Open Call for ECHO during Slovenian Jewelry Week 2027

The jubilee edition in 2026 confirmed that contemporary jewellery needs time, continuity, and community to thrive, and that the field develops through the exchange of knowledge, critical reflection, and the establishment of professional standards.

Today, the festival is no longer simply an event, but a platform for encounters, exhibitions, residencies, lectures, masterclasses, publications and awards. Here, jewellery moves beyond its traditional roles to become a space for artistic expression, research, storytelling and engagement with the contemporary world. It has established itself as an autonomous form of design and visual expression that places ideas, emotions, communication and experimentation at its center, while maintaining high standards of craftsmanship, and technical skill.

The platform provides Slovenian artists and designers with visibility, both locally and internationally, while bringing international artists, curators, theorists and institutions to Slovenia. The festival has connected practitioners from diverse backgrounds, created opportunities for emerging voices, established important partnerships with festivals, galleries and educational institutions. Ultimately, it demonstrates that even a small cultural environment can be a relevant and active participant in the global cultural landscape.

In 2027, the festival returns to three key locations. Ljubljana’s Center Rog will house the main exhibition, Izola will host the curated international touring group exhibition Captivating, Jewels and Slovenj Gradec will anchor the final chapter. While the Ljubljana exhibition addresses our responsibility towards the future, Slovenj Gradec explores the flip side of the same process: the heritage we carry with us and from which our decisions emerge.

The sixth edition of Slovenian Jewellery Week (SIJW 2027) invites designers and makers exploring new conceptual directions and aesthetic approaches in contemporary jewellery to participate. The international open call welcomes jewellers, designers, artists, collectives, schools, and galleries from Slovenia and abroad.


The theme of this year's exhibition is ECHO.
How will our decisions today echo in the future?

We usually understand the future as something yet to come. But what if the future is not a distant time, but something being created in every single moment? What if its echo is already present in our thoughts, ideas, decisions, actions, and relationships? And what if the future is not somewhere ahead of us, but is continuously being shaped here and now?

This year’s theme opens up a space for reflection on how, in an era of global crises, wars, information manipulation, and an excess of images, content, and consumption, we can co-create the future today through our values, thoughts, decisions, and actions. It invites artists to express through contemporary jewellery their views on the world they wish to live in, and to explore what kind of footprints we are leaving for future generations.

At the same time, it raises the question of the echo’s origin: what have we inherited from past generations? Which values, knowledge, and traditions shape us, and how do we understand them today?

Modern jewellery is understood as an intimate carrier of meaning and a language of communication. Through it, creators express their views on the world, explore their own identity, and reflect on the world they live in, the world they inherited, and the world they wish to co-create.

ECHO invites artists and designers to think about the future—not as something distant, but as an echo of the present. Every thought, idea, choice, and action leaves a trace—an echo that shapes the world we will live in. What if the future is already here and now?


Selection Criteria
- Concept and originality: how clearly and convincingly the work communicates an idea, narrative, or individual artistic approach, and to what extent it presents a new and independent perspective.
- Use of materials and techniques: the quality of the materials selected, their meaningful application and the technical execution of the work, whether based on traditional or experimental approaches.
- Aesthetic and formal quality: the coherence of form, proportions, colour, texture and the overall visual impact of the work.
- Relationship to the body and wearability: how the work functions in relation to the body, space and wearer; it does not necessarily have to be functional, but the relationship between object and body should be considered and intentional.
- Relevance and contemporary significance: the extent to which the work addresses current issues, responds to the contemporary moment and contributes to the development of contemporary artistic jewellery.


Dates and Deadlines:
- Application deadline: 6 December 2026
- The professional jury will consider only fully and correctly completed applications. Selected artists and designers will be notified by 6 January 2027.
Between 6 January and 12 February 2027, selected participants will be required to send their jewellery, sign an agreement with the organiser and pay the participation fee.
- During this period, additional information may be requested for the preparation of the online platform and communication campaign, including portfolio images, texts, interviews and articles.
- Deadline for delivery of selected jewellery: 12 February 2027, together with payment of the participation fee.
- The exhibitions at Center Rog in Ljubljana and in Slovenj Gradec will take place simultaneously, from 18 March to 17 April 2027.
- The works will be returned to the artists after 10 May 2027.
- Works selected for awards, events or other projects may, by prior agreement, remain in the organiser’s care for a longer period.
If a participant does not respond to the organiser’s requests within one year of submitting the work, the work will become the property of the organiser.


Fees and Financial conditions: 
A 70€ fee is charged for the return and insurance of the works while they are in the organiser’s care. The fee is payable by the selected artist upon notification of selection.


Application:
The application must include the completed application form.
The online application form is available on the SIJW website: slovenianjewelryweek.com
Required information in the application form is:

- Author's Biography / CV
- must not exceed 800 characters
- should be written as a concise text suitable for presentation on the SIJW website, in the catalogue and in other publications;
- must be written in the third person.

- Information about the jewellery/collection
Applicants may submit up to three (3) individual jewellery pieces including: 
- a description and concept of the submitted jewellery piece(s) or collection (maximum 800 characters);
- high-resolution photographs of the jewellery (JPG format, 300 dpi);
- files named according to the following format: surname_firstname_collection-title_jewellery-piece
Example: smith_john_self-reflection_ring
- a collection may include a ring, necklace, bracelet, earrings, brooch, etc.

- Artist photograph
- a high-resolution photograph of the artist (JPG format, 300 dpi);
- file named according to the following format: surname_firstname_portrait. Example: smith_john_portrait

- Statement of authorship

*Only complete applications will be considered.


Contact: For additional information about the application process, please contact us at: hello@slovenianjewelryweek.com