'Alliance' | Una Europa Student Visual Art Contest

Let your imagination run free and get inspired by what heritage, culture and diversity mean to you and your university. Connecting European students and their cultural heritage is at the heart of our alliance, and through this contest, you can help us achieve that.

This is what the Una Europa Student Visual Art Contest is about. This is a platform to share your vision and creativity with the whole Una Europa community and give visibility to your voice and feelings. The Una Europa Student Visual Art Contest is your opportunity to showcase your ideas and experiences to the world by using your artistic mind to create a work of art that could be shared with students all over Europe.

The theme of the contest is 'Alliance: a student perspective on unity and heritage'.

The Una Europa Student Visual Art Contest invites students to explore, express and reimagine their own as well as their universities’ cultural heritage through artistic expression.

We ask you to connect the concept of ‘alliance’ with your university’s culture, history or people. You can include questions of identity, tradition and transformation in a globalised world, or any other idea that might come to you!

The Contest also wants to embrace a wide range of media, allowing you to explore new ways of interpreting heritage. For example, your entry could tackle to topics of:

• Celebrating cultural heritage(s).
• Using art as a bridge between cultures.
• Reimagining cultural identity in a globalised world.
• Connecting art with academia.
• Showing the alliance of identities that takes place within the university framework.

• Check if you fulfill the conditions for participation.

Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral researchers at Una Europa universities are invited to participate in the Contest. You need to be enrolled as a full-time student at the time of submission.

• Choose your artistic medium.

Express your vision through painting, photography, digital art, mixed media, or another creative form. It’s up to you! Just remember that you will need to submit your entry digitally and that you can only submit one picture or page (PDF).

You can also add a title, if you wish.

• Reflect on the theme and find your own take.

The theme of the contest is ’Alliance: a student perspective on unity and heritage’.

As part of your submission, you are asked to write a short abstract (200-400 words) explaining the take you took on the theme and your creative process. This abstract will be an integral part of the selection process.

You can interpret the theme in any way you wish! It’s your time to shine!

• Read and follow the guidelines for submission (below), Terms and Conditions, and the submission form carefully, and submit your artwork before the deadline.

There will be 11 winners, one per university.

The prize includes:

• Showcasing your work at the Student Congress with the other 10 winners. More information will be shared when the winners have been selected.
  • This include funded attendance at this year’s Una Europa Student Congress, taking place at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in November 2025.
  • You will receive a travel grant to cover travel and accommodation.

• Having your artwork displayed in exhibitions hosted at selected Una Europa universities during the academic year 2025/2026. As of now, exhibitions are planned at the following universities:
  • Universidad Complutense Madrid
  • Universität Zürich
  • Uniwersytet Jagielloński
  • Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna
  • Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne
  • KU Leuven
  • Helsingin yliopisto/Helsingfors universitet

In addition to the winners, selected finalists' artworks will be showcased in printed and online booklet materials, publications, and promotional content.

Please read the full Terms and Conditions carefully before applying.

Please submit your application through the following form and follow the instructions:

Student Visual Art Contest submission form

You will then be asked to send your artwork to art-contest+submission@ucm.es. Please read the instructions contained on the form carefully before sending your email.

The application deadline is the 11 May 2025 at 23:59 CEST.

Technical information:

• You can only submit one document. We will only accept one page or picture.

• Artworks should be suitable for printing in sizes up to A2. We would advise you, for printing quality, to consider 150 dpi at an A2 printing format (i.e. 2480 x 3508 px for an ISO ratio) as a base, but this is not a requirement. Your submission does not have to be in this ratio.

• Please submit your entry as a single file. Accepted formats are PNG, JPEG, or PDF; file size limit: 10 MB.

• If your project does not entirely fit these guidelines but you would still like to submit your artwork, please contact art-contest@ucm.es.

• Applications will be open until 11 May, 23:59 CEST.

• Submissions will be prescreened by the organising team, and then shared with the relevant partner university.

• In each university, submissions will be assessed by a jury composed of academics, researchers, professional staff and students. Additionally, in selected universities, additional expert jurors may be invited to take part in the selection process.

• Winners will be announced by 20 June.

• Pre-meetings will be organised for all the winners to work together on the exhibitions, on promotion material as well as on their contribution to the Student Congress. Local exhibition organisers may also contact winners to participate in additional events.

Can I apply for the Student Congress even if I participated in the Art Contest?

• Yes, you are more than welcome to apply for the Student Congress even if you submitted an art piece for the Art Contest. If your submission is selected, you will be removed from the Student Congress process.

What’s covered for the winners?

• You will receive a travel grant to participate in the Student Congress at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. This should cover at minimum your travel and accommodation.

Can I use ChatGPT?

• AI tools may be used during the creative process, but you will have to state that and how you used them when submitting your art piece.
• Keep in mind that your final work must not be fully generated by AI. We reserve the right to disqualify your entry if this rule is not met.
• Remember that you have full responsibility for any legal or intellectual property issues arising from improper AI use.

When will I know whether I was selected?

• We will review all the submissions during May and the beginning of June, and will let all students know by 20 June. Even if you weren’t selected, we will still let you know of the outcome.

Can I submit more than once?

• No, you can only submit one entry to the Art Contest.

Who can apply?

• Bachelor’s and Master’s students and doctoral researchers at Una Europa universities are eligible.
• You need to be currently enrolled as a full-time student at one of the 11 Una Europa universities.

What size will the printed artwork be?

• Printing sizes will differ per exhibition/university. There is no fixed size due to varying local requirements.
• The maximum printing size is up to A1.
• We would advise you, for printing quality, to consider 150 dpi at an A2 printing format as a base, that is 2480 x 3508 px for an ISO ratio. However, your entry doesn’t have to use this ratio.

Are there specific technical requirements?

• We ask you to submit a version not above 10 MB, in one of the following formats; JPG, PNG, JPEG, PDF, to ensure the digital readability of your files by the various juries. If you have any issue with providing such format, please reach out to art-contest@ucm.es.
• Winners will be offered the possibility to submit a version of their work in better quality and with more specific printing requirements (e.g. colour types) after the selection process.

What type of artwork can be submitted?

• Any, really. It is very much up to you - the only limiting criterion is that the work can be printed and reproduced in each of the local in-person exhibitions. We also only accept one side/page, but you can reach out to us to see if your idea is feasible in the exhibition context.

In my university, the in-person exhibition will not be organised. Can I still participate in the Contest?

• Yes, of course! You are very welcome to participate.
• In addition to the local exhibition, an online booklet with winning and finalist artworks will be available on Una Europa’s website and shared within the member universities.

Can I submit a group project?

• No, we are not accepting group submissions. Unfortunately, we cannot fund the travel of more than one winner per university.