Open calls closing this season: what is actually accepting applications
Contests and festivals taking entries right now — the list is queried live and stays current — plus what selection panels look at first.
Accepting applications right now
14 in the catalog right now · as of 2026-09-06
- bandXost — Eastern Switzerland + Liechtenstein (9 qualification rounds, 8 regions) · closes 2026-09-06
- Plattsounds — Lower Saxony · closes 2026-09-15
- Rudolstadt-Festival 2027 — Rudolstadt · closes 2026-09-30
- Tallinn Music Week 2027 (fest 8–10 Apr 2027) — Tallinn · closes 2026-10-26
- SPOT Festival 2027 — Aarhus · closes 2026-10-31
- FOCUS Wales 2027 (prior cycle closed ~1 Nov) — Wrexham · closes 2026-11-01
- FIM GDL / FIMPRO (opens ~10 Oct) — Guadalajara · closes 2026-11-10
- Les iNOUïS du Printemps de Bourges (opens ~13 Oct) — national auditions → Printemps de Bourges, FR · closes 2026-11-12
- Treefort Music Fest 2027 (free until ~mid-Sep, then $10–20; via Submittable) — Boise · closes 2026-11-20
- NXNE 2027 (form only, no email; opens ~autumn) — Toronto · closes 2026-12-31
- Tuska-Torstai — Helsinki (Bar Loose → Tuska), FI · closes 2027-01-09
- Liverpool Sound City — Liverpool · closes 2027-01-30
Every line above was read out of our catalog the moment you loaded this page — it is current whenever you find this article, not a snapshot from publication day.
Contests, newcomer stages, showcase festivals and open calls all take applications with a published deadline. That makes them easier to plan than writing to venues: you know what to send, where, and by when — and your entry gets read, because reading entries is the organiser's job.
If the call you are waiting for is not listed
Check the organiser's own page, around the time applications opened last year — that is how most unlisted calls are found. Contests keep their yearly rhythm even when next year's date goes up late.
A deadline appears in the list above once the organiser has published it; until then the contest sits in the catalog without a date. An unlisted contest has usually just not announced yet.
Every contest and festival we track
310 in the catalog right now · as of 2026-09-06
- bandXost — Eastern Switzerland + Liechtenstein (9 qualification rounds, 8 regions) · closes 2026-09-06
- Plattsounds — Lower Saxony · closes 2026-09-15
- Rudolstadt-Festival 2027 — Rudolstadt · closes 2026-09-30
- Tallinn Music Week 2027 (fest 8–10 Apr 2027) — Tallinn · closes 2026-10-26
- SPOT Festival 2027 — Aarhus · closes 2026-10-31
- FOCUS Wales 2027 (prior cycle closed ~1 Nov) — Wrexham · closes 2026-11-01
- FIM GDL / FIMPRO (opens ~10 Oct) — Guadalajara · closes 2026-11-10
- Les iNOUïS du Printemps de Bourges (opens ~13 Oct) — national auditions → Printemps de Bourges, FR · closes 2026-11-12
- Treefort Music Fest 2027 (free until ~mid-Sep, then $10–20; via Submittable) — Boise · closes 2026-11-20
- NXNE 2027 (form only, no email; opens ~autumn) — Toronto · closes 2026-12-31
What organisers actually read
Selection panels go through hundreds of entries in an afternoon. The ones that survive the first pass share the same few properties.
One link that plays immediately
Whatever you send is judged quickly, among many other entries. Send the strongest track, not the newest, and make sure it opens without a login.
Live footage over studio polish
The panel is deciding whether to put you on a stage, so they want to see you play a full song in a real room. One decent unedited video answers that better than a produced clip with cuts every two seconds.
The eligibility line
Age limits, region, unsigned status, original material — most calls have one hard filter. If you do not meet it, applying costs you an evening and them a slot in the queue.
Sent well before the deadline
Submission forms fail on the last day, and a call that fills its slots early stops reading late entries. Send two weeks ahead and your entry is read while the panel is still choosing.
Are contests worth it if we do not win?
Frequently, yes — a regional heat is a booked show in front of people who have never heard you, and new listeners are what a young band gets out of it. Ask what the round itself is: a real gig in a venue with an audience, or a short showcase slot in front of a jury.
What about entry fees?
Common in international songwriting competitions, rare in regional band contests. A fee is not automatically a scam, but it changes the maths: ask what the prize is and how many acts pay in.
Can we apply to several at once?
Yes, unless a call says otherwise. Some showcase festivals ask for exclusivity in a region for a period around the event — that condition is in the terms, and it is the one worth reading.
The whole catalog
Contests, festivals and open calls by country, with what we know about who may apply and by when. Free, no account.
Deadlines change and organisers move them. Always confirm on the organiser's own page before you submit.
Sources
- Produser catalog: deadlines are published only when read on the organiser's own page
- The lists in this article are queried at read time, not at publication
Updated: 2026-09-06