CREATIVE CONTEST FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM ALL DISCIPLINES!

April 9th, 2026, 4-6pm – Hagerty Hall 160

Are you ready to explore the world from a fresh perspective?

Contact: Anna-Maria Senuysal (senuysal.1@osu.edu)

How do you understand Umwelt — the unique world each organism perceives and experiences?

Jakob von Uexküll (1864-1944) posited that every living creature inhabits a world of its own—its Umwelt (literally, surrounding world). To a great extent, this world is determined by that creature’s species: its physiology, its behaviour, and its environment.  But this world always takes shape through individual experience. Today, we can understand and translate Umwelt in three ways:

• as the environmental factors that affect the behavior and life of an animal or individual
• as an organism's unique sensory experience of the world
• or,  as environment, broadly speaking

How do you see the world?

How do you imagine that other creatures experience it?

Use your creative imagination to step into the shoes of a different organism, interpret your surroundings from new angles, or give an account of what your Umwelt is

What We’re Looking For

Creative projects that explore the idea of Umwelt, including (but not limited to):

• Visual art (illustrations, paintings, digital designs, photography)
• Short films or digital media
• Sculptures or small-scale installations
• Written works (poetry, short stories, essays)
• Interactive or interdisciplinary projects
• Music or sound-based work

Exhibition Format

Umwelten 2026 will be presented as a drop-in exhibition. Participating artists will install their work and engage informally with attendees. If you cannot be present at the time of exhibition, you can have your work presented in absentia!

Each selected project will include:

• A 250–500 word written reflection (museum-style label)
• The artwork itself (digital pieces can be displayed on screens)
• Digital image(s) or file(s) for inclusion in the online exhibition

A curated online exhibition will launch at 4:00 PM on April 10 alongside the in-person event and will remain accessible afterward as an archive of student work.

Prizes

• Jury Prize: $200 (selected by a three-member faculty panel)
• Audience Prize: $200 (ranked voting during the event )
• Appreciation gifts for all participating artists

How to Participate

Proposal Deadline: March 27, 2026

Submit the following:

• Project title
• Medium
• 150–250 word project description
• Estimated dimensions (projects should be modest in scale and fully self-contained. Guidelines: 2D works max 36” × 48”; 3D works should fit within a 3’ × 3’ footprint or on a standard table; no large-scale, suspended, wet, or hazardous installations)
• All technical needs for exhibiting the piece (screen, speakers, table, etc.)
• Whether you plan to attend in person

Final Materials Deadline (for accepted projects): April 7, 2026 at Noon

Accepted participants must submit:

• Final 250–500 word project description & reflection (we are happy to provide guidance on how to write these and edit with you!)
• 2-4 high-quality images or final digital files for website
• Final confirmed dimensions and exhibition needs

Physical works must be ready to install during the designated setup window (3-3.45) on April 9. If you are unable to come in person, you can drop your piece off earlier in the day and we will set it up for you!

Eligibility

All undergraduate students are eligible. Projects may be submitted by individuals or pairs. 

Students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.

Questions? Reach out Anna-Maria Senuysal at senuysal.1@osu.edu

We look forward to seeing the worlds you inhabit and the worlds you imagine!