Artists and collectives from any country are invited to submit a proposal for a fully-funded, two-month residency split between CERN and the Nobel Prize Museum
Collide is an annual residency programme for artists with a distinct interest in science and technology, who have a strong motivation to engage in dialogue with scientists and engineers. The selected artist or collective will immerse themselves in the CERN community in Geneva, fostering meaningful exchanges with scientists, engineers, and staff. This will be followed by a stay at the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm to expand their reflections.
CERN and the Nobel Prize share the commitment to advancing knowledge and recognising scientific breakthroughs, which is reflected in the several Nobel Prizes in Physics closely linked to CERN’s work. Building on this shared legacy, Collide Stockholm supports artistic research that engages with fundamental science and advanced technologies.
Artists from any country are invited to submit an application proposing a project that combines artistic research and production of a new work. The proposal should outline a research period in both locations and a posterior phase to define and produce a new artwork with the support of both curatorial teams in Geneva and Stockholm.
Arts at CERN and the Nobel Prize Museum invite artists to reflect on the impact of science and research in contemporary culture and society. Proposals are encouraged that consider the role of advanced technologies and new scientific paradigms as key forces shaping our world today.
CERN and the Nobel Prize share the commitment to advancing knowledge and recognising scientific breakthroughs. Though Nobel Prizes in Physics are awarded to individuals rather than organisations, several are inextricably linked to CERN’s research. These range from experimental and technological innovations that took place at CERN, to theoretical breakthroughs that CERN experiments put to the test. Examples include decisive contributions to the discovery of the W and Z bosons (Carlo Rubbia and Simon van der Meer, 1984), the development of the multiwire proportional chamber (Georges Charpak, 1992) and the theoretical work on the Higgs boson (François Englert and Peter W. Higgs, 2013).
The Collide Stockholm Residency Award draws inspiration from recent Nobel Prizes in Physics, which highlight how foundational discoveries deepen our understanding of nature and form the basis of technologies that enable transformative advances – such as machine learning and quantum technologies. The 2025 recognition of macroscopic quantum tunnelling, the 2024 prize awarded for foundational work on machine learning, and the 2022 award for experiments with entangled photons have led to technologies with wide societal impact – from quantum communication, sensing, to AI systems. These breakthroughs demonstrate how fundamental research, which might at first appear abstract, profoundly transforms not only science and technology but also culture and society. Following these lines, Arts at CERN and the Nobel Prize Museum invite artists to reflect on the impact of science and research on contemporary culture and society. Proposals are encouraged that consider the role of advanced technologies and new scientific paradigms as key forces shaping our world today.
• Artists from any country who are over 18 years old.
• Artists with a convincing body of work with at least 5 years of professional artistic experience.
• Artists (or their collaborators in the case of a collective) may only submit one proposal.
Collide particularly encourages applications from artists interested in the ideas described above and who meet any of the following criteria:
• Artists interested in the cultural significance of scientific research and technology.
• Artists interested in extending their connection with the field of science and entering into dialogue with scientists, engineers and staff at CERN in Geneva and at the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm.
• Artists with a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and flexibly across disciplinary boundaries.
• Artists interested in CERN’s community, its social fabric, history, and narratives.
• Artists whose work and proposal aim to reflect on new models of social enquiry and the potential synergies between art, science, technology and society.
Collide offers the selected artist or artist collective the following financial support and conditions:
• Travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs within a fixed budget for the artistic residency period at CERN in Geneva and the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm.
• A production stipend of CHF 15,000.
• For artist collectives, all these costs will be split between the members. A maximum of 2 members of a collective can be hosted at the same time as residents.
The application should be written in English and submitted via the online form on this website, which requires the following elements:
• Personal and contact details: name, address, nationality, date of birth, email address, and telephone number. If a collective is applying, one member should act as the representative.
• An artist’s or collective’s biography (maximum 500 words).
• An artist dossier with the most relevant artworks and projects.
• Project proposal consisting of:
– Project title
– Project description (maximum 1000 words) that describes the project proposal you intend to undertake during the two-month residency at CERN in Geneva and at the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm. The scope of this proposal should include a research period in both locations and a development phase after the residency to define and produce a new artwork with the curatorial support of the teams in Geneva and Copenhagen.
– Project summary (maximum 300 words).
– Project motivation (maximum 500 words) that outlines your motivation for undertaking this residency and your interest in the contexts of CERN and Stockholm in relation to your artistic practice.
Applications are accepted from 11 November to 15 December 2025 at 23:59 Central European Time (GMT+1).
Public announcement of results: April 2026.
Residency at CERN: September – October 2026.
Residency at the Nobel Prize Museum: November 2026.
One artist or artistic collective will be selected for the residency. The selection will be based on the eligibility criteria and evaluation of the submitted project proposal.
A jury board formed by cultural experts, scientists, and representatives from each institution will review the submissions. The names of the jurors will be revealed after the call closes.
The Collide Stockholm Residency Award is the collaboration framework between CERN and the Nobel Prize Museum designed to support artistic research at the intersection of art, science, and technology. Anchored at CERN and inspired by the legacy of the Nobel Prize, the program fosters reflection on the societal and cultural impact of discoveries originating from the field of physics.
