McKinsey points out the quandary facing companies like CoreWeave

So-called neocloud companies are facing a dilemma: They need to move up the AI stack to avoid being commoditized, but they risk competing against their big hyperscale customers if they do.…

Hashtag-do-whatever-I-tell-you

Cato Networks says it has discovered a new attack, dubbed "HashJack," that hides malicious prompts after the "#" in legitimate URLs, tricking AI browser assistants into executing them while dodging traditional network and server-side defenses.…

The brain goes through five distinct phases in life, with key turning points at ages nine, 32, 66 and 83, scientists have revealed. From a report: Around 4,000 people up to the age of 90 had scans to reveal the connections between their brain cells. Researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that the brain stays in the adolescent phase until our early thirties when we "peak." They say the results could help us understand why the risk of mental health disorders and dementia varies through life. The brain is constantly changing in response to new knowledge and experience -- but the research shows this is not one smooth pattern from birth to death.

Some people will reach these landmarks earlier or later than others -- but the researchers said it was striking how clearly these ages stood out in the data. These patterns have only now been revealed due to the quantity of brain scans available in the study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The abstract of a paper on NBER: This paper examines a large-scale randomized evaluation of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program in 531 Peruvian rural primary schools. We use administrative data on academic performance and grade progression over 10 years to estimate the long-run effects of increased computer access on (i) school performance over time and (ii) students' educational trajectories. Following schools over time, we find no significant effects on academic performance but some evidence of negative effects on grade progression. Following students over time, we find no significant effects on primary and secondary completion, academic performance in secondary school, or university enrollment. Survey data indicate that computer access significantly improved students' computer skills but not their cognitive skills; treated teachers received some training but did not improve their digital skills and showed limited use of technology in classrooms, suggesting the need for additional pedagogical support.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Rotterdam Photo 2026 Open Call: Echoes of Silence—War in the Artist’s SoulFeatured
Rotterdam Photo invites photographers worldwide to explore how war and collective trauma resonate in the artist’s inner world. ‘Echoes of Silence’ asks: What happens when artists are not eyewitnesses to conflict but still carry its emotional legacy? How does violence linger in memory—not as an image, but as a feeling, a silence, a sound within? This edition focuses on photographers who use their lens not as a tool for documentation, but as a mirror reflecting the unseen impact of war, displacement, and survival. Selected applicants receive exhibition space at Rotterdam Photo 2026, along with shows in Barcelona, Tampere, and Zurich, networking opportunities, press exposure, and more.
Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Fall $1,800 Innovate Grants for Art + PhotoFeatured
Innovate Grant awards two $1,800 grants each quarter to one visual artist and one photographer. In addition, twelve applicants will receive honorable mentions, be featured on the website, and join a growing community. International artists and photographers working in any medium are eligible.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. PST on December 11, 2025.

HAHA 2026 – Immersive Installation OpportunityFeatured
Ah Haa School for the Arts is seeking eight to 12 artists, artist collectives, performers, designers, and creative thinkers of all backgrounds and abilities to propose work for its annual fundraiser. The participatory and interactive community event is a massive, building-wide immersive art installation where each space within the Ah Haa Silverjack building is taken over by a different artist. Selected applicants receive a project budget, lodging, and travel expenses.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. MST on January 30, 2026.

 

Open Calls

Sanctuary Open Call at Decagon Gallery (International)
Sanctuary is both a place and a feeling: a refuge, a moment of peace, a return to oneself. This open call invites photographers worldwide to interpret this theme through landscapes, interiors, portraits, abstractions, or documentary work. The first-place award is $500 plus an online exhibition, while the second receives $300, and third receives $200. The entry fee is $5.
Deadline: November 30, 2025.

$4,000 Artist Grants + Global Exposure: Exhibition, Publication, Sales, and Promotion (International)
Ready to elevate your art career with artist grants, recognition, and worldwide visibility? Now in its 5th Annual Juried Edition, the Biafarin Awards offers $4,000 CAD in cash grants and over $6,000 CAD in additional prizes, including group and solo exhibitions, magazine publications, and features on Artsy, the world’s largest art collectors’ platform. This international program welcomes visual artists of all styles and backgrounds to submit their artistic creations to earn grants, enhanced exposure, and reach art professionals, collectors, and enthusiasts in more than 150 countries worldwide.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. PST on December 1, 2025.

