The competition, titled A Nossa Voz (“Our Voice”), is aimed at 20 schools across the 14 municipalities of the Évora district. According to the organising body, Associação Évora 2027, the initiative is designed to foster “active participation from school communities by creating artistic activities both inside and outside the classroom, fully discussed, reflected and defined by pupils of all ages”.

Conceived by Évora_27 and coordinated by choreographer and programmer Madalena Victorino, the project encourages students to reflect on one key question: “What do I want to say to Europe from the stage of my school?”

The association explained that A Nossa Voz is rooted in the ancestral concept of Vagar, which underpins Évora_27’s cultural strategy. This philosophy promotes balance and harmony between people, nature, and the wider universe.

Working with a collective of artists, students will develop creative projects across performance, visual arts, music, craftsmanship, architecture, design, and cross-disciplinary practices. Organisers highlight that the initiative will become “a significant generational and social experience”, aligned with the European Union’s values of justice, sustainability, and inclusivity.

The selected projects will be developed during the academic years 2026/2027 and 2027/2028, with a budget of €400,000. Final results will form part of the Évora_27 artistic programme.

This call is the first of four planned open calls set out in Évora’s winning ECoC bid. The remaining calls, due later this year, will invite proposals from artists, associations, institutions, and communities in Alentejo and beyond, offering opportunities to contribute to the 2027 programme.