Genius Loci Festival Competition Open Call 2025: “Faust”

Overview

The 12th edition of the Genius Loci Weimar Festival invites artists and visual storytellers to participate in an international video mapping competition centered around the theme “Faust,” in celebration of Weimar’s 2025 theme year dedicated to Goethe’s literary masterpiece. This year’s selected projection site is the southern façade of the Stadtschloss and the adjacent Ensemble Bastille. The competition seeks conceptual submissions for site-specific audio-visual projections that interweave Goethe’s themes with the complex history of the site. The festival will take place from September 5–7, 2025, in Weimar, Germany.

Why You Should Participate

Participating in the Genius Loci Festival offers artists a prestigious platform to exhibit work on a monumental scale, projected onto historically significant architecture. The competition emphasizes narrative, innovation, and atmosphere, providing artists with the opportunity to reinterpret literature, history, and architecture through a compelling visual language. With a focus on the “spirit of the place,” the festival is ideal for creatives working in video mapping, animation, motion graphics, and visual storytelling. Winners will gain international exposure, funding for realization, and the opportunity to present their work to an audience of over 50,000 visitors including professionals from architecture, media art, design, and fine arts.

Key Highlights

• Theme: Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• Projection Site: South façade of the Stadtschloss and Ensemble Bastille, Weimar
• Eligibility: Open to video artists, motion graphic designers, filmmakers, animators, and creatives from all genres and disciplines
• Submission Type: 30-second conceptual video for façade projection
• Production Type: Final 5–10 minute high-resolution video mapping to be developed by winners
• Mediums Allowed: 2D/3D animation, live action, experimental film, illustration techniques (stop-motion, paper cut, drawing)

Entry Fees

There is no entry fee for participating in this competition.

Prizes and Recognition

Submission Details

Applicants must submit a 30-second concept video demonstrating their proposed aesthetic and narrative approach for projection onto the Stadtschloss and Bastille façade. The final work will be a 5–10 minute audiovisual video. Submissions should reflect:

• The historical essence and architectural character of the site
• Themes of morality, guilt, and desire as depicted in Goethe’s Faust
• Innovative narrative and visual techniques
• A thoughtful response to the intersection between the real and literary tragedies of Gretchen and Johanna Catharina Höhn

Formats accepted include animation, live-action, stop motion, and illustrative techniques.

Important Dates

How to Join

To participate, follow these steps:

1. Visit the official website and explore the Location & History section
2. Download the PDF Call 2025 from the competition page
3. Register and create an account on the wesite.
4. Download the Animation Pack (includes building masks, 3D models, and technical specs)
5. Prepare and submit your 30-second conceptual video before the deadline
6. For inquiries, contact the team via info[at]genius-loci-weimar.org

Judging Criteria

Artistic Directions

• Narrative Engagement: Connection with Goethe’s Faust, historical references, local context
• Spirit of the Place: Deep understanding of the site’s architectural and social significance
• Emotional Depth: A sophisticated and moving narrative approach
• Innovation: Use of new styles, hybrid formats, and bold storytelling

Design Criteria

• Visual Style: Strong, distinctive artistic vision
• Abstraction & Composition: Avoidance of clichés, thoughtful visual language
• Technical Feasibility: Projects should be adaptable to large-scale projection mapping (technical help is available)

Registration Deadline