Die Blaue Nacht Art Competition 2025 Call for entries

Die Blaue Nacht 2025, Nuremberg city centre

Preview art projects: Friday, 16 May 2025, 8 pm to midnight

Die Blaue Nacht Saturday, 17 May 2025, 7 pm to midnight

1. Topic of the invitation

In 2000, the year after Nuremberg’s 950th anniversary, the first Blaue Nacht invited Nuremberg citizens to see and experience art and culture in an unusual setting and at an unusual time of day. Since then, Die Blaue Nacht has become a most varied long night of art and culture, with about 130,000 visitors annually, coming from Nuremberg, the surrounding re-gion, the entire Federal Republic and abroad. On offer: more than 300 programme presentations in over 80 institutions and courtyards, on squares and in the streets of Nuremberg’s Old Town. The new programme currently being planned for 2025 will have the theme ‘Love and Peace’.

Dates:

Fri. 16 May 2025, 8 p.m. to midnight: Preview of the art competition projects

Sat, 17 May 2025, 7 p.m. to midnight: Die Blaue Nacht

Die Blaue Nacht Art Competition

Since 2005, with its annual art competition, Die Blaue Nacht has offered artists the opportunity to present their works to a larger public for two nights in the participating institutions, in courtyards, in enclosed public spaces, and on squares and streets in Nuremberg’s inner city. These works have included:

• visual art light installations
• acoustic installations
• movement / performances
• interactive / participative activities
• new media

Important Information about Die Blaue Nacht and Die Blaue Nacht Art Competition

Presentation of Art Projects

Presentation of art projects during Die Blaue Nacht differs from that in a museum or gallery. “Hanging something on the wall” or “putting something in a room” is not appropriate. Submissions of paintings or sculptures which need to be shown in a traditional exhibition cannot be considered.

Visitor Numbers

Approximately 10,000 visitors will buy a ticket and visit the 10 art locations with projects from Die Blaue Nacht Art Competition. Visitor streams must be taken into account in the planning process.

Duration of Project

It should be kept in mind that an art project has to work for four (preview on Friday) or five hours (Saturday). This is important, for example, for per-formances which might have to be shown several times. Breaks between performances are possible, but must be kept relatively short.

Sunset

On May 16 2025 (preview), and May 17 2025, the sun does not set until 9 p.m., so it will only be completely dark after 9:30 p.m. Projects which only achieve their full impact in complete darkness will either only be shown to advantage for a very short time, or appropriate measures will have to be taken to ensure darkness (e.g. using rooms without windows or windows with blackout), and this should be taken into consideration in the project concept /design and calculation.

The theme for Die Blaue Nacht 2025: Love and Peace

Like the entire programme, Die Blaue Nacht art competition has a theme. For Die Blaue Nacht 2025, this will be ‘Love and Peace’. For all of us, peace and love are essential foundations of a good life and key themes in art.

The areas of association range from the 80th anniversary of the end of the war and the Nuremberg Trials to the hippie movement of the 1970s, pop culture, LGBTIQ* issues and everything that strengthens democracy.

2. Type of competition

The competition is an open art competition. In mid-January 2025, an ex-pert jury (see 4. Jury members) will select up to ten artists from among the applicants to realise their projects in May 2025.

3. Selection criteria

Selection criteria:

• special artistic merit of the concept taking into account the theme of „Love and Peace“
• quality of the design
• suitability for the site and event-specific conditions
• compliance with the financial framework

4. Jury

• Amely Deiss, Director of the Kunstpalais Erlangen
• Peter Wendl, Academy of Fine Arts, Transmedia Spaces Department
• Andreas Wissen, Dipl.-Ing. (FH) (Managing Director of the Nurem-berg State Garden Show, formerly in charge of Kunst am Bau)
• Anika Schwartz, Art historian, Organiser of the competition Die Blaue Nacht (call for entries)
• Barbara Engelhard, Artist, Organiser of the art competition Die Blaue Nacht (construction)
• Boaz Pinto, Technical Director (Cultural Division of the City of Nuremberg / Project Office)
• Dr. Elisabeth Hartung (Head of the Culture Division of the City of Nuremberg / Project Office), Barbara Schwesig (Project Manager The Blue Night, Cultural Division of the City of Nuremberg / Project Office)

5. Advice

Anika Schwartz (Organisation of the art competition Die Blaue Nacht) E-Mail: bnkunstwettbewerb(at)gmx.de

Barbara Schwesig (Project director Die Blaue Nacht) E-Mail: barbara.schwesig(at)stadt.nuernberg.de

6. Submission / Closing date

Entries must include:

• short statement about the project idea (max. 1 page A4)
• budget calculated in detail
• detailed information about set-up and dismantling
• CV (max. 2 pages A4)
• website / social media
• complete contact data (email address, mobile telephone number, postal address)

Entries are only possible in digital form and must be submitted no later than 1st December 2024 to bnkunstwettbewerb(at)gmx.de. It is possi-ble to apply for several sites (see website).

If required, a site visit to your chosen art competition locations can be of-fered in mid/late November. If you are interested, please contact bnkun-stwettbewerb(at)gmx.de. Receipt will be confirmed.

Please submit larger data volumes via WeTransfer to

bnkunstwettbewerb(at)gmx.de.

