Open Call: The World’s Largest International Immersive Video Mapping Competition URBAN PULSE

ABOUT LUNAR FESTIVAL

Five years after its founding, LUNAR Festival will present its most spectacular edition yet – the world’s largest international immersive video mapping competition. In the heart of Sofia, the festival – which annually transforms some of the city’s most beautiful buildings and landmarks – will turn one of the capital’s most iconic spaces, Largo, into a spectacular stage. 

This large-scale cultural event will celebrate Sofia Day (September 17) by bringing together artists from around the world to create works specifically for the city. The special edition of LUNAR: The Lights of Sofia will take place between September 17 and 20, 2026, and on each of the four evenings, it will surprise the audience with captivating light art presented by the finalists in the international competition.

The special edition of LUNAR: The Lights of Sofia will be organized in honor of Sofia Day to involve all residents and visitors to the city in this grand celebration.

Since its founding, the festival’s program has featured more than 170 light artworks created by over 70 artists and artistic collectives from around the world. Each year, the artistic program is distinguished by a clearly curated concept and powerful social messages related to sustainable development, education, technological progress, cultural diversity, personal responsibility toward the environment, philanthropy, and more. In this way, LUNAR serves as a platform for meaningful public debate through the medium of contemporary art.

The LUNAR Festival: The Lights of Sofia is organized by the Bulgarian video mapping and visual effects studio MP-STUDIO, in partnership with the Sofia Municipality.

Admission to the event is free.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

The “Urban Pulse” competition, organized by MP-STUDIO and the Sofia Municipality, is the world’s largest international immersive video mapping competition. On the evenings of September 17–20, 2026, seven selected video-mapping works will illuminate the facades of the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the Presidency, and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bulgaria. This spectacular event will celebrate Sofia Day – September 17 – and will be part of the fifth edition of LUNAR. The competition program will run from September 17 through 20, 2026 (inclusive), from 8:30 p.m. to midnight. Artists from around the world will have the opportunity to celebrate the richness of the imagination with an immersive video mapping show lasting between 120 and 180 seconds.

THEME

Urban Pulse

Every city has its own rhythm. It is a system of interconnected rhythms. Flows of people, transportation, light, architecture, sound, and information constantly intertwine, forming a complex network of movements, encounters, and interconnections. The city is not a static environment but a living organism whose pulse is constantly changing.

The theme invites artists to explore the city beyond its physical form. The focus is on works that offer an artistic perspective on everything that makes us love our city and on the stories that make it special to us personally. The works should reveal unexpected connections, challenge established notions of the urban environment, or offer new perspectives on how it is experienced.

PROJECTION MAPPING VENUE

• The venue for the video mapping will be one of the most iconic spaces in the capital—Largo: the facades of the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the Presidency, and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bulgaria, in Sofia, Bulgaria.
• MP-STUDIO reserves the right to change the venue.

SPECIAL AWARDS

• The finalists (a total of 7) and winners will be selected by a 7-member jury, which will include experts, organizers, and officials. Additional details will be announced.
• A total of seven finalists will be selected by the jury. Their works will be projected onto the facades of Sofia’s Largo every evening from September 17 – 20, 2026, from 8:30 p.m. to midnight.
• The selected candidates will be announced as finalists on the website www.lunarlights.eu and on the festival’s social media pages.
• The winners and finalists will be awarded as follows:

• • Jury Prize: 10,000 EUR 
  • Audience Choice Award: 10,000 EUR
  • Finalist: 3,000 EUR

DEADLINES*

*The event schedule might change depending on the venue, event circumstances, etc.

APPLICATION FORM & PORTFOLIO

You can participate in the Competition by sending ONE email, which contains all documents needed for the submission: filled Application form, signed Agreement, portfolio and Moodboard/ Storyboard, at [email protected]. Submission deadline for the applications: 26 July 2026, 23:59 CET

ELIGIBILITY AND ENTRY FEE 

Entry is free of charge. 

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION 

The organisers do not cover travel and accommodation expenses, in case the finalists would like to visit the projection mapping airings. It is the artists (finalists) own responsibility to take charge of their accommodation and travel planning.