Guidelines for Open Call KE26

Registration fee: The registration fee of DKK 380 is the first step if you wish to apply with works for KE25. During the application period from 22 September you will find a link to the registration form on the front page.

Payment is made online on KE's website, and we will send a receipt by email once we have registered the payment. We do not store your information, so if you need your receipt for accounting purposes, you must save it yourself. There is no right of cancellation after purchase.
Applicants to KE and fee: All works are juried digitally. All works must be uploaded via the online registration.
KE accepts all types of works, regardless of nationality, age or place of residence.
One application allows you to upload up to 6 works. A work may consist of several units and will then be assessed as one work, i.e. if you upload a series as one work, the entire series will either be accepted or rejected.
You are free to choose the category for each individual work. If one or more of your works are accepted and you take part in the exhibition, you will receive a fee of DKK 2,000. The same applies to artist groups.
Registration: Together with the payment receipt you will receive a case number and a PIN code so that you can log in to KE's website and complete your application online. You will find 'My application' in the 'KE26' menu once you are logged in. The case number keeps you anonymous to the jurors. Once you have pressed SAVED in the system, the material is saved and everything is as it should be. You will not receive a confirmation email or anything similar. The image you see of your uploaded work is smaller in size than the one the jurors see. You can edit your material until 5 October at 24:00, also if you have SAVED earlier.

Check your spam folder: Please note that KE sends messages as automated email. In the worst case this may mean that the message is treated as spam. If you are an applicant, you should therefore check your spam folder and keep yourself updated on the website.
Requirements for the works: KE only exhibits works that are no more than two years old and that have not been accepted at other danish state-recognised juried exhibitions, i.e. Kunstnernes Sommerudstilling (The Artists' Summer Exhibition), Kunstnernes Påskeudstilling (The Artists' Easter Exhibition), and Forårsudstillingen at Charlottenborg (The Spring Exhibition). Where the works have otherwise been exhibited has no bearing on the jurying at KE.

KE26 has three rounds of jurying, all of which are digital.
The documentation is therefore extremely important, as we have only your submitted material on which to base our assessment. It is your own responsibility to ensure that we receive all the information needed to read your application correctly.
Sculpture garden: You can also apply to exhibit in Den Frie's outdoor café area. If you apply with a work intended for outdoors, please be aware that special conditions apply:

Make it clear in your application that the work is intended for the sculpture garden, and preferably specify where you would like it to stand. However, Den Frie's curator is entitled to choose a different placement.

Works in the sculpture garden may be no more than 300 cm high with a radius of 100 cm.

Works in the sculpture garden must be able to be installed safely directly on the ground.

The works must not obstruct traffic. Heavy works must be delivered on a standard euro pallet. They may weigh a maximum of 100 kg.

Works in the sculpture garden stand outdoors for the entire exhibition period; the area is neither locked nor supervised, so the works can therefore NOT be insured.

The area of the sculpture garden is limited to Den Frie's outdoor café area.
Performance: The performance is documented with videos in 2 versions. One lasting 1 minute and one video of the performance in its full length. In addition, the performance must be described in a text. You can also state how many times you wish to perform. If your performance is accepted, you will be contacted by KE, who will make further arrangements with you.
Workshops and events: At Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling 2026 we are opening up the category: workshops and events. Here we invite applications that fall outside the other categories. It could be a workshop, a conversation salon, a reading group, a collective process or another offbeat format. Like the others, all applications in this category will be assessed by the jury committee on the basis of their artistic quality. Workshops and events must be documented in the application with video or photo. In addition, the full course and execution of the workshop or event must be described in a text. Just like a performance. Also describe whether your workshop/event takes place over one or more days and how much space it requires. If your workshop/event is accepted, you will be contacted by KE, who will make further arrangements with you.
Video: If you apply with video works longer than 1 minute, the work must be uploaded in two versions. One version in which the work can be seen in its full length, and one version in which the work is edited down to a maximum duration of 1 minute. In the first and second rounds of jurying, the work is assessed on the basis of the one-minute edited version. Before any acceptance, the work is viewed in its full length.

Digital works (video, animation, sound and other) must be submitted so that they are accessible online, e.g. on one of the free services Vimeo or YouTube. You may protect the link with a password. Check once more to make sure that it is online and that we have received the password, so that we can see what you have uploaded. Make sure the work is anonymised in credits etc. for the jurying.
If your work is accepted, you can submit a version with credits.
You must bring screens yourself to the exhibition, so state in the application which size and type of screen you are showing the work on.
Please be aware, however, that this is a group exhibition, which limits how large a format the work can be shown in. KE does not have screens available, so video works and the like must be delivered with the screens on which they are to be exhibited, so that the work is thought through to the end. The screens must work throughout the exhibition period, otherwise we will be forced to remove the work. Digital works must be saved in MPEG4 format (ideally a minimum of 15,000 kbps). The exception is sound files, which must be saved in WAV format.
Site-specific works: You must take into account the possibilities and limitations of the exhibition venue, especially with large or site-specific works.
Mixed formats / Other media: If you apply with works that contain mixed and differing formats – e.g. a total installation or digital art – we recommend that the work be uploaded in the 'other' category, where it is possible to upload documentation photos, video, animation and sound.
General: Any application with works for KE26 must be made using the application form, which you can fill in and edit in the period 22 September to 2 October 2026. The form will be 'locked' when the application deadline expires on 2 October at 24:00. After this you can no longer edit, and the material can then be seen by the jurors.
Once you have SAVED, everything is as it should be. You will not receive a receipt for the upload.

