CALL FOR SCENARIO WRITERS

Background and objectives

FilmEU is a European University Alliance in the field of film and media arts education. The Alliance is developing a decentralised, transnational, future-ready model for the FilmEU Future Campus 2040, integrating physical and virtual environments across partner institutions.

Within the Erasmus+ European University Project FilmEU +, WP4: Resources, Task 4.4 Campus focuses on the conceptualisation and pre-design of this Future Campus, including the preparation of an architectural design call. To ensure that this call is grounded in robust futures thinking and participatory input, FilmEU+ will commission a set of narrative scenarios that describe possible futures for the FilmEU Future Campus around 2040.

The present call seeks to select a group of scenario writers who will develop 4 to 6 fully articulated narrative scenarios based on a substantial body of workshop outputs (textual and visual) collected between June and November 2025. These outputs are building blocks for developing the scenarios.

Scope of the call

The selected writers will translate existing foresight material into narrative scenarios that:

• Describe futures images of the FilmEU campus ecosystem (physical, digital, and hybrid).
• Provide world building frameworks to inform an international architectural design call.
• Explore the spatial, technological, pedagogical, ecological, social, and cultural dimensions of future campus life.

Scenarios will build on the Four Scenarios Matrix (Growth, Collapse, Discipline, Transformation) and The Voroscope Matrix (a futures framework exploring projected, preferred, probable, plausible and preposterous futures), both futures thinking techniques which were used to collect the Futures Building Blocks.

Foresight context

Between June 2025 and June 2026, the FilmEU+ Futures Campus working group organised six largescale workshops with students, academic and non-academic staff, institutional leaders, production designers, and industry professionals. These workshops generated, among other outputs:

• Future learning environments and campus typologies.
• Speculative ideas on how to use architectural elements such as space and materials.
• Speculative artefacts, “postcards from the future”, and narrative vignettes.
• Futures Triangle analyses, scenario fragments, and foresight cards.
• AI generated visual prompts and campus images.

This material will be made available to the selected writers as the primary input for the scenario writing process.

Tasks and deliverables

Each selected writer will be expected to contribute to a portfolio of 4 to 6 scenarios.

Mandatory deliverables per scenario

For each scenario, the following components are required:

Narrative scenario (max. 2,000 words)

• A vivid, coherent narrative describing everyday life, learning, and creative practice in the FilmEU Future Campus (circa 2040).
• May use diverse narrative formats (e.g. third person narrative, first person account, design fiction, scripted scenes), provided it remains clear and usable for design purposes.

Spatial and architectural description (max. 800 words)

• Description of campus environments, spatial typologies, circulation, materials, atmospheres, and relationships between sites (physical and virtual).

Pedagogical context (max. 500 words)

• Explanation of learning processes, curricula, AI–human tutoring, mobility between nodes, and student roles.

Technological ecology (max. 500 words)

• Key technologies and infrastructures (AI systems, XR/VR, data governance, interfaces) and their implications for creative education.

Social and ecological context (max. 500 words)

• Governance models, participation and decision making, relations with local communities, climate conditions, energy systems, and sustainability logics.

All texts must be delivered in English.

Process related tasks

• Participation in an online briefing session (15 Sept 2026).
• Review of shared workshop documentation and alignment with the Task 4.4 methodology.
• Participation in a kick-off workshop in FilmEU Industry Summit, IADT, Dublin, Ireland (26-30 Oct 2026).
• Participation in at least one interim online feedback session (15 Dec 2026).
• Revision of scenarios following consolidated feedback from the FilmEU concept team.

Expected profile of applicants

This call is open to natural persons. The following profiles are particularly encouraged to apply:

• Screenwriters, script consultants, and narrative designers.
• Writers of speculative or science fiction, design fiction, or world building projects.
• Futures researchers and practitioners using narrative methods.
• Artists and practitioners working at the intersection of storytelling, architecture, design, and technology.

Desirable experience and competences include:

• Experience with film, media arts, or audiovisual storytelling.
• Familiarity with futures thinking, speculative design, or scenario methods.
• Interest in architecture, space, urbanism, or campus design.
• Ability to write visually and spatially rich narratives in English.

Experience within or in collaboration with higher education institutions, especially in arts education, will be considered an asset.

Eligibility Conditions

• The applicant must be at least 18 years old at the time of submission.
• Applications must be submitted in English and within the stated deadline.
• The application must be complete and include all requested documents (see Application procedure section ).
• Double funding for the same work under other schemes is not permitted.

FilmEU+ partners’ staff may apply, subject to internal conflict of interest rules of their home institution and of the project.

Contracting, budget and duration

The position is funded through the FilmEU+ project. Up to 5 scenario writers will be selected. Selected applicants will be invited to an online interview prior to contracting. The writing and revision period will run from October 2026 to March 2027. The remuneration and contractual conditions will be communicated to shortlisted candidates during the interview process.

Application procedure

Applicants must submit the following documents in a single PDF file:

Application form / Motivation letter (max. 2 pages)

• Motivation to participate in the FilmEU Future Campus 2040 scenario writing process.
• Description of relevant experience in writing, storytelling, futures thinking, and/or design related work.

Short curriculum vitae or bio (max. 300 words)

• Including main publications, scripts, performances, exhibitions, or equivalent.

Writing sample (max. 2,000 words)

• Preferably a text that demonstrates speculative, world building, or narrative design skills (e.g. screenplay extract, short story, design fiction, game narrative).

Optional concept sketch (max. 1 page)

• A brief outline of one possible future FilmEU campus scenario (no full story required).
• If selected, you will be invited to attend in-person the FilmEU Industry Summit (26-30 Oct 2026), IADT, Dublin, Ireland. (expenses will be covered by the FilmEU Plus project). Please indicate your availability to participate in a kick-off workshop.

Submission

• Applications must be submitted by email to: future.campus@filmeu.eu
• Subject line: “FilmEU Future Campus 2040 – Scenario Writer Application – [Name]”
• Deadline for submission: 31 Aug 2026, 23:59 CEST

Selection and evaluation

Applications will be evaluated by a selection panel appointed by FilmEU+ (Task 4.4 Campus team and invited experts). The panel will assess applications against the following criteria:

Quality of writing and narrative skills (40%)

• Clarity, expressiveness, and capacity to create rich worlds and characters.

Relevance of experience (25%)

• Proven work in screenwriting, speculative fiction, futures work, narrative design, or related fields.

Fit with the aims of the call (25%)

• Demonstrated interest in future campus imaginaries, film/media arts, education, architecture, or design.

Diversity and complementarity (10%)

• Contribution to a diverse portfolio of perspectives across geography, disciplines, and narrative approaches.

The panel may invite shortlisted candidates to a brief online interview before final selection.

All applicants will be informed of the outcome by email by 10 Sept 2026.

Intellectual property and use of results

The selected writers will grant FilmEU+ and its partner institutions the right to use, reproduce, adapt, translate, and disseminate the scenarios for the purposes of:

• The architectural design call and related design processes.
• Internal strategic discussions and planning.
• Public communication, dissemination, and educational activities (including possible publication and documentary projects).

Moral rights will remain with the authors and will be duly acknowledged in all uses, in line with the contract. Detailed IP provisions will be specified in the service/author’s contract.

Data protection

Personal data will be processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and used solely for the purposes of managing this call, contracting, and related communication. Applicants may request access to, rectification, or deletion of their personal data in line with institutional policies.

Contact

For questions regarding the content of the call or the application process, please contact: future.campus@filmeu.eu