International New Media Art Festival Videomedeja (30)

Inicio Festival: 15 octubre 2026      Fin Festival: 17 octubre 2026

Videomedeja is International New Media Art Festival founded in Novi Sad, Serbia in 1996, produced by Video Art Association VIDEOMEDEJA.

International New Media Art Festival Videomedeja is a unique event that brings together international and regional artists, with tradition and quality that is highly recognized internationally.

This is an annual non-profit event lasting for three days. The basic idea is to promote independent video art production, affirmation of video creation and innovative art forms, avant-garde art and new media.

The program focuses on art projects that use new media for artistic expression and communication, and have a wide range of genres and forms that combine images and sound, advanced communication, objects, in a symbiotic or avant-garde style in following categories:

- SCREENINGS: video art, short films, digital animations

- MEDIA PROJECTS: media installations, interventions in the exhibition space, advanced technologies in artistic practice, interactive visual art, XR (eXtended Reality), AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), MR (mixed reality), robotic objects, net and social media projects, Metaverse, audiovisual performances and experiments, AI art.

We have free online Video Art Library platform and archive that contains over 10.000 video works.

On the festival arrive volunteers from all over the world, it is always very lively and partying after the festival program is mandatory.

Premios en Metálico: 1,000€

The Videomedeja Award, for the best work, for creativity, innovation and artistic value - a money prize of 1.000 euros + a digital diploma and a PDF file for printing, is awarded by an International three-member jury.

The Bogdanka Poznanović Award, for the best work produced in Serbia - digital diploma and PDF file for printing, is awarded by a three-member selection committee.

Audience Award - digital diploma and printable PDF file, awarded by the audience.

Special Mention - digital diploma and printable PDF file, awarded by an International three-member jury.

THEME AND FORM

Like previous years Video Art Association VIDEOMEDEJA is looking for new art works from the next category and audio-visual media:

• SCREENING: video art, short films, digital animations

• MEDIA PROJECT: media installations, interventions in the exhibition space, advanced technologies in artistic practice, interactive visual art, XR (eXtended Reality), AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), MR (mixed reality), robotic objects, net and social media projects, Metaverse, audiovisual performances and experiments, AI art


In addition, we would be very pleased to receive suggestions from editors and producers / distributors for the non-competitive part of the program.

There are no fixed criteria concerning work theme or form. The only works that selection committee will not consider are the ones containing any kind of offensive or aggressive message/content. The submitted works should be produced in 2024, 2025 or 2026.


CRITERIA

The selection committee will consider submitted applications and works that meet all the stated formal requirements and general conditions of the competition, according to the following criteria, criteria and method of selection:

* quality, originality, authenticity of the topic, content and form

* substantive and/or formal innovation of the work

* experimentalism and examination of the environment and standard norms

* use of new technologies in work and/or presentation

* interaction and impact on the individual and society

* professional and technical capacities required for the presentation of work

* economy and easy transportation of equipment and work

PREVIEWS

Please note that we accept only online-based previews (you tube, vimeo or similar). No snail mail sending option.


COSTS AND PARTICIPATION

When applying for the Videomedeja Festival donations are required, and this is important because the money collected is used for the prize money. The awards at the Videomedeja Festival are of great importance to the artists participating in the festival, as they represent recognition for their work and contribution to video art and new media. In addition, the Videomedeja Grand Prize is a financial support that can help artists further develop their creativity.

* Fee Waiver: The festival offers the possibility to apply without a donation for artists who have had more than 3 works at the previous editions of the Videomedeja Festival or for countries where International and PayPal payments have been blocked. You need to send a request to the email: office@videomedeja.org, specify the name of the work and the year of the festival edition or send us an official link where it is confirmed that your country have blocked International and PayPal payments.

Due to the limited budget, we can’t provide screening fees or cover the travel expenses for the participants. In some cases the Festival is able to provide accommodation in Novi Sad for participants who wish to attend if they send request at least one month before start of the Festival.

