How to Apply & What You Need
The Creative Brief & Inspiration
The art meets science – Foundation Herbert W. Franke invites the global digital art and creator community to participate in a major HWF 100 Open Call. Marking the upcoming centennial of the visionary pioneer in 2027, this charity community project celebrates Herbert W. Franke’s monumental legacy as a founding father of computer art and digital aesthetics, and one of the leading voices of modern science fiction.
We invite all fans, artists, and creators to design a dedicated artwork inspired by Herbert’s pioneering body of work. While creators are completely free to choose their preferred medium and personal vision, the foundation also offers a historic entry point for inspiration.
Einstein Digital (1973): The foundation is releasing 10 digitized slides from Franke’s iconic 1974 photo series Einstein Digital as initial inspiration. Background for this inspiration: The Foundation still owns a few rare copies of the iconic vintage Einstein Digital Edition with nine of these pocture processed images of Albert Einstein. One of these—the very last one to ever be sold—will be auctioned at the end of 2026 to help fund the HWF 100 events.
👉 Download the source slides here:
https://www.dropbox.com/t/zGxckFcGTDjSdFPl
👉 For further historical context, see Herbert W. Franke’s 1974 autobiographical article:
https://art-meets-science.io/en/herbert-w-franke-einstein-digital-how-the-series-came-to-be/
Eligible Media
This call is open to the global generative art community. We accept:
- Stills & Digital Graphics
- Videos & Animations (with or without sound, maximum 5 minutes)
- Generative Art, Web3, Code-based, & On-Chain Art
Jury & Recognition
Submissions will be evaluated by an esteemed jury, including generative art expert Noah Bolanowski, xxxx and Susanne Paech.
- Global Exhibition: The works will be featured on a dedicated foundation webpage celebrating Herbert’s centennial, curated by jury ranking.
- Documentary Production: The Foundation will produce a video documentation that wil lbe published in the Youndation’s YouTube Channel and during events of HWF 100.
- Official Event Trailer: The foundation will request permission to use selected visual and conceptual elements from the submissions for the official trailer of the global HWF 100 event series in 2027.
Charity & Artist Sales
This is a charity-focused project by the Foundation. However, participating artists are explicitly permitted to sell the artworks they create for this call, and the Foundation will support these sales through extensive promotion.
- Requirement: Any digital version sold as part of the centennial must feature the subtitle “Created in Honor of Herbert W. Franke’s Centennial” and include a hyperlink back to the official Open Call website.
- Promotion: In return, the Foundation will extensively promote these sales throughout October and November 2026 across social media and the HWF-100 website, showcasing all participants.
- Voluntary Donations: The foundation is deeply grateful if artists choose to voluntarily donate a portion of their sales proceeds. 100% of these funds will go directly toward co-financing the HWF-100 event series in 2027.
- Recognition: Donors will be publicly honored and credited on the HWF-100 website.
Timeline
- Submission Deadline: End of September 2026
- Artist Promotion & Sales Campaign Promotion: October – Dezember 2026
- Official Centenary Events: Throughout 2027 in Europe and the USA. More information on the Foundation’s Website
How to Apply
Please submit your entry via our official submission page:
https://www.dropbox.com/request/28mw7lmhthfhbmm2f32o
Please name your video file with your last and first name so we can easily identify your work. Additionally, you can either include your main social media handle directly in the video’s file name:
📝 Lastname_Firstname_@YourHandle.mp4 (e.g., John_Doe_@JohnArt.mp4)
… or upload a separate document (PDF/Text) with the exact same name as your video submission, containing information for the foundation and/or your social media accounts.
⚠️ Please note: Submissions with files that do not follow this naming standard cannot be considered for the selection process.