Open Mugak 2027

Open Mugak/ 2027 is a competitive funding call for public architecture programmes, exhibitions, events and temporary cultural installations in the Basque Country. Selected projects join the sixth architecture biennial under a theme connecting appropriateness, aesthetics and affordability. This is a production-funding opportunity, not a conventional building-design prize.

Five essentials

Two routes and a local delivery requirement

Programmes are restricted to associations, architecture-sector companies and cultural organizations. Actions also accept individuals and can include exhibitions, event series and temporary architectural installations. All activities must take place in the Basque Country and be free and open to the public. An international dimension means active collaboration or participation, not simply publicity abroad.

A confirmed venue strengthens an application but is not compulsory. Organizers may offer a venue after selection, subject to availability and explicit confirmation. Applicants must budget for all implementation needs, including staffing, equipment, security and maintenance; permits and insurance remain their responsibility unless agreed otherwise. Design fees, travel and subsistence may be included.

Submission and schedule

Use the official ten-page proposal-and-budget template and online form, adding contact details and one representative image. Basque, English and Spanish are accepted. The template asks for the concept, objectives, thematic connection, programme, spatial and technical needs, schedule, international collaboration, audience strategy, team experience, costs and funding sources.

Selected teams are to be notified before 15 December 2026, with contracts before 31 December and an initial 50% payment against an invoice in that financial year. The public rules do not specify the remaining payment schedule; this should be resolved in the contract.

The biennial opens in Donostia–San Sebastián on 9 October 2027, Bilbao on 16 October and Vitoria-Gasteiz on 23 October. The main activity must occur between opening and 12 November; activities in Onsite pavilions must take place before 12 November. Longer exhibitions may continue to 28 February 2028, subject to the agreed programme.

Selection and intellectual property

Curator María Arana selects projects using criteria addressing conceptual and artistic quality, technical development, sustainability, budget, audience engagement, international reach and team capability. Territorial balance also informs selection. Numerical scoring weights are not stated.

Authors retain intellectual property and temporarily authorize credited reproduction and exhibition for the biennial’s communication. Selected teams must keep their selection confidential until the official announcement and coordinate later publicity with the organizers.

✦ ArchUp Competition Review

For architects, the strongest route is an installation or exhibition that makes a spatial argument accessible to people outside the profession. A proposal about affordability should explain whose costs it measures, who can participate and how the public encounters the work. An international partner should contribute to that content, rather than appear only as a name.

The funding ceiling must pay for delivery. Treating EUR 10,000 or EUR 30,000 as a designer’s prize would omit the venue, production and operating obligations. Local coordination and a credible staffing plan may matter as much as the concept image.

The apparent October-to-February window needs careful reading: it does not allow the main activity to be postponed freely until February. The November concentration is explicit. The most material open points are venue confirmation and the second payment schedule, not a demonstrated contradiction in the call. We checked the supplied template as well as the current rules and FAQ.

Archive context: Open Mugak/ 2025. The present call is a separate 2027 cycle with different funding limits.

Reviewed 15 November 2026 against the official call, FAQ, announcement and proposal template. Image: official Mugak/ call artwork.