DEADLINES

Early Bird Entries from February 1 - February 28, 2026

Regular Entries from March 1 - June 15, 2026

Extended Entries from June 16 - July 10, 2026


Selection committee will make the final selection no later than September 1st 2025. Please note that individual notifications will not be sent to all applicants. If you wish to subscribe to newsletter mailing list, you can do that through contact page on our website https://videomedeja.org/sign-up-for-newsletter/?lang=en If your work is selected for the competition program, we might request a digital file of the screening copy from you.

Authors whose works are accepted will receive the official festival laureate after September 1, once the official program has been announced. The laureate may be used for promotional purposes – on posters, in biographies, portfolios, and other media publications – as confirmation that the work has been officially selected for the festival program.

COPYRIGHTS AND ARCHIVE

This part applies only to works and selections selected for the Videomedeja 2026 program. No other entries are included in the festival archive, neither are they presented at the Videomedeja website or considered for broadcasting or tour programs. By submitting your work for the festival program you agree that preview of your work will remain in the festival archive. The Archive is our institutional property and only used for internal purposes and only available to the Videomedeja curators. You agree that your work (or program) will be included in the 30.
Videomedeja program: screenings/media projects 2026, in the printed catalogue, in Videomedeja promo video (10-15 sec of each work) as well as in the Videomedeja web pages within its database listings, represented by the title, author’s name, format data, description text and still image.
You agree that your work can be used according to your permit as submitted in the Entry form.

JURISDICTION, APPLICABLE LAW AND BINDING SUBMISSIONS

These Rules & Terms shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Serbia. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with the Festival, including submissions, selections, screenings, permissions, or any information provided through the extern platforms submission process, shall fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia.

All information, declarations, and permissions provided by submitters through the extern platforms submission form, including answers to custom questions, are considered true, accurate, and legally binding and form an integral part of these Rules & Terms.

AWARDS

• Videomedeja Grand Prize - 1000€ + digital diploma + publicity
The Videomedeja Grand Prize is for the best work, for creativity, innovation and artistic value.

• Bogdanka Poznanović Award - Digital diploma + publicity

The Bogdanka Poznanović Award is for the best work produced in Serbia.

• Special Mention - digital diploma + publicity

• Audience Award: digital diploma + publicity

The winners from the competition part of the program are chosen by a three-member jury composed of distinguished international experts, and Bogdanka Poznanović is awarded the prize by a three-member selection committee.

Publicity: publication and promotion of awarded works in electronic and printed media, as well as on portals and social platforms. The news about the awarded works is sent to over 10.000 e-mails of local and foreign media.

Awards are announced publicly on the last day of the festival. The invoice for the monetary award must be sent no later than one month after the notification. After this deadline, the prize cannot be redeemed.

The Videomedeja Festival established the Golden Recognition Awards honoring individuals, institutions, sponsors, and foundations for their outstanding contributions to the development of the festival and media arts. These recognitions will continue to be awarded periodically to those who shape and support contemporary visual expressions.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the festival in 2026, we will present, Lifetime Achievement Awards to artists whose creative oeuvre and visual experiments have left an indelible mark on the field of video art and new media.

Artists may apply independently, but the jury will also compile a list of candidates from Serbia, the region, and abroad, recognizing those whose work has redefined the boundaries of contemporary art.

Applications can be sent to artist@videomedeja.org

To be eligible, artists must have at least 30 years of work in the field of contemporary visual forms and submit a selection of works, awards, recognitions, and achievements.

The committee will present three major Lifetime Achievement Awards:

• One to an artist from Serbia,
• One to an artist from the region,
• One to an artist from the international scene.

With this award, we celebrate artists who push the boundaries of perception, creating works that inspire new generations and shape the future of visual arts.

AGREEMENT

Please use one application per entry piece. Each entry is a sort of agreement and it is necessary to follow the submission procedure.