The juryrs only consider material submitted via the application form, i.e. uploaded images, links to digital works and any comments to the jurors. You decide yourself what your individual work comprises, and you are yourself responsible for ensuring that the jury panel can read the individual works or your overall project correctly.
Image quality: KE jury can only tak a dission on the basis of the submitted material, so the documentation plays a major role. It is therefore extremely important that your documentation is as close to reality as possible. Bear in mind that the jury have only images on which to assess a work, and that the material must, therefore be of a quality that leaves no doubt about the character and appearance of the work. If your work is framed, for example, show this in the documentation or write it in the accompanying comment field.

You can upload up to 4 images per work.
We recommend that the first and possibly the second image show the work in its entirety. The remaining images can be used for details.
Uploaded material is not shown to anyone other than the jury committee and KE's partners.

Images of works and photo documentation of digital works must be uploaded as RGB files in JPEG format. The ideal size is: 2600 x 1800 pixels, 300 dpi, but no more than 6 MB.

File names may only contain letters (a-z) and/or numbers (0-9). Special characters such as &, %, #, $, hyphens etc. may cause errors in uploads.
If your work is accepted – delivery: You will receive a reply by email, or you can log in to your profile on 12 October.

If you have been accepted with one or more works, you must deliver them on Tuesday 3 November, 9:00–17:00. Preferably in the morning. When you deliver a work, you must unpack it yourself and take the packaging away with you again. There will be helpers to receive the works. If your work/works are complicated to install, we will ask you for help with the installation. Your work must be labelled with "KE26" and your case and work number.

You must bring TV screens, projector, headphones or whatever else is needed to show the work yourself.

If, as a last resort, you cannot deliver within this time frame, we ask you to contact Søren Fjeldsø, building inspector at Den Frie, on telephone 29242649, or Hanne Bang on 26394829.

You also have the option of sending smaller works by parcel post, labelled with "KE26" and your case and work number. Parcels must arrive no later than Friday 30 October 2026. If you send a work by parcel post, we unfortunately cannot undertake to return it in the same way. Customs from non-EU countries: Please note that KE cannot take responsibility for customs procedures. If you are applying from a country outside the EU, you are yourself responsible for all customs declarations and for hiring a freight forwarder. All costs in this connection are borne by the applicant.

If you send and collect a work by carrier, you must use simple, reusable packaging. Packaging that has to be stored and reused is a major challenge for the board. Remember to label clearly: "KE26" and your case and work number. The address is Den Frie, Oslo Plads 1, 2100 Copenhagen.
Insurance: Your works are insured while they are on the premises at Den Frie. There is an excess of DKK 2,500, which is payable by the individual artist should an accident occur. The insured sum must be calculated according to what it costs to recreate a work, as insurance only covers these expenses
Rights over the works: Once your works have been accepted for Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling, the works cannot be reclaimed before the exhibition has ended.

You also give KE the right to use photos of your accepted works in the exhibition catalogue, for outreach purposes, on KE's website, in press material and in lectures relating to KE.
The layout of the exhibition: KE and Den Frie Udstillingsbygning have sole responsibility for arranging the exhibition as a whole.

If the way your work is presented is an important part of the work, or if the installation of the work requires your participation, this must be clearly stated in the comments to the jurors in your application.

You cannot demand a specific placement in the exhibition: in the case of site-specific works, your wishes will be accommodated as far as possible,

It is your responsibility to provide the necessary technical equipment if your accepted work requires it. If your work is difficult to handle, you must make an arrangement with KE about the delivery.
Collection of exhibited works: When the exhibition ends, you must collect your exhibited works from Den Frie Udstillingsbygning on 29 November 2026, 18:00–20:00, or 30 November 2026, 9:00–12:00 If, as a last resort, you cannot collect them within this time frame, we ask you to contact Søren Fjeldsø, building inspector at Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, on telephone 29242649.

We will store works at your own expense if you do not collect them on time.
Questions and further information: If you have questions or need further information, you are welcome to contact KE by email: info@ke-udstilling.dk. Remember to write your KE number once you have received it. Unfortunately we are not able to offer telephone contact.

NOTE: The price in 2026 is DKK 380 and not DKK 575 as stated in the video.