Opiforia · Laboratory
Art brings us together.
A shared space for artists, materials, ideas and new ways of creating.
The Laboratory was born as a meeting place. Different paths, techniques and ways of understanding art live side by side here. Each artist keeps their own voice and shares what they wish to show: works, processes, experiences and projects.
Meet the artists CoursesPeople · Materials · Perspectives
Opiforia artists
Different paths and artistic languages, one common space for sharing creation.
Daniele Cipolletti
Sculpture · Model making · Stage design · Painting
Form, matter and the creation of spaces: from sculpture to building stage worlds.
Franco Cipolletti
Art ceramics · Sculpture
An exploration of image and form through ceramics and sculpture.
Tiziano Anselmi
Marble sculpture · Guardea, Italy
The strength of stone and the sensitivity of the gesture meet in sculptures where marble takes on form, expression and meaning.
The Laboratory is growing: new artists and disciplines will join little by little.
Ideas in motion
Shared projects
Some works are not made alone. A shared project is born from many hands: two or more artists who bring together crafts, materials and perspectives to create something none of them would make on their own.
Many sculpture competitions and symposia, in snow, ice, straw, hay or sand, are worked in teams. Here we gather open calls, with links to the information and to registration, so you can find teammates and enter together with other artists.
Opiforia is the meeting point: it brings together artists interested in the same call and puts them in touch, with their permission. Each team decides its own project and registers directly with the organiser; the work and the prizes belong to the team. And if you need it, we help you with your application for free: write to us at least 15 days before the deadline.
Looking for a team or have an idea? Tell us.
Open calls for teamwork
Kiruna International Snow Sculpture Competition
Kiruna, Sweden
- Date
- 27–30 January 2027
- Team
- 2 artists
- Deadline
- 31 October 2026
- Prize
- SEK 10,000 (jury) + SEK 5,000 (public)
Jelgava International Ice Sculpture Festival
Jelgava, Latvia
- Date
- 30 January – 6 February 2027
- Team
- 2 artists · plus one individual piece each
- Deadline
- 20 November 2026
- Prize
- Up to €2,500 per team
- 2026 winners
- Altankhuu Khishigdalai and Enkhbat Damdin (Mongolia) · “Self-Imposed Liberation”
World Ice Art Championships
Fairbanks, Alaska (USA)
- Date
- 15 February – 3 March 2027
- Team
- Multi Block and Double Block
- Deadline
- First come, first served
- Prize
- To be confirmed
- 2026 winners
- Ross Baisas, Angelito Baban, Antonio Baisas and Victor Dagatan (Philippines) · “The Pack of Silk & Starlight”, Multi Block
Dolomites Snow Festival
San Candido, Italy
- Date
- 18–20 January 2027
- Team
- 3 artists · 10 teams
- Deadline
- Pending
- Prize
- To be confirmed
Concours International de Sculptures sur Neige
Valloire, France
- Date
- 19–22 January 2027
- Team
- 3 artists
- Deadline
- Pending
- Prize
- To be confirmed
- 2026 prize
- Trophies · €450 per sculptor + travel
El Pas de la Casa Snow Sculpture Competition
El Pas de la Casa, Andorra
- Date
- Late February (in 2026: 27 Feb – 1 Mar)
- Team
- 2 artists · professionals and students
- Deadline
- Pending
- Prize
- To be confirmed
- 2026 prize
- 1.000 € to the winning team
- 2026 winners
- Arnau Orobitg and Mandarine Stillwagoon · “Therion”
Concours International de Sculptures sur Paille et Foin
Valloire, France
- Date
- Late June and July
- Team
- 2 artists · 12 teams
- Deadline
- Around April 2027
- Prize
- To be confirmed
- 2026 prize
- Trophies · €530 per sculptor + travel
Fen Art · Hay sculpture festival
Pontebba, Italy
- Date
- July
- Team
- To be confirmed
- Deadline
- Pending
- Prize
- To be confirmed
Summer Signs · Sand sculpture festival
Jelgava, Latvia
- Date
- May
- Team
- Individual · no team
- Deadline
- Around March 2027
- Prize
- To be confirmed
- 2026 prize
- 2.000 € to the winner
- 2026 winners
- Oleksiy Poda (Ukraine) · “Creating your own Jurassic World”
Kalmar International Sand Sculpture Festival
Kalmar, Sweden
- Date
- July
- Team
- 2 artists · 8 teams
- Deadline
- Around April 2027
- Prize
- To be confirmed
- 2026 prize
- No cash prize · fee per team (SEK 16,000, European teams)
International Snow Sculpture Championships
Breckenridge, Colorado (USA)
- Date
- 23–27 January 2027
- Team
- Teams
- Deadline
- Closed (usually closes on 1 August)
- Prize
- No cash prize
- 2026 winners
- Team Republic of Korea (Mi Kyoung Kim, Hwan Min Jung, Wonyong Lee and Jino Bok) · “Beauty Beyond Difference”
Art of Ice · SnowDays Festival
Banff, Canada
- Date
- 5–7 February 2027
- Team
- 2 carvers · up to 12 teams
- Deadline
- Closed (20 September)
- Prize
- $1,000 per carver + prizes per round
There are no open calls for this material yet.