PeepSpace Open Call for Exhibition Proposals (International)
PeepSpace is an artist-run contemporary art project space founded in 2020 in Tarrytown, New York. Emerging and established artists, as well as curators, are invited to submit to the 2026 exhibition open call. From this call, one to two selected exhibition proposals will be chosen for a four- to five-week show during the 2026 calendar year. PeepSpace will provide its 300-square-foot gallery, online promotion, curatorial and installation assistance, and regular gallery hours. Proposals may be for solo shows or group exhibitions. There is a pay-what-you-can entry fee on a sliding scale of $20 to $40.
Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Nature Photography Contest 2025 (International)
All About Photo invites entries to its 2025 photo competition around the theme of nature. Winners will receive $1,000 in cash awards, their winning image(s) or full portfolio published in AAP Magazine Vol.54, and extensive press coverage.
Deadline: December 9, 2025.

MEGA – 2026: Grants, Exhibition, Publication, Promotion, Sales, Career Boost (International)
Mega Art Booster 2026 is Biafarin’s free year-end global art initiative, created to help artists worldwide elevate their visibility, reach, and professional momentum. Open to all styles, mediums, and experience levels, this call connects artists to a worldwide audience of collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts through cash grants, art sales, smart international exhibitions, Artsy feature, global publication, and impactful online promotion.
Deadline: December 15, 2025.

2026 Beam Camp Project Open Call (International)
Beam Center in New Hampshire seeks design proposals for an ambitious public artwork that will be brought to life through collaborations between youth, Beam Camp staff, and the selected proposer. Projects will be realized by a community of more than 100 young people at Beam Camp in July 2026. The chosen artist receives a $5,000 award, and the camp team completes the project with a $15,000 budget.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. EST on December 29, 2025.

GLEAM | 2026 Request for Proposals (International)
Olbrich Botanical Gardens invites proposals for temporary, light-based installations for GLEAM, Art in a New Light, a public art exhibition situated within a 16-acre Midwest landscape or a 10,000-square-foot tropical conservatory. The 2026 exhibition will focus on concepts that present a captivating environment, offer play experiences, and illuminate creatures of all shapes and sizes, real and imaginative. GLEAM will be open for public viewing from August 29 to October 24.
Deadline: January 7, 2026.

Evolving Freedoms: Exploring Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (U.S.)
How do we define freedom in the 21st century? This open call is seeking artists whose work reflects on the ever-shifting meaning of freedom in today’s world. Photographers and print-based artists are invited to submit.
Deadline: January 30, 2026.

2026 World of WearableArt Competition (International)
The 2026 Sections for the world’s leading wearable art competition include Kinetic, Metallic, and Bizarre Bra, alongside the annual sections of Aotearoa, Open, and Avant-garde. Designers are encouraged to focus on original storytelling and meticulous construction. Individuals or teams
consisting of two or three designers are welcome to enter.
Deadline: February 26, 2026 (international applicants) and April 15, 2026 (New Zealand applicants).

 

Grants

CherryArts Emerging Artist Grants (U.S.)
CherryArts’ Emerging Artist Program is designed for artists at the beginning of their careers with limited experience exhibiting or selling their work. Emerging Artists receive a reduced booth fee of $350 2026 Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver, Colorado; a provided tent; workshops and artist mentoring; support for lodging; and a $5,000 grant.
Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Grants for Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups (Western Australia)
Individuals and groups that deliver arts projects are welcome to apply to this program. Individuals must have Australian citizenship or permanent resident status, and groups, partnerships, and individuals informally collaborating on an activity must also be based in Australia. Funding amounts range from AUD$5,000 to $80,000.
Deadline: 5 p.m. AWST on December 4, 2025.

