Creating a world? Join our new research project

Deadline for submission: February 23, 2024, midnight GMT.
Scroll down to read submission guidelines & submit your project here.

We live in a time in which we desire to create new worlds.

Worldbuilding is known as the practice of creating imaginary worlds. The worlds of Star Wars, Ursula K. Le Guin or Disney are examples of that; each a universe that is rich in detail, continuously expanding and immersive and believable to those who engage with it.

We believe that worldbuilding can be more than creating fictional worlds. As we find ourselves within structures and narratives that don't work anymore, the act of imagining and co-creating new worlds becomes a necessary creative practice.

A world in that sense is a playground for creating everything; not only making things inside the world (its content) but also experimenting with new ways for how the world works as a whole; its rules, language and architecture. As a response to a rapidly changing environment, worldbuilding becomes a creative practice to regain a sense of agency and autonomy.

This Open Call is about finding the worlds that imagine and co-create alternative futures. We’re looking for projects that apply worldbuilding as a means to create new narratives, communities and spaces - both virtual and physical - for people to inhabit, believe in and evolve together.

SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT HERE

Get published in our upcoming memo

This Open Call is a portal into our ongoing research process towards Networked Worlds, an upcoming publication that investigates the creative potential of worldbuilding in 21st century culture. We’re looking for individuals and collectives that apply worlding as a creative practice within the following categories:

1. Aesthetic worlds that come to life through 3D modelling, game engines, artificial intelligence and extended reality technologies. 

2. Community worlds which are manifested through websites, platforms, protocols, virtual and physical spaces. 

3. Narrative worlds which can be experienced through stories, concepts, films and oral narratives.

We acknowledge that worlds are continuously emerging and evolving. Existing within, between and beyond these groupings. If you’re creating a world that touches on anything above, we’d love to hear from you. You are welcome to apply as an individual or collective. If you are unsure if you meet all criteria, we still encourage you to apply.

If selected, you’ll be invited to join our collaborative research process and represent your world in our upcoming publication. Out of all submissions, 10 projects will be selected and rewarded with 1000,- EUR for their contribution.

An ongoing research into Networked Culture

Networked Worlds will be the third and final part of our Networked Culture trilogy – a series of research memos presented by WeTransfer that explore the effects of emergent technologies on the creative process. The first two memos, Networked Counterculture and Networked Reality, are available as free PDF downloads. 

Networked Culture is a collaboration between WeTransfer and research and design studio co—matter.

Submit your projects until February 23, 2024

Here’s how it works:

1. Submit your project through our application form. Both individuals and collectives are welcome to apply. It only takes a few minutes.

2. Out of all submissions, 10 projects will be chosen and invited to represent their world in our upcoming memo. Projects will be chosen based on criteria of originality, vision and diversity by a jury consisting of WeTransfer’s and co—matter’s research leads.

3. If selected, we will email you on Tuesday 27th February with a link to join our collaborative Figma board - where you will have the space to create a double-page spread that represents your world and gives insights into its architecture, principles and processes of building and interacting with it.

4. The collaboration process will run from Tuesday 27th February to Friday 8th March. The Networked Worlds memo will be published at the end of March.

5. Selected projects will receive 1000,- EUR as a payment for their contribution. Please note that while you are welcome to apply as a collective, payment is distributed per project (the fee is fixed regardless if the application is collective or individual).  

SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT HERE

Before submitting your project, read our privacy notice here. 

Any questions? Email us. (ciara@wetransfer.com)

We’re excited to hear about your projects.