Dates and deadlines are indicative: always check them on each organiser’s website. Wood, ceramics, paper…? We keep looking for team calls; if you know of one, tell us.
Individual open calls
Prizes, competitions and exhibitions you can enter on your own.
XXXIV Bienal de Escultura Jacinto Higueras
Santisteban del Puerto (Jaén), Spain
- Organiser
- Jacinto Higueras Sculpture Museum
- Work
- Finished sculpture, sent to the museum under a pseudonym
- Deadline
- 15 November 2026
- Prize
- To be confirmed
IV Concurso de Escultura «Víznarte» 2026-27
Víznar (Granada), Spain
- Who
- Adult artists living in Spain
- Work
- Public sculpture project with a model
- Deadline
- 19 November 2026
- Prize
- To be confirmed (last edition: €1,000 + production of the work)
Arte Intruso 2027
La Cabrera (Madrid), Spain
- What
- Exhibition at the Centro Comarcal de Humanidades Sierra Norte during 2027
- Who
- Artists and craftspeople, alone or in a group
- Deadline
- 19 December 2026
- Prize
- No cash prize
Art Prize 2027 · G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation
Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece
- Organiser
- G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation
- Who
- Artists from around the world, solo or as a duo (prize and budget are shared)
- Work
- Large, new, permanent outdoor sculptural installation · free entry, in English or Greek
- Stay
- In Crete, up to 10 days, with return flight, accommodation and meals
- Deadline
- 30 December 2026 (23:59, Greek time)
- Prize
- €15,000 + production, transport and installation costs
- 2026 winners
- Caitlind Brown and Wayne Garrett (Canada) · “Chronotopia”
Concurso Internacional de Escultura Capa
Arganda del Rey (Madrid), Spain
- Organiser
- Capa Foundry
- Who
- Open to everyone, in Spain and abroad
- Work
- Anonymous sculpture proposal in PDF · free entry
- Deadline
- Pending
- Prize
- Cast of the work worth €10,000 (4th edition, 2024)
There are no open calls of this type yet.
Do you know a prize or an open call that should be here? Tell us.
A space under construction
Join the Laboratory
Opiforia brings together artists who want to present their work, share experiences and explore new creative possibilities. Participation is arranged through direct contact, respecting each artist’s identity and space.
Write to us See the criteriaLearning in the workshop
Courses
Another way to be part of the Laboratory is to learn with us: courses to learn by doing, from the first sketch to the finished piece, taught by Daniele Cipolletti, sculptor and stage designer. You can take them in person in our workshop or live by video call; later on, also as recorded video. These are paid courses: sign up and we’ll tell you about dates, prices and formats.
Sculpture
From block to form: modelling, proportions and volume, step by step.
- Level
- All levels
- Format
- In person · Video call
Drawing and painting
Observing, blocking in and shading: the basics for drawing with ease and preparing your sketches, all the way to a finished work (oil, watercolour, airbrush).
- Level
- Beginners
- Format
- In person · Video call
Materials and moulds
Clays, plaster, silicones and resins: how to choose them and how to make a mould of your piece.
- Level
- Beginners
- Format
- In person · Video call
Puppets and recycled materials
Make your own puppets with foam, papier-mâché and cheap or recycled materials: design, construction and movement.
- Level
- All levels · families welcome
- Format
- In person · Video call