The Call for Makers 2024 is OPEN!

(LA VERSIONE ITALIANA E’ QUI)

We invite makers, inventors, scientists, artisans, artists and other creative passionate and enthusiast people from the Triveneto Area, the neighbouring regions and countries (the near and the far ones) to participate to show and demonstrate their projects during this eleventh edition of the Maker Faire Trieste, that will be held on Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September 2024 in the extraordinary location of Trieste’s main square: Piazza Unità d’Italia, in front of the historical and wonderful buildings of the City Hall, the Government Palace and the Regione Palace. The opening time for the public will be 2pm–8pm on Saturday, 10am–6pm on Sunday.

We see this event as a great opportunity for everyone to share experiences and to grow bigger together, and we need the help of you all to make it a unique and memorable event! If you aren’t ready yet to join us as maker, maybe you can help the organisation as volunteer.

If you already know all what is written along this page, let’s go straight to the form! 😉

Maker Faire Trieste has a “twinning partnership” with Maker Faire Zagreb, a great event in the wonderful city of Zagreb, in Croatia, that you should really visit!

If you don’t have an innovative project, you can apply to our Maker Faire to show and teach and share your techniques, your knowledge, your experience: we are all makers!

Innovative ideas and projects of educational or scientific value or targeted towards the developing countries will be specially valued.

(more text after the pictures)

You can participate in several ways:

• The main option is to showcase your project: you will be given a wooden hut (alone or together with other makers), or a booth (that is one or more tables, and chairs) under a big communal tent shared with many other makers, to display your project, make demos and talk with the public. There are also other possibilities as open spaces or your own mobile exhibits.
• You also have the possibility to give a presentation/talk on stage: you will have time to describe your project, tell an interesting story or engage the audience with a great idea.
• As well, you can hold a workshop: we will setup a workshop area under a tent where you can hold interactive sessions and engage participants – adults and / or children – in “hands on” activities.
• Finally, if you are interested in performing for the public: you will be able to perform from your booth on the adjacent areas and also the main stage is available for you to perform creative, technological, robotic, musical, scientific performance.
• There is a last but not least specific category of participation for commercial exhibitors, companies allowed to sell their products to the public during the event, in exchange of their contribution with prizes or donation of goods to the makers.
• Science Picnic: Scientific-related exhibits: our Maker Faire, as it’s tradition, will bring together makers but also scientists, researchers, professional and amateurs science communicators and other science and technologies enthusiasts. You can apply to exhibit at the Science Picnic Village when filling the Call for Maker application form.

Things to know:

• All selected projects will enjoy free participation! The organizers may decide to offer a contribution to cover some costs to a few selected projects that are particularly expensive and spectacular. Also commercial exhibitors don’t pay a fee for their booths, but they will be required to contribute to the event with free goods or prizes for the makers.
• Applications will be evaluated by a Selection Committee in due time. Acceptance or rejection of your proposal will be communicated immediately (before the deadline). There is also a waiting list for proposals that are not immediately accepted but not refused either, for which a definitive answer (depending on availability of spaces) will be given within a few days after the closing of the Call for Makers.
• The standard booth is either inside a wooden hut (3x2m), that can be shared with up to 2 other makers, or a space with one or more tables and chairs under a communal tent/gazebo together with other makers, with plastic walls (that can stay open or be partially or totally closed). Both options include lights and electricity. Finally, outdoor spaces of various sizes can be used, or you can always bring your own booth or have a mobile exhibit.
• We are working to be able to offer to our Makers, as in the previous years and with the assistance of Comune of Trieste, the availability of free parking for their vehicles. More detailed information will be given, a few days prior the event, to the Makers that submitted their vehicle data when filling the application form.
• As per our tradition, a Maker Party will be offered to all registered makers: a gathering of makers to relax, chat, network and exchange experiences, drink and have fun together! This year it will be held as a dinner/party on Saturday 31 August, after the fair will be closed to the public.
• For any questions please contact us.

Hut VS Tent?

Example of a maker in the wooden hut (3×2 meters, 3 sides with windows for the public):

Example of makers in the communal tent: projects and objects can be placed on tables (number according to needs), the public can enter and interact:

FAQ

Can I apply with an unrealized idea?

At Maker Faire, visitors want to see physical projects so you should bring at least a prototype. If at the time of your application you don’t have a prototype yet, tell that in the project description and include pictures showing its development status. We want to understand clearly what you’re going to put on your table!

 

I have multiple projects: should I send multiple applications?

Yes, please: they will be more visible in the web site and we will understand better what you’re going to bring.

 

We are a group of makers, how can we apply?

If the project was built by a group of people, or a club or association or another recognized entity, one of them should apply to the Call for Makers as an individual. He will represent his group legally. However, in the information of the project you will have to list all additional members present at the event. According to availability of t-shirts and meal coupons, we may be forced to give only a limited number of those to groups with more of 5 members.

 

We’re a Fab Lab, how can we apply?

You can submit all the projects you want to exhibit as a fablab, if you have the legal rights for them. If you want to bring projects by other people (i.e. users of your lab) and you don’t have the full rights on them, just have those people apply separately with their names and tell them to specify they want to be close to your booth. We’ll do our best.

 

I am a minor, can I still apply?

Underage people cannot apply directly according to the Regulation, so please ask your parents to apply on behalf of you. You’ll name can still be added as additional maker, together with the name of the parent, in the public information given in the application form.

 

Where can I sleep?

We are working to offer to all our makers and exhibitors coming from far away a free accommodation option (the organisers will pay for it), with shared rooms (i.e. shared with other makers) either in our Guesthouses and/or in Hostels or Hotels downtown Trieste. Please note that we will be able to provide only a limited number of accommodations and only for the nights of Friday 30, Saturday 31 August and/or Sunday 1 September. We invite you to send your applications as soon as possible.

 

Can I sell at Maker Faire?

Direct and explicit sale of products and other commercial transactions during the event are ONLY permitted for Commercial Exhibitors (not for Makers), as specified in the articles 5 and 6 of the Rules.

This does not imply that the maker, if a visitor is showing interested for a product being exposed, cannot agree privately with such person for a future sale of the good, but makers should absolutely avoid any display of “on sale” signs or price tags on objects.

With regard to expenses incurred for workshops and tutorials organized by the makers for the public, the makers should ask and receive a written authorisation from the organizers to be allowed to collect from participants a small fee (declared in advance), to cover only the expenses of the consumables needed for such activity, without profit.

 

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

1. Spread the word with your friends (also with the artworks and the #MFTS2023 hashtag).

2. Like our Facebook page to remain updated on the news, while you are hacking your project.

3. Read carefully the Rules of Participation for Makers.

4. Fill and submit (see link below) your Application Form (or more than one form, for multiple projects/activities).

Please take your time to do it properly, with all relevant information, and we ask you to fill a separate application form for each of your projects (or talks, workshops, performances, etc) if you are proposing multiple things (basically, fill a new form for any activity or project that has got its own title, category and description).

Each application will be individually evaluated (and the relevant communications will be sent to you by email), but the maker data will then be grouped together and used only once for the registration. In this way, every accepted project and activity will have its name, brief description and picture (and video, if available) published on our website from the beginning, together with the maker’s names.

Some of the information provided in the application form (and clearly labeled as public), after the project is accepted will be made public on the website (and potentially shared on social media) without asking further authorization. All other information given by you will be considered as private and solely used by the organization for administrative purposes, and never made public (particularly for the personal and contact data of the makers).

Go to the Application Form!