers, artists, researchers, faculty members, professionals, undergraduate and graduate students to participate in the academic and artistic calls for entries, whose central theme will be SENSO/graphies: a curatorial axis focused on the intersection between image, body, and living archives, inviting submissions of works that explore the body as a territory of knowledge, memory, and transformation in a world mediated by artificial intelligence, digital media, and the new ecologies of the image.
For 28 years, the Festival has been organized by the Department of Visual Design of the University of Caldas in Manizales and, since 2020, has been held in partnership with the University of Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, in Colombia. The following calls for entries are open for participation in the event:
Academic Call
XXII International Academic Forum on Design and Creation VISUALITIES IN RESONANCE International Image Festival 2026
The International Image Festival, in its 25th edition, to be held from September 11 to 18, 2026, in the cities of Bogotá and Manizales, invites the academic community of designers, artists, researchers, faculty members, professionals, undergraduate and graduate students to participate in the academic and artistic calls for entries, whose central theme will be SENSO/graphies: a curatorial axis focused on the intersection between image, body, and living archives, inviting submissions of works that explore the body as a territory of knowledge, memory, and transformation in a world mediated by artificial intelligence, digital media, and the new ecologies of the image.
For 28 years, the Festival has been organized by the Department of Visual Design of the University of Caldas in Manizales and, since 2020, has been held in partnership with the University of Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, in Colombia. The following calls for entries are open for participation in the event:
CATEGORIES TO APPLY TO THE CALL
Research and research-creation projects completed no more than three years ago, or currently in progress, that are unpublished and have not been presented at other academic events.
A preliminary abstract of up to 250 words must be submitted, indicating: title, authors up to three, and the role of each author. Based on the concept SENSO/graphies, the thematic line to which the proposal is linked must be specified.
Thematic lines:
- Biosignals and bodily data poetics
- Living archives: creative preservation
- Haptic/sound interfaces
- Human-machine choreographies
- Ecologies of the image
- Speculative design and habitable futures
- Territory and situated knowledge
Research or research-creation ideas, unpublished, completed or in progress, related to the thematic lines of the SENSO/graphies concept.
The full document, up to 800 words, must be submitted, along with 2 to 4 high-quality images. Up to three authors are allowed, specifying the role of each one.
Conversation groups around the SENSO/graphies theme, responding to questions from the moderator and the audience.
A final-version abstract and presentation of up to 500 words must be submitted. Up to four guests per panel are allowed.
This category receives unpublished academic articles derived from research or research-creation projects that develop conceptual, methodological, or experimental contributions around the Forum’s thematic lines.
Selected articles will undergo peer review by academic reviewers and will be considered for publication in the new editorial line of the International Image Festival, aimed at creating a journal of art, design, science, and technology that seeks to position itself and meet the requirements of indexes and repositories.
Requirements:
- Length between 4,000 and 6,000 words.
- APA 7th edition citation style.
- Include an abstract of 250 words, 5 keywords, and a brief biography of the authors.
- Maximum three authors, specifying roles.
- The text must be unpublished and must not be submitted simultaneously to other publications.
Each author of the selected proposals must individually pay the event registration fee at a special rate, which includes the presentation, publication, and passport to attend all scheduled activities during the 25th International Image Festival.
Terms
- The Festival does not cover travel, accommodation, or meal expenses for speakers in any category.
- Each author receives a certificate for their participation. In the case of multiple authorship, one certificate will be issued for each speaker.
Publication
The digital proceedings have an ISSN code. They will include the presentations, panels, and posters accepted through the call and presented during the event, according to the evaluation and accreditation guidelines. Authors must submit their documents with the corresponding final edits.
In the case of Papers, they will be sent to peer reviewers, after which they will enter the institutional process for academic publications.
The Festival is not responsible for copyediting the submitted documents.
ACCREDITATION FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE EVENT
Artistic Call
The Artistic Call aims to strengthen creative works linked to digital technologies that foster integration between design, art, science, and technology. It also promotes the production and exhibition of collaborative developments through works that include design, sound art, audiovisual creation, exhibitions, concerts, performances, installations, among others.
Subcategories
- Exhibitions: Interactive installations and works to be exhibited in artistic exhibition spaces, using languages that articulate audiovisual, lighting, sound, visual, and tactile dimensions; based on data, machine–human agent collaborations, cinema, sound, among others, under the concept SENSO/graphies.
- Monographic Media Art Showcase: Works in expanded realities (XR), apps, Net Art, among others, based on the concept SENSO/graphies.
- Digital (Y) Cinema: Audiovisual creative works including animation, cinema, video art, or micro-documentary under the concept SENSO/graphies. Scheduled screenings will take place in theaters and alternative spaces.
- Sound Bridges: Sound works up to 10 minutes long, in octophonic format or lower, addressing topics related to the concept SENSO/graphies.
A jury of experts will select the works to be included in the festival program.
The International Image Festival invites artists, designers, researchers, and creators to participate in the “Exhibitions” call, a space dedicated to presenting unpublished and experimental artistic works.
