CREATE YOUR / OUR FUTURE ?
Are you young, committed and passionate about art? Is your head bursting with ideas about people, technology and the world of tomorrow? Want to showcase your talent as a young artist (in the making) at the Metropolis festival?
Sign up for Create Your / Our Future, where we are looking for young people who dare to look the future in the eye.
Metropolis?
Metropolis 2026 is a youth and arts festival taking place in Antwerp between 16 and 25 October. We look ahead and engage in dialogue with our future, just as Fritz Lang did a hundred years ago in his film Metropolis. We challenge you to share your world view with us through art:
- What will the city look like in 100 years?
- What role will technology play?
- What will it mean to be “human” in 2126?
Sign me up! How can I participate?
Create Your / Our Future is looking for talent from all disciplines. You register for a preliminary round in one of the following categories:
MUSIC – STAGE – SPOKEN WORD – FILM – VISUAL ARTS
In the preliminary round of your choice, you will demonstrate how you have addressed the above questions. From there, you can advance to the final during the Metropolis festival on 16–17–18 October 2026 in De Studio.
What's in it for you?
As a finalist, you will receive substantive coaching in the form of workshops led by experts, with extra attention paid to how your work relates to the Metropolis theme. If you win the final, you will receive professional experience in your category, a concrete stepping stone to greater visibility and further development.
The preliminary rounds will take place in various districts of Antwerp
- Podium: BLOC 2030 (Antwerpen) - 3 May
- Music: De Roma, foyer (Borgerhout) – 9 May
- Spoken Word: Kafka (Antwerpen) – 10 May
- Film: De Kern (Wilrijk) – 16 May
- Beeldende Kunst: Gravenhof (Hoboken) – 16 May
Requirements
- You are between 15 and 25 years old.
- You have an artistic flair and enjoy reflecting on society.
- You want to use art to reflect on technology, the future and humanity.
- Everyone is welcome, regardless of your experience!
Join us!
Ready to shape your/our vision of the future?
Register for the different categories in the weblinks below.
By registering, you comply with the regulations.
Stage
On 3 May 2026, BLOC 2030 will take you on a journey into the future. In the stage category, we are looking for young creators who use theatre, dance, performance or hybrid forms to reflect on humans and machines and who have an act lasting no longer than 7 minutes. Solo or in a group, with or without text: anything goes, as long as your performance takes an artistic look at the metropolis of tomorrow. How does the human body move in a city that is increasingly controlled by technology? What happens to emotions, freedom and coexistence when machines have a say? Show us how you feel, think and imagine the future on stage, and turn the stage into a place where the present and the future meet.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/gCf4heCuBhBwwCHz8
Music
On 9 May 2026, the foyer of De Roma (Borgerhout) will become the sound laboratory of the future. In the music category, we are looking for artists who use sound, rhythm and lyrics to reflect on technology, cities and humanity. From electronic productions to acoustic sets, from hip hop to experimental soundscapes: solo, band or producer, everything is welcome. You will have 7 minutes to show us what you think the metropolis of tomorrow will sound like. What role does technology play in your music or story? Can music preserve warmth and humanity in a digital world? Bring us a sound that looks ahead and lingers in the mind.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/V74ZzL4bb8E8CRx76
Spoken Word
On 10 May 2026, your voice will be heard at Kavka Oudaan (Antwerp). In the spoken word category, we are looking for young wordsmiths who reflect on the future through poetry, storytelling or performative text. Solo or with minimal support: your words take centre stage. Who are we when data knows more than feelings? How do you live in a city that never goes offline? And what does the future mean when you are young today? Use language as a bridge between today and tomorrow, and share with us how you see and express 2126 in a performance lasting no more than 7 minutes.
Register here: https://forms.gle/QzAV84Mac7LbjxW69
Film
De Kern (Wilrijk) will open its doors on 16 May 2026 to young filmmakers with an eye on tomorrow. In this category, we are looking for short films, animations, documentaries or experimental videos that reflect on technology, humanity and the city of the future and last no longer than 7 minutes. Fiction or reality, classic or groundbreaking: your vision is key. What will everyday life look like in a future metropolis? Where do humans and machines clash, and what do we gain or lose through progress? Tell your story in images and take us to 2126.
Register here: https://forms.gle/zyweaqNNpKjQNvUi8
Visual Arts
On 16 May 2026, young artists will present their vision of the future at the Gravenhof (Hoboken). In the visual arts category, we are looking for work that uses objects, installations, illustration, photography, digital or mixed media to reflect on people, machines and the metropolis. Individually or collectively, with work that can be experienced in an exhibition context. What does the city of tomorrow look like in images? Where does the boundary between humans and technology blur? And what materials or forms belong to the future? Build, display and imagine your world of 2126.
Register here: https://forms.gle/EiDaazgHgPfwt95bA