Creative Victoria – Touring Victoria Grants (Victoria, Australia)
This funding opportunity supports Victorian arts and cultural organizations or professional creative practitioners to tour a professional production, performance, exhibition, or program to or from regional and outer-metropolitan Victoria, Australia. Grant amounts range from AUD$10,000 to $150,000.
Deadline: 3 p.m. AEDT on December 4, 2025.

Adelaide Arts & Culture Community Grants (Australia)
The City of Adelaide’s Community Grants Program supports free and affordable community-led initiatives that foster a vibrant, connected, and inclusive city. The program comprises two focus areas: Arts & Culture and Community Impact. Funding amounts range from AUD$5,000 to $20,000.
Deadline: 3 p.m. ACDT on December 5, 2025.

John Ruskin Prize (International)
The John Ruskin Prize is open to entries from artists, designers, and makers from anywhere in the world. The theme of this year is “Patience in Looking, Truth in Making.” The prize welcomes works in all mediums, and the selection panel will shortlist up to 50 artists and select work for inclusion in an exhibition at Trinity Buoy Wharf, London, from January 29 to February 8, 2026. Four winners will receive prizes totaling £9,500. Entry fees range from £20 to £50 depending on age, medium, and number of entries.
Deadline: 5 p.m. GMT on December 5, 2025.

Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Visual Arts (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee)
This state-specific prize of $5,000 is awarded to artists whose work reflects the best of the visual arts in the South. The nine state fellowship recipients will compete for the $25,000 Southern Prize, which will be awarded to the artist whose work demonstrates the highest artistic excellence. A runner-up will be awarded $10,000.
Deadline: December 10, 2025.

Prisma Art Prize (International)
This annual art prize is open to artists working in painting, engraving, and drawing and offers exhibition opportunities and €2,000 in cash awards annually. There is a €34 entry fee.
Deadline: December 19, 2025.

Bobby Anspach Studio Foundation Grant Program (International)
The Bobby Anspach Studios Foundation launches its inaugural grant program to support creatives and researchers whose work deepens dialogue on meditation, psychology, creativity, and collective engagement as vital pathways to harmony and health. The foundation will award two grants of $50,000 and three grants of $8,000.
Deadline: December 30, 2025.

The Adolf and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant (International)
This program provides one-time financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs resulted from an unforeseen catastrophic incident and who lack the resources to meet that situation. Awardees typically receive $5,000 and up to $15,000.
Deadline: Rolling.

Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (International)
The foundation welcomes applications from painters, sculptors, and artists working on paper, including printmakers. Grants are intended for one year and range up to $50,000. The artist’s circumstances determine the size of the grant, and professional exhibition history will be considered.
Deadline: Rolling.

 

Residencies, Fellowships, & More

Bernheim Forest Artist-in-Residence Program (International)
Established in 1980, this internationally renowned program annually awards visual artists of all media the opportunity to live and create site-specific work inspired by their total immersion experience in the natural environment. Up to four artists are selected, with one residency always dedicated to an artist currently living in Kentucky or Clark and Floyd counties in Southern Indiana, and one residency always dedicated to an artist whose work addresses environmental issues and the climate crisis.
Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Prairie Ronde Spring 2026 Residencies (International)
Prairie Ronde is hosted by The Mill at Vicksburg, a redevelopment project of the former Lee Paper Company mill, in the historic village of Vicksburg, Michigan. Artists from a range of disciplines are provided with a five- to six-week residency to engage with The Mill and its surrounding 80-acre property. The spring residency period runs from March 15 to May 31. Artists receive a $2,000 stipend upon completion of the residency, a $500 travel grant, private housing, and a gallery show. There is a $25 application fee.
Deadline: December 1, 2025.

Jan van Eyck Academie 2027 Residency (International)
The Jan van Eyck is open to a wide array of disciplines and approaches, ranging from material-based to research-driven practices, addressing both urgent global issues and more personal inquiries. The residency runs for 11 months, from January 15 to December 15, 2026. Housing is included, and participants receive a monthly stipend from which accommodation rental is deducted. There is a €78.65 application fee (including VAT), and waivers may be available depending on location.
Deadline: December 4, 2025.

