CODE 2026 OPEN CALL
Reclaiming Digital Agency
“Due to the responses, questions, and enthusiasm we received, we’ve decided to extend the deadline for our open call.”
Are you an artist, designer, researcher, software designer or developer? Working in marketing, law, technology, policymaking, politics? Interested in human rights and equality? Are you open to working on collaborative projects that can speak to the imagination of a wider audience and inspire them to think about their digital agency? If you answered yes to any of these questions, or if you’re simply concerned about our digital rights and the lack of agency across the online platforms we use, then IMPAKT is looking for you!
Respond to this open call to join a co-creation project across the Netherlands and Belgium concerning digital rights! The deadline is 6 March 2026 (before 23:59 CET). We will try to inform you about the results of your application before 13 March 2026.
CODE 2026 programme
CODE 2026 is a five-month co-creation trajectory running from April to July 2026. Participants will work in interdisciplinary groups, guided by mentors, through a series of physical and remote meetings. The programme consists of five on-site appointments, two remote working moments with mentors, and a final three-day hackathon, which will take place at the end of the co-creation process.
All meetings and activities will be conducted in English.
Meetings and activities
All sessions, with the exception of online meetings and the hackathon, will generally take place between 13:00 and 18:00. The time is indicative and may be subject to slight changes.
1st session: Saturday 25 April 2026
2nd session: Saturday 2 May 2026
Remote activity with individual groups and mentors: either 9 or 16 May 2026
3rd session: Saturday 23 May 2026
4th session: Saturday 6 June 2026
Remote activity with individual groups and mentors: either 13 or 20 June 2026
5th session: Saturday 27 June 2026
Final hackathon: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 10–12 July 2026
Applicants should carefully consider this schedule before applying.
Participation in all activities is mandatory.
The hackathon: a different format
In contrast to previous editions, the CODE 2026 hackathon will take place at the end of the programme, functioning as the concluding moment of the co-creation process rather than its starting point.
The hackathon will be organised as a camping-based gathering. IMPAKT will arrange basic camp facilities. Participants are expected to bring their own tent or van. Participants who prefer to stay in a hotel may do so at their own expense. IMPAKT is currently researching nearby hotel options.
What is CODE about?
Initiated in 2021 as a response to growing concerns regarding agency over digital tools and online platforms, CODE aims to influence public policy and build awareness of the most pressing digital challenges today. Through cross-disciplinary collaborations we hope to address the hegemonic influence of big tech companies on our digital autonomy and interrogate the role of the government in such a matter. With CODE, we are driven by the question: what can we, as concerned citizens, researchers, and artists, do to support and reclaim digital agency?
With the open call for CODE 2026, we invite creatives, professional and non-professional artists, and concerned citizens of the Netherlands and Belgium to embark on a journey of critical discourse and collaborative creation regarding digital rights. Between April and July of 2026, you will work with other participants on group artworks to be presented at international festivals and events.
Across the past five editions of CODE, we have supported over 130 artists and non-artists alike in collaboration on creative projects. We have also brought together national and international politicians and pundits for interviews, panels, and presentations, and we have presented projects produced in CODE at international events such as Ars Electronica, transmediale, Dutch Design Week, MozFest House, Public Spaces Conference, re:publica, Dutch Media Week, Betweter, and the Computers, Privacy and Data Protection (CPDP) conference.
The projects that were produced, the talks hosted, and the many interviews shared with politicians, policy-makers, and activists can all be found at code.impakt.nl
CODE 2026 is an international programme organised by IMPAKT [Centre for Media Culture] in Utrecht, in collaboration with Werktank, (production platform for media art) in Leuven and Privacy Salon / CPDP (Computers, Privacy and Data Protection conference) in Brussels.
Selection and stipend
Participants for CODE 2026 must be living in the Netherlands or Belgium and will be selected based primarily on their motivation. We’re looking for a diverse group in skills and background: whether you work in the arts or technology, activism or policymaking, law or education, we want people motivated by a concern for digital rights. Everyone is welcome to apply; no previous experience is required.
Participation is free of charge, and selected participants will receive a stipend of 200 euro. For the group projects as well we provide a small production budget of 200 euros. We will reimburse travel costs for on-site meetings.
Please note:
Receiving the stipend is strictly conditional on active participation in all scheduled activities, including meetings, remote sessions, and the final hackathon.
Applicants are therefore asked to carefully check their availability before submitting an application.
Schedule of events
- 15 February: (before 23:59 CET): deadline to respond to the open call for participation.
- 8 March 2026: applicants will receive notification of the results of their applications before 8 March 2026.
