Scientifically-minded artists take note: There’s an artists residency program just for you. CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva and the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT) in Liverpool have announced an international open call for the new COLLIDE International Award.

The prize is a three-month, fully-funded residency, split between the two organizations, and 15,000 Swiss Francs ($15,200). The winner will partner with a CERN scientist, and work closely with CERN and FACT staff on a proposed project.

“Our desire is to connect the worlds of leading scientists with international artists through ‘creative collisions’, encouraging both fields to inspire and challenge each other, and pushing the boundaries of their traditional roles and methodologies,” said Monica Bello, head of Arts@CERN, in a statement.

TheArts@CERN program has long supported artists exploring the overlapping sectors of art and technology. The first COLLIDE residency program began in 2011, but this year’s edition, which introduces the International Award, is the first to involve the FACT media arts center.

“Particle physics and the arts are inextricably linked: both are ways to explore our existence, what it is to be human and our place in the universe,” it states on Arts@CERN‘s homepage.

Anselm Kiefer at CERN.
Photo: Julian Calo, courtesy CERN.

“Encouraging curiosity is central to our agenda, and introducing the public to experimental and open-minded artists is an amazing way to inspire creativity both within science and arts,” added FACT director Mike Stubbs in a statement.

The list of criteria for applicants calls for “artists interested in the cultural significance of science” or “pushing the traditional forms of collaboration between the artistic and scientific fields.” There are no requirements for age or nationality, although the winner must speak English in order to communicate with the FACT and CERN teams.

Applications are being accepted until May 23, 2016, and the winner of the COLLIDE International Award will be announced at the end of June.