Adress:

Die Blaue Nacht Projektbüro im Geschäftsbereich Kultur der Stadt Nürnberg Hauptmarkt 18 90403 Nürnberg

Germany

7. Announcing the competition result

By end of January, 10 projects will be selected for implementation during the 2025 Blaue Nacht on 16 and 17 May 2025 in Nuremberg.

All applicants will receive written information by email concerning the com-petition result.

The jury’s decision is not subject to legal recourse. As a matter of principle, the jury does not give any reasons for its decisions.

8. Obligations of organiser / artist or artists‘ group

Fee

The participants or participating groups selected by the jury will receive a fee of 1,500 Euros each (plus applicable VAT, if they are proven to be liable to VAT). The fee covers the entire work / performance by the artist / artists’ group (concept, preparation, implementation, set-up and disman-tling, as well as presence during Blaue Nacht and the preview). A separa-tion of authorship and implementation is not envisaged. The fee will not be increased to take account of the number of people involved in the project.

Reimbursement of (Equipment) Costs

In addition to the fee, costs incurred in the implementation of the work of art up to a maximum of 4,500 Euros (inclusive of VAT) will be reim-bursed (after checking of invoices presented). This sum should be under-stood to include all costs incurred in the preparation before and presentation during Die Blaue Nacht (e.g. technicians, transport, infra-structure, electricity, barriers, set-up assistants, possibly security person-nel on site, hotel accommodation, travel costs, fees for performance rights for music, films, texts etc.).

Only “consumable items” will be reimbursed after Die Blaue Nacht, i.e. everything which is “used up” during preparation and presentation of the art project. This therefore does not include appliances (projectors, lamps, laptops etc.) and other materials (e.g. cables, mats etc.) which may con-tinue to be used afterwards. Rental fees for appliances may be claimed back. If equipment or other materials which are not “consumed” during the project are to become the artist’s property after Die Blaue Nacht, costs for these will not be reimbursed. Technical equipment, such as projectors, lamps, cables or the like should therefore not be bought, but hired. It is ob-ligatory to talk to the exhibition technician before making any purchases of this kind. Nevertheless, the costs for all materials (including rental fees, if applicable) must be included in the budget calculation.

Material costs will not be increased to take account of the number of peo-ple involved in the project. Details will be specified in the Artist’s Contract.

Payment of an Advance

The payment of an advance (maximum 1.000 Euros) may be made from the implementation cost budget upon request and after signing the con-tract. If any of this advance is unspent, the artist is obliged to pay it back. Expenditure from the advance must be documented with invoices and re-ceipts.

Budget

A detailed and reliable budget is a vital element of the entry and must be submitted together with the artistic concept. The same applies to the tech-nical design and planning of the concept. Please request cost estimates for technical services from your local service supplier!

Set-up and Dismantling

The artist is responsible for setting up and dismantling the work of art / art project. On request, the organiser can provide assistance. The cost of auxiliary personnel (currently 13.98 Euros / hour) must be part of the cost calculation. If artists have their own auxiliary staff, the same rate must ap-ply. The cost of their own personnel / assistants must also be included in the calculation.

The artist will be present during the exhibition of his / her project on Friday and Saturday.

Calculation after Die Blaue Nacht

• After completion of the project, the organiser will receive a detailed invoice by email to stadt@rechnung-nuernberg.de
• Please address your invoice to:

City of Nuremberg Project Office / Culture Division

The Blue Night

Main Market 18

90403 Nuremberg

09564000-0020002-48

The 17-digit ID below must be entered so that the invoice can be allocated!

• There may only be one attachment in this e-mail. Please combine your cost plan and all associated invoices and receipts into one pdf. The material and other material and personnel costs will only be reimbursed within the agreed budget or the budget defined above and recorded in writing. Please keep the original invoices for five years in case the tax office makes an enquiry.
• For technical costs that exceed the agreed or defined reimburse-ment amount of the organiser, a binding sponsor must be named with the submission of the concept. Before approaching local or re-gional sponsors (Nuremberg or Nuremberg Metropolitan Region), please contact the organiser of the Blue Night.
• Sponsorship amounts (including sponsorship in kind) or donations acquired by the artists are added to the project budget.
• Sponsorship amounts (including sponsorship in kind) acquired by the organiser will not be added to the budget of the art project, but to the overall budget of the Blue Night.
• Accommodation and travelling expenses for the artist (and any temporary staff) are included in the material costs budget and must be included in the cost calculation. Accommodation and travelling expenses for third parties who are not actively involved in the pro-ject will not be covered by the City of Nuremberg. The number of assistants required, if any, determined by the artist must be justi-fied and discussed with the project management and also taken into account in the calculation.
• The number of assistants must be included in the calculation. It cannot be increased or extended once participation has been con-firmed.
• The costs for catering for the artist and for the documentation of the works will not be reimbursed.

All other expenses beyond this must be borne by the artist.

9. Ownership and copyright

The selected works of art will remain the property of the respective artist. The organiser reserves the right to ownership of parts of the work of art which are needed in the context of its implementation (e.g. technical elements).

The artist permits the organisers, or photographers commissioned by them, to take photographs of the work of art. These photographs will be used for the organiser’s / City of Nuremberg’s PR work for Die Blaue Nacht and for the organiser.

There will be a separate contract with all artists selected by the jury, relat-ing to the presentation of their work of art during the 2025 Blaue Nacht. This contract regulates important financial, legal, copyright and organisa-tional matters between the City of Nuremberg and the selected artists

10. Liability

Liability issues will be regulated in the Artist’s Contract.