Ahead of the European elections in June, we collaborated with 27 outstanding illustrators, one from each EU member state, to design a compelling poster collection on the power of voting. 

This effort was part of our Get Out & Vote campaign in support of European unity and values, which featured a series of activations across European cities; an AR exhibition; and a vast online activation to build momentum before the elections and inspire voter turnout.

DIGITAL CAMPAIGN

We launched a massive digital campaign to get out the vote. The collection reached over 850 000 people through our channels alone – and MILLIONS more through the platforms of our partners and collaborators. 

The works were spotlighted in dozens of media outlets across the continent, including Euronews, and were frequently amplified by the accounts of the European Commission, and the European Parliament. 

Tens of thousands of people shared the works online, and the nonstop WAVE of posts on election days (6-9 June) was astounding.  

“Participating in democratic elections is our chance to shape our democracy, to “choose our players/fighters’’: our leaders who will act as our proxies making the decisions that shape our lives.”
— Dorottya Kranicz (Hungary)

FREE DOWNLOADS

All works from the collection were published under an open license on TheGreats.co, our unique platform for social impact visuals. 

Activists and organizations across Europe downloaded them over 2,500 times and used them to create a buzz in their communities – through social media posts, articles, postcards, and so much more!

EXHIBITION IN A BOX

Furthermore, we also created a digital ‘Exhibition in a box’, equipped with 27 ready-to-print posters, to help anyone, anywhere, set up their own pop-up exhibition. 

The toolkit was widely disseminated across our network and communities. Teachers, librarians, nonprofits and active citizens from across Europe reached out to get the box, and host their own exhibits!

POP-UP EXHIBITIONS

Our campaign also featured numerous pop-up exhibitions and art actions across Europe – in Hungary, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, amongst others, with some amazing partners. 

HIGHLIGHTS include 11 LED video wall displays in Vicenza (Italy) and the province, organized by TEDxVicenza; a voting gathering and exhibition in Debrecen (Hungary), powered by a local nonprofit Alternatív Közösségek Egyesülete; poster projections by Emberseg Erejevel and Open Spaces Network in the heart of Pécs (Hungary); and a poster stunt at Berlin's (Germany) Brandenburg Gate hosted by the campaigning group Avaaz, all aimed at inspiring citizens to participate in the elections. Artists also participated in our Hide & Seek digital challenge, in collaboration with Avaaz, that aimed to increase local community engagement.

In Sofia (Bulgaria), the campaign's first exhibition was held near the National Palace of Culture with the support of the European Parliament Local Office, and the Sofia Municipality; while university students in Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria) organized campus poster actions. Bucharest (Romania) saw pop-up actions organized by the nonprofit Centrul Filia across the city in popular venues such as coffee shops, restaurants, and social bars, further spreading the campaign's message of hope and the importance of voting.

“I wanted to make it clear that voting is the pragmatic answer to the question ‘How can I, one person, change the world for the better?’. If you find yourself wishing for a magical solution to, say, stop climate change, or preserve human rights, or fix the economy – well then, good news.”
— Maria Surducan (Romania)

In addition, many activists and nonprofits created their own actions – such as a postcard campaign in Cluj-Napoca (Romania) featuring a selection of the illustrations; or a full-blown exhibition in ARTA, a former chocolate factory, located in Piestany (Slovakia). Through all these creative efforts, the campaign engaged and activated citizens across the EU, and motivated people to vote.

AR EXPERIENCE

In addition to these physical activations, together with our partners ArtLink, we also launched an augmented reality exhibition. It allowed anyone to place and share the works anywhere in their surroundings. This innovative approach allowed everyone to become part of the movement, bringing the campaign’s powerful message to life in both digital and physical spaces.

THANK YOU to everyone who helped us show that democracy is beautiful. Through this campaign, we started a wave, and observed a strong progressive movement in action across Europe. Despite the fact that parties on the populist right made gains in many countries during the European Elections, we stand hopeful and will continue our ongoing efforts, together with numerous partners, to ensure that democracy remains resilient and inclusive in Europe, with people power at the heart of it.

This project was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Culture of Solidarity Fund powered by the European Cultural Foundation in collaboration with Allianz Foundation and Evens Foundation.

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