Collective Edinburgh Time + Space Program (Scotland)
Time + Space is Collective’s new open program for early-career artists in Scotland. The program offers two routes designed to suit different levels of experience. Both opportunities combine learning and professional development with a significant exhibition opportunity, enabling artists to develop and sustain their creative practice, to make and present new work, and to engage with Collective audiences.
Deadline: 5 p.m. GMT on December 14, 2025.

2026 CatchLight Global Fellowship (International)
Each year, visual media organization CatchLight Global Fellowship awards $30,000 grants to three innovative storytellers whose work is a tool for information, connection, and transformation in their communities.
Deadline: December 15, 2025.

Harvestworks 2026 Artist-in-Residence Program (U.S.)
Harvestworks’ Artists-in-Residence Program supports contemporary artists working at the intersection of art and technology. Residents will develop and present new projects that explore how technology can deepen our understanding of the world, provoke new ideas, and ignite the imagination. Each artist will receive a $5,000 commission to produce a new work integrating technology, sound, and visual art. Residencies take place at Harvestworks’ Technology, Engineering, Art and Music Lab (T.E.A.M.) in New York City.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. EST on December 20, 2025.

Chicago Artists Coalition 2026 Artist and Curatorial Residency (U.S.)
The CAC residency is totally without cost to artists and curator participants, during which a cohort is composed of 15 artists paired with five curators. The residency culminates in on-site exhibitions of three artists and one curator. Artists and curators each receive a one-time stipend of $350. There is also a $225 supply budget and 18 hours of preparator time allotted to the installation of the exhibition. Six residents receive free studio space on-site for one year.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. CST on December 21, 2025.

Yaddo Residencies (International)
Yaddo offers residencies to professional creative artists from all nations and backgrounds working in one or more of the following disciplines: choreography, film, literature, musical composition, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video. Artists apply individually. Residencies last from two weeks to two months and include room, board, and a studio. There is a $35 application fee.
Deadline: January 5, 2026.

Glen Arbor Arts Center 2026 Artist-in-Residence (International)
The Glen Arbor Arts Center offers several opportunities for artist residencies each year. The purpose of the residency program is to provide visiting artists with a respite from daily responsibilities to enable them to concentrate on their work. Housing and studio access are provided free of charge. Artists, musicians, and writers working in a range of mediums may apply for residencies that last two weeks. There is a $35 application fee.
Deadline: January 6, 2026.

Rome Residency in Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture (U.K. and Commonwealth)
The British School at Rome, in partnership with the Bridget Riley Art Foundation, invites applications from exceptional early- to mid-career artists who live in the U.K. or its Commonwealth countries and work in painting, drawing, or sculpture for a six-month residency from September 2026 to March 2027.
Deadline: January 9, 2026.

WORTHLESSSTUDIOS Photographer in Residence (International)
The Photographer in Residence program is a one-month-long photography residency taking place inside an Airstream trailer converted into a darkroom. Analog photographers and photography-based artists have exclusive access to process film and make new work. Residents receive a $1,500 artist stipend; darkroom chemistry, film, and photo paper; the option to host a public program, and more.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. EST on January 20, 2026.

If you’d like to list an opportunity, please contact opps@colossal.art.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article December 2025 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists appeared first on Colossal.

Uit onderzoek van RTL Nieuws blijkt dat meer dan 550 buitenlandse nepaccounts het debat rond de Tweede Kamerverkiezingen actief hebben beïnvloed. De profielen, veelal aangestuurd vanuit Ghana en Nigeria, versterkten vooral radicaalrechtse en anti-institutionele boodschappen. Door massaal te retweeten en kleine politieke accounts te volgen, werden sommige standpunten zichtbaarder dan ze in werkelijkheid zijn.

Opvallend is dat de accounts vooral berichten van Forum voor Democratie, PVV-politici en uitgesproken opiniemakers een boost gaven. Ook berichten waarin verkiezingsfraude werd gesuggereerd, kregen extra zichtbaarheid. Volgens deskundigen ontstaat daarmee een vertekend beeld van wat Nederlanders denken: X-gebruikers zien posts waarvan de populariteit kunstmatig is opgeblazen. Onderzoekers waarschuwen dat dit niet alleen de indruk van steun voor bepaalde partijen vergroot, maar ook polarisatie voedt.

