Conditions of Participation
The New Symposium
These Conditions of Participation apply to all participants accepted into The New Symposium [TNS] residency programme.
The programme is organised by Inštitut abeceda.abeceda, Dunajska cesta 10, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, operating as .abeceda Institute, hereafter referred to as the Organiser.
1. Acceptance and Confirmation
Admission to TNS is subject to formal acceptance by the Organiser.
Following acceptance, applicants are invited to confirm their participation within the stated deadline.
Confirmation of participation constitutes a commitment to the programme and acceptance of these Conditions of Participation.
If confirmation and/or the required first payment is not received within the stated deadline, the Organiser may release the participant's place.
2. Participation Fees and Payment
The applicable participation fee is stated in the application information and confirmed upon acceptance.
Failure to meet the agreed payment schedule may result in suspension or termination of participation.
Scholarships, reductions, or alternative payment arrangements apply only where confirmed in writing by the Organiser.
3. Withdrawal and Refunds
Once an accepted applicant has confirmed participation, participation and administrative fees are non-refundable.
This applies in the event of:
– withdrawal before or after the programme has commenced;
– withdrawal during the programme;
– non-attendance or partial participation;
– cancellation by the participant;
– inability of the participant to complete the programme.
Nothing in this section limits any statutory right of withdrawal, reimbursement, or other mandatory consumer right that may apply under applicable law. Where such a statutory right applies, it prevails over these Conditions.
4. Programme Commitment
TNS is conceived as an integrated residency combining independent artistic research and development, collective exchange, and online seminars.
Participants are expected to:
– attend and actively engage with scheduled programme activities;
– present and discuss their artistic practice as required by the programme;
– meet communicated artistic and administrative deadlines;
– prepare materials requested for presentations, documentation, or programme communication;
– maintain professional communication with coordinators, participants, collaborators, and the coordination team.
Participants are responsible for informing the Organiser as early as possible of circumstances affecting their participation.
5. Programme Schedule and Changes
The Organiser may make reasonable changes to the programme where required by artistic, academic, organisational, logistical, technical, or other circumstances.
Changes may include adjustments to:
– seminar dates or times;
– mentors, moderators, or collaborators;
– programme sequence or format;
– presentation schedules;
– online delivery.
Where possible, participants will be informed of significant changes in advance.
Reasonable adjustments that do not materially alter the overall character of the residency do not constitute cancellation of the programme or automatically give rise to a right to reimbursement, subject to applicable mandatory law.
6. Artistic Presentations
Participants are responsible for the content and preparation of their own research and artistic presentations.
The form, duration, format, and scheduling of presentations may be adapted to the requirements of the programme.
Participation in TNS does not guarantee publication, external dissemination, or presentation by any third-party journal, publisher, institution, or platform unless such an opportunity is separately confirmed in writing.
Any editorial or publication process offered in collaboration with an external partner may be subject to separate selection, editorial review, deadlines, and conditions.
7. Recording and Documentation
Programme activities may be filmed, audio-recorded, livestreamed, or otherwise documented for purposes connected with the presentation, communication, documentation, and archival record of TNS and its associated activities.
Such documentation may remain publicly accessible as part of the artistic, research, institutional, and historical record of the programme.
Where a specific use requires additional permission or licensing, this will be addressed separately.
8. Intellectual Property
Participants retain copyright and other intellectual property rights in their original artistic work unless otherwise agreed in writing.
By participating in the programme, participants grant the Organiser a non-exclusive, royalty-free right, to the extent that they are legally entitled to grant such rights, to present, perform, record, reproduce, communicate, and archive materials and artistic or research contributions submitted or created for programme purposes, solely to the extent reasonably necessary for the development, presentation, professional documentation, communication, promotion, and institutional archiving of TNS and its associated festival activities.
This authorisation does not transfer copyright or ownership of the participant's work to the Organiser. Participants retain their copyright and other intellectual property rights, subject to any applicable third-party rights.
Participants are responsible for ensuring that materials submitted or presented by them do not unlawfully infringe third-party rights and for obtaining any necessary permissions.
Publication or extended reproduction of a participant's artistic work beyond ordinary programme presentation and documentation will be subject to separate arrangements where required. Participation in TNS does not itself grant the Organiser publishing rights beyond those reasonably necessary for ordinary programme documentation and communication.
9. Professional Conduct
Participants are expected to maintain professional, respectful, and responsible conduct throughout the programme.
Serious misconduct, harassment, repeated disruption, plagiarism, material misrepresentation, or substantial breach of programme obligations may result in restriction or termination of participation.
Where appropriate, the participant will be informed of the issue and given a reasonable opportunity to address it.
Termination resulting from a serious breach by the participant does not automatically create a right to reimbursement, subject to applicable law.
10. Cancellation or Material Changes by the Organiser
If the Organiser cancels the programme in its entirety before its commencement and does not provide a substantially equivalent replacement programme, participation fees already paid for the cancelled programme will be refunded.
If the programme is permanently discontinued after it has commenced, any reimbursement relating to programme components not delivered will be determined in accordance with applicable mandatory law and taking into account the part of the programme already provided.
The Organiser is not responsible for independently incurred personal costs arising from cancellation or programme changes, except where such responsibility cannot lawfully be excluded.
Where circumstances outside the Organiser's reasonable control affect individual sessions and presentations, the Organiser may provide an alternative schedule, format, collaborator, or comparable programme activity where reasonably possible.
11. Privacy and Data Protection
Personal data is processed in accordance with the TNS Privacy Policy and applicable data protection legislation.
12. Applicable Law and Mandatory Rights
These Conditions and participation in the programme are governed by the laws of the Republic of Slovenia, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer protection or other rights applicable to the participant under Slovenian, EU, or other mandatory law.
Nothing in these Conditions is intended to exclude or restrict rights that cannot lawfully be excluded under applicable consumer or other mandatory legislation.
If any provision of these Conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain applicable to the extent permitted by law.
17. Contact
Questions concerning these Conditions may be addressed to:
.abeceda Institute
Legal entity: Inštitut abeceda.abeceda
Dunajska cesta 10
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
Tax number: 70408653
Registration number: 6016316000
info@abeceda.io
www.abeceda.io
Version: 24 September 2026
Effective from: 24 September 2026
DATES
COORDINATORS
APPLICATION FORMS AND
PARTICIPATION FEES
The New Symposium program is produced by .abeceda Institute
.abeceda [Institute for Research in Art, Critical Thought and Philosophy], a public-benefit NGO and non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing contemporary artistic practices and critical inquiry. Through its innovative programmes, .abeceda has gained international recognition as one of the leading platforms for contemporary music and artistic research in the Adriatic region and across Europe: www.abeceda.io