Call for Entries (Very) Big Data! – Apply and become part of RESSAC Festival in Brest 2026

The University of Brest invites students, researchers, and teaching staff from SEA-EU member universities to participate in the (Very) Big Data! competition, organized as part of the RESSAC Festival, which will take place in Brest, March 10-14, 2026.

The RESSAC Festival, its fourth edition, celebrates creativity by combining science and art. The festival will feature a large exhibition of scientific visualizations, titled (Very) Big Data! Selected works will be enlarged and printed in formats up to 15 m² and exhibited for a month, at Les Capucins, a renowned cultural space in Brest and the largest covered public square in Europe.

Who can participate?          
The competition is open to all members of the SEA-EU academic community; students, professors and researchers.

What kind of images do we want?
Participants are invited to submit their most creative visualizations of scientific data, whether they are graphs, infographics, models, or other forms of data representation.          
Photographs taken with regular cameras or scientific instruments (microscopes, telescopes, satellites, drones, etc.) will not be accepted.     
Preference will be given to works falling into category of data art.

Selection and awards:         
A professional jury will select five best works. Selected images will be:  
• printed and exhibited in large formats,      
• presented with author’s name and institution,       
• published on the University of Brest’s website, social and other media. 

Winners will be invited to the festival in Brest to present their work and meet the audience. University of Brest will cover meal expenses during their stay, and SEA-EU offices at each partner university can cover travel and accommodation expenses, depending on available funds. If a participant cannot travel, they must submit a short video presentation of their work and research.

How to apply?          
Each participant can submit up to five images, each accompanied by:      
• title of the work,     
• description (up to 1,000 characters) tailored for the general public (in French or English),
• name and surname, as well as name of their home institution.
• Applications are to be submitted via an online form available on the festival’s official website.

Summary:
• Application opening: September 22, 2025
• Submission deadline: November 30, 2025
• Results announced: the week of December 15, 2025        
• Festival dates: March 10 - 14, 2026

For additional information, contact the RESSAC team via contact details provided on the festival’s website. For all details regarding the competition, see the full text in attachment.