Terms
- The Festival covers some of the installation materials required to ensure the partial or full presentation of the selected proposals. For this reason, authors must submit precise information through technical riders when applying.
- The Festival does not cover travel, accommodation, or meal expenses for artists in any of the subcategories of the Artistic Call.
- Each author will receive a certificate for their participation.
Publication
The works selected through the call will be included in the event catalog, which will be published digitally after the Festival, according to the complexity of the editorial process. Technical information will be included, such as the names of the authors, the title of the work, institutional affiliation, and a summary of the work.
The International Image Festival invites artists, designers, researchers, and creators to participate in the “Monographic Media Art Showcase” call, with works in expanded realities (XR), apps, Net Art, among others, based on the concept SENSO/graphies.
Terms
- The Festival assumes the technical installation process for the selected proposals. However, authors must submit precise information through technical riders when applying.
- The Festival does not cover travel, accommodation, or meal expenses for artists in any of the subcategories of the Artistic Call.
- Each author will receive a certificate for their participation.
Publication
The works selected through the call will be included in the event catalog, which will be published digitally after the Festival, according to the complexity of the editorial process. Technical information will be included, such as the names of the authors, the title of the work, institutional affiliation, and a summary of the work.
Conversation groups around the SENSO/graphies theme, responding to questions from the moderator and the audience.
A final version abstract and presentation of up to 500 words must be submitted. Up to four guests per panel are allowed.
The International Image Festival invites filmmakers, animators, and visual artists to participate in the “Digital (Y) Cinema” call, a space dedicated to exploring the convergence of cinema with the digital era. Animation, cinema, video art, and micro-documentary works may participate, with a minimum duration of 1 minute and a maximum duration of 24 minutes, seeking to explore and redefine audiovisual narratives in the contemporary context.
In an era marked by digitalization and profound changes, the question arises: How is cinema transformed in this hyperconnected context? Under the theme SENSO/graphies, we seek works that not only question their relationship with the digital world, but also explore new aesthetic horizons, innovative production models, and creative forms of exhibition and research. We encourage participants to reflect on how their creations can contribute to this regenerative vision in the audiovisual field.
Parameters to follow for Digital (Y) Cinema
- Are you registered in the Film Information and Registration System, SIREC? This registration is not mandatory for the first stage of the call, but must be completed if the work is selected.
- In which category is your audiovisual work submitted? Animation, cinema, video art, or micro-documentary.
- Link to the work. For this first review stage, the audiovisual material must be hosted on a video service, preferably Vimeo or YouTube, with a private link. If accepted, the work must later be submitted in Full HD or 2K resolution, encoded in Advanced Video Coding / H.264.
- Works must have a minimum duration of 1 minute and a maximum running time of 24 minutes.
Terms
- The Festival covers screening costs in theaters.
- The Festival does not cover travel, accommodation, or meal expenses for authors in any of the subcategories of the Artistic Call.
- Each author will receive a certificate for their participation.
Publication
The works selected through the call will be included in the event catalog, which will be published digitally after the Festival, according to the complexity of the editorial process. Technical information will be included, such as the names of the authors, the title of the work, institutional affiliation, and a summary of the work.
Workshop Call
The International Image Festival invites artists, designers, researchers, faculty members, collectives, and professionals from diverse disciplines to submit workshop proposals for its twenty-fifth edition.
Workshops are conceived as spaces for experimentation, training, and knowledge exchange, in line with the Festival’s approach as an ecosystem of art, design, science, technology, and research-creation. In tune with the curatorial line SENSO/graphies, proposals will be received that explore the active role of the image in the production of knowledge, the construction of meaning, and the projection of possible futures from the fields of design, art, science, and technology.
Priority will be given to proposals that critically address the relationships between image, visuality, technology, body, and territory, understanding the image not only as representation, but as an agent that shapes sensitivities, practices, and ways of inhabiting the present and imagining futures.
Proposals must present active methodologies and participatory processes that foster collaborative learning, critical reflection, and collective creation, aimed at diverse audiences such as students, professionals, researchers, and the general community.
Profile of workshop facilitators
The call is aimed at artists, designers, researchers, faculty members, creators, developers, cultural managers, and related professionals, as well as interdisciplinary collectives with experience in creation, research, or training processes in the fields of art, design, image, science, and technology.
Special consideration will be given to:
- Experience in research-creation projects, artistic practice, or experimental design.
- Experience in pedagogical processes, workshops, or formal or non-conventional training spaces.
- Ability to articulate theory and practice from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective.
- Sensitivity to social, cultural, and territorial contexts, and willingness to engage in collaborative work.
General conditions for workshops
- Each workshop will have a maximum capacity of 30 participants.
- Participation as a workshop facilitator does not include payment of fees.
- The Festival will issue an official certificate to the selected workshop facilitators.
- If the workshop facilitator resides outside Manizales, the Festival may cover accommodation and meals, according to institutional conditions and availability.