2025 Opinion Festival: Call for Ideas
The public call for ideas for the 2025 Opinion Festival has ended!
Individuals and groups interested in organising discussions at the Paide Opinion Festival have submitted their proposals.
The Opinion Festival is a collaborative event, created through civic initiative and supported by various backers, including local governments, state institutions, businesses, and other organizations. Their contributions ensure the availability of essential services such as electricity, security, volunteer catering and accommodation, cultural programs, and a lot more.
Thanks to the financial support of these sponsors, participants in the open call only need to cover the direct costs associated with organising their own discussions.
We encourage all socially active organizations to participate in both the festival and the open call. When reviewing submissions, we prioritise the content of the ideas and consider how the proposer plans to incorporate diverse opinions and experiences into the discussion. This year, we particularly aim to foster collaboration between the public and private sectors and civil society in organising discussions and thematic areas.
In the application, you should clearly justify the significance of your proposed topic. Submitting an idea also indicates your commitment to organising the discussion.
To prepare your submission, consider the following questions:
- What is the title of your proposed discussion?
- What do you aim to achieve with this discussion?
- Why should your topic resonate with visitors and society?
- Whose perspectives should be included in the discussion?
Before submitting your idea, we recommend exploring the Opinion Festival discussion formats page, for insights on