BEC-A

Three Emerging Perspectives on Barcelona 2026

Open Call

The BEC-A. laCapell Fellowship is a new initiative by La Capell launching an open call to support three emerging voices interested in producing critical perspectives on Barcelona within the framework of the 2026 World Capital of Architecture and the UIA World Congress of Architects Barcelona 2026.

The call aims to promote writing as a tool for observation, reflection and public intervention. At a time when Barcelona becomes an international stage for architectural debate, this fellowship invites participants to listen to, analyse and critically interpret the contributions, lectures, conversations, exhibitions, public activities and debates taking place around Barcelona 2026.

The programme seeks texts capable of understanding this moment not merely as an institutional event, but as a field of tensions, questions and possibilities: what is being said, who is speaking, which agendas become visible, which urban imaginaries are activated, and which issues remain on the margins.

Purpose of the Call

The call will select three critical writing proposals that take as their primary material the contributions, discussions and debates generated within the framework of Barcelona 2026, including the UIA World Congress of Architects Barcelona 2026.

Selected participants will be required to attend, follow or document a selection of lectures, round tables, presentations, exhibitions, public sessions or activities related to Barcelona 2026.

Applicants are invited to propose individual or collective texts reflecting on questions such as:

• Which voices, practices, territories and conflicts are represented at the UIA Congress, and which are left out?
• What tensions emerge between major international architectural discourses and the everyday urban realities of Barcelona?
• How are housing, climate emergency, care, inequality, heritage, technology, public space and urban justice discussed within the framework of Barcelona 2026?
• What kind of city does Barcelona 2026 project, and how does it engage with—or contradict—the lived city?
• What critical legacy can congresses, cultural capitals and major architectural events leave beyond their immediate celebration?

Who Can Apply

The call is open to emerging voices of any age, nationality or disciplinary background connected to architecture, urbanism, curatorial practice, writing, research, artistic practices, design, social sciences, urban humanities or related fields.

An emerging voice will be understood as an individual or collective that, regardless of age, does not yet have a widely established trajectory in the fields of architectural, urban or cultural criticism.

Particular consideration will be given to proposals that combine observational skills, critical rigour, situated perspectives, narrative sensitivity and a willingness to engage in public debate on architecture and the city.

The call is open to both individuals and collectives. In the case of collective proposals, the financial award will be granted once per selected proposal and must be managed internally by its members.

Grant Amount

The total budget allocated to the call is €4,500.

Three fellowships of €1,000 gross each will be awarded to the selected individuals or collectives for the production of an original critical text or a compilation of texts.

The remaining €1,500, managed by the organisation, will be allocated to editing, proofreading, design, publication and/or public presentation of the resulting texts.

The fellowship, managed by Cooperativa La Capell, amounts to €1,000 gross and will be subject to applicable tax withholdings.

Commitment of Selected Participants

Selected participants commit to developing one or more original critical texts related to the conceptual framework of the fellowship. Texts may be written in Catalan, Spanish or English and should have a recommended total length of between 2,500 and 5,000 words, whether as a single text or as several texts.

The text or texts must be based, wholly or partially, on the direct or documented observation of contributions, lectures, conversations, debates, exhibitions or public activities linked to the World Capital of Architecture and, in particular, the UIA Barcelona 2026 Congress.

A shorter version of the text may also be requested for digital dissemination, as well as participation in a public presentation, conversation or activity related to the publication of the results.

Proposals capable of engaging with visual materials, drawings, archives, maps, photographs, field notes, conversation excerpts or other forms of critical documentation will be particularly valued.

Copyright and Publication Rights

The author of the awarded work grants temporary copyright permissions solely for the publication of the awarded text.

The processing of personal data will be carried out in accordance with GDPR Regulation (EU) 2016/679.

Submission to this call implies authorisation for laCapell to edit, proofread, publish, partially translate, disseminate and publicly present the resulting texts, always with explicit acknowledgement of authorship and their commercial distribution.

The organisation may request a shortened version of the texts for digital dissemination, as well as adapted excerpts for public communication, social media, presentations or materials related to the final publication.

Timeline

• Launch of the call: 18 June 2026
• Deadline for applications: 29 June 2026, 11:59 pm
• Notification of selected participants: before 4 July 2026
• First follow-up meeting: July 2026
• Submission of final text: Autumn/Winter 2026
• Publication and/or public presentation: Winter 2026–2027

Application Materials

Interested applicants must submit the following documentation:

• Text proposal, maximum 500 words, indicating the topic, format, approach, provisional title and the type of sessions, debates, lectures, activities or issues to be followed.
  File name: Surname_Name_Proposal.pdf
• Short biography, maximum 200 words, and CV, maximum two pages.
  File name: Surname_Name_CV.pdf
• Writing sample, published or unpublished, maximum 2,000 words.
  File name: Surname_Name_Sample.pdf
• Contact information: name, nationality, email address and telephone number.
  File name: Surname_Name_Contact.pdf

The documentation—four PDF files of less than 2 MB each—must be submitted by email before 11:59 pm on 27 June 2026 to: BECA@lacapell.com.

Selection Committee

Proposals will be assessed by a committee composed of:

• Pep Avilés, architect and founder of FAKTUR. Revista d’Arquitectura i Crítica
• Pau Bajet, architect and representative of the curatorial team of Becoming, UIA Barcelona 2026 Congress
• Beth Galí, architect and co-artistic director of Model 2022
• Mar Gené Cuairan, designer and co-curator of 73 Barcelones
• Eva Franch i Gilabert, architect, curator, co-artistic director of Model 2022, director of Model 2023 and initiator of BEC-A
• Eva Serrats, architect and filmmaker, curator of Model 2022 and representative of Cooperativa La Capell

The committee will assess the critical quality of the proposal, its relevance to Barcelona 2026, the clarity of its approach, the uniqueness of its voice and the capacity of the text to interpret, question and open up new architectural and urban imaginaries based on the debates generated during the Capitality programme and the UIA Congress.

The committee reserves the right to declare one or more fellowships void if it considers that the proposals received do not meet the objectives or criteria of the call.

Evaluation Criteria

The following criteria will be taken into account:

• Relevance of the proposed topic in relation to Barcelona, the World Capital of Architecture and the UIA Congress.
• Ability to draw from the critical observation of lectures, conversations, debates, public activities or materials produced during Barcelona 2026.
• Critical, speculative and narrative quality of the proposal.
• Capacity to provide an emerging, situated and unconventional perspective.
• Relationship to contemporary debates on the city, architecture, ecology, housing, public space, care, technology, culture or urban justice.
• Feasibility of completing the text within the proposed timeline.
• Potential for public dissemination.

Origin of BEC-A

BEC-A originates from the funds raised through the sale and auction of drawings presented in the exhibitions 99+ Imaginaris and 73 Barcelones, held in 2022 and 2023 within the framework of Model. Festival d’Arquitectures de Barcelona.

The funds obtained were intended to support emerging voices dedicated to the production and dissemination of experimental architectures. This call, focused on critical writing, maintains that commitment by critically examining the present and future within the context of Barcelona 2026, opening a space to reflect on the role of architecture, congresses, cultural capitals and urban imaginaries in the transformation of the city.

Management and Acceptance of the Terms

Participation in this call implies acceptance of these terms and conditions.

The personal data provided by applicants will be used exclusively for the management of this call and will not be transferred to third parties, except where strictly necessary for its administration.

The organisation reserves the right to introduce minor adjustments to the timeline or production conditions, provided that such changes do not substantially alter the purpose or funding of the call.

For enquiries regarding the call: BECA@lacapell.com