- Meetings and Workshops: Saturday 25 April 2026 (Utrecht), Saturday 2 May 2026 (Utrecht), Saturday 23 May 2026 (Utrecht or Brussels, TBD), Saturday 6 June 2026 (Utrecht), Saturday 27 June 2026 (Utrecht).
- Remote activity with individual groups and mentors: groups and mentors will chose a slot either 9 or 16 May 2026 + either 13 or 20 June 2026 (online)
- 10, 11 and 12 July 2026 : final 3-day hackathon (in Dreumel, The Netherland)
- September to December 2026: Presentations and exhibitions at international festivals and events
Final works
By the end of the programme in July, we expect you and your group to have conceived and executed a final work. You will have ample time across a series of workshops to provide and receive feedback from fellow participants as well as from our invited policy makers, and other established artists.
Finished projects will be included on the CODE Website and will be further supported, publicised, and presented at international festivals and events beyond the end of the programme.
You can have a look at a selection of projects from the previous editions at code.impakt.nl.
Further information
Deadline
The deadline to apply is
6 March 2026 (before 23:59 CET).
We will try to inform you of the results of your application before 13 March 2026.
FAQ
Can I apply if I live outside the Netherlands or Belgium?
Applicants of any citizenship must live in the Netherlands or Belgium to be eligible.
When is the deadline to apply?
The deadline is 15 February 2026 (before 23:59 CET). You will receive notification of the results of your application before 8 March 2026.
Are there language requirements?
The programme is conducted in English; good proficiency in English for collaboration and presentation is required.
Can students apply?
Yes, we encourage everyone who is interested in collaborating on topics such as digital rights and digital agency to apply!
How many participants are typically selected?
We typically select 20–30 participants total, organised into 4–8 interdisciplinary groups (team size varies by project and composition).
What is the financial compensation?
Selected participants will receive a stipend of 200 euro. For the group projects as well we provide a small production budget of 200 euros. Costs for travel for the three-day Hackathon will be reimbursed, as well as the travel costs of all onsite meetings in Utrecht.
The stipend is conditional on full attendance at all scheduled events and is paid after completion of the programme (or upon verification of full participation), following submission of any required documentation.
What is the expected time investment outside of scheduled meetings and activities?
This varies by group. While scheduled meetings provide core working time, previous editions have shown that many groups choose to meet, discuss and work on their projects outside of official sessions. Expect additional time commitments depending on your group’s working style and project needs.
What materials or equipment should I bring?
Bring personal devices you need for your practice (laptop, chargers, adapters). For the hackathon, bring a tent, caravan or camper van if you plan to camp; we provides basic camp facilities only.
Can I participate remotely only?
No. Full participation in all on-site activities is required.
How are projects supported after the programme?
Completed works are documented on the CODE Website and supported for dissemination; IMPAKT assists with publicity and festival or exhibition submissions where feasible.
What is the “Hackathon”, and why is it called that?
The Hackathon in CODE 2026 is the programme’s intensive, final three‑day gathering (10–12 July) where teams converge to finalise, test and prepare public‑facing outputs developed during the co‑creation process. The name “Hackathon” is used in its broader, activist sense: a concentrated, collaborative sprint for building interventions, campaigns, and prototypes that respond to digital rights issues. It does not mean a technical training course or a coding workshop. While some projects will involve code or technical tools, the Hackathon emphasises collective strategy, production, staging and public impact, combining creative, political and technical practices.
About the organisers
IMPAKT [Centre for Media Culture]
IMPAKT is a media arts organisation founded in 1988 and based in Utrecht (The Netherlands). We present critical and creative views on contemporary media culture and arts in an interdisciplinary context. We aim to identify urgent issues in our digital and transglobal culture by focusing on the relationship between society, media, technology and arts. We examine issues around politics, science and popular culture from a plethora of angles and perspectives. We present creative and innovative approaches to both commonly held beliefs in society and dominant perceptions in arts and academia that not only stir debate but also provide novel, critical ideas.
Werktank is a media arts producer and distributor based in Leuven (Belgium), operating at the intersection of art, science and technology. Werktank embraces new media and fuses it with artisanal techniques that critically question the impact of (new) technologies. Werktank offers a professional context and financial support for artists and can help guide them into the next phase of their artistic practice.
Privacy Salon
Privacy Salon is the organizer of the annual CPDP Computers, Privacy and Data Protection conference in Brussels. Privacy Salon aims at critically informing the broader public, policy makers and industry in Belgium, Europe and beyond about privacy, data protection and other social and ethical issues being raised with the introduction of new technologies in society. In addition, Privacy Salon wants to play a role in policy-making and the evaluation of privacy and data protection policy through consultancy for both industry / research institutions, but also for policy-oriented research on privacy, data protection, and social-ethical consequences of new technologies.