Een voorbeeld is het netwerk rond het nepaccount 'Anock Van Dinik'. Dit laat zien hoe geraffineerd het werkt: schijnbaar Nederlandse accounts retweeten binnen seconden tientallen polariserende berichten. Onderzoek met behulp van het Nederlandse Trollrensics toont hoe namen, foto’s en biografieën telkens worden hergebruikt. In totaal werden 225 nepaccounts direct naar Nigeria herleid en honderden anderen naar Ghana en diverse Aziatische landen.

Russische inmenging

Hoewel de AIVD geen bewijs heeft voor één grootschalige campagne van een statelijke actor gericht op Nederland, zien meerdere deskundigen duidelijke aanwijzingen voor Russische betrokkenheid. West-Afrikaanse trollennetwerken bleken eerder gelinkt aan Russische beïnvloedingsoperaties en de promotie van pro-Russische of Ruslandvriendelijke politici in Nederland past in dat patroon.

De manipulatie beperkt zich niet tot X. Sommige namen en foto’s doken ook op op Facebook, TikTok en Instagram, soms zelfs met de identiteit van bekende Nederlanders. De kunstmatig opgeblazen zichtbaarheid van kleine accounts blijkt structureel: tientallen profielen kregen meer dan de helft van hun volgers van nepaccounts.

X heeft volgens eigen regels de taak om misbruik te beperken, maar RTL Nieuws zag dat het merendeel van de nepaccounts tijdens de verkiezingsperiode actief bleef. Hoewel sommige inmiddels zijn geschorst, blijven nepaccounts polariserende berichten versterken. De ACM meldt dat toezicht op X Europees geregeld wordt; de Europese Commissie onderzoekt al of het platform voldoende doet om de integriteit van verkiezingen te waarborgen. X zelf reageerde nog niet op vragen van RTL Nieuws.

Bron: RTL Nieuws

LONDEN (ANP/AFP) - De Oekraïense president Volodymyr Zelensky wil met meerdere Europese leiders naar de Amerikaanse president Donald Trump voor overleg over het Amerikaanse vredesplan met Rusland. Volgens de Oekraïense leider is zijn regering klaar om verder te gaan met het voorgestelde akkoord, dat na onderling overleg is aangepast. Hij wil de openstaande gevoelige punten bespreken met Trump, waarbij volgens hem ook Europese bondgenoten aanwezig moeten zijn.

Eerder dit jaar liep een ontmoeting tussen Zelensky en Trump uit op een drama. Bij het volgende bezoek aan het Witte Huis vergezelden Europese leiders de Oekraïense president.

Zelensky drong aan op een grotere delegatie in een videoconferentie met de zogenoemde coalitie van bereidwilligen. Hij vroeg Europese leiders ook het plan voor een internationale troepenmacht in Oekraïne, bedoeld om de Oekraïense veiligheid te garanderen, verder uit te werken. Ook verzocht hij de bondgenoten zijn land te blijven steunen zolang Moskou geen bereidheid toont de oorlog te beëindigen.

Niet eerder maakten de inwoners van Ternopil de oorlog zo dichtbij mee. Nu moeten ze plots zeker dertig slachtoffers uit één enkele aanval verwerken. „Schrijf hierover. De wereld moet dit weten.”

Vince Aron is geboren en getogen in Rotterdam, maar voelt zich sterk verbonden met Suriname, het land van zijn grootouders. Vijftig jaar na de onafhankelijkheid vertelt hij hoe zijn familiegeschiedenis zijn blik op het land vormt. "Ik ben bizar trots op mijn achtergrond, maar toch blij dat ik hier in Nederland ben geboren."

Max Verstappen took a crucial win in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and with both McLaren drivers disqualified, slashed Lando Norris' championship lead to just 24 points. The Dutchman topped the top 10 of our Power Rankings list, but who else impressed last weekend? Check out the latest scores and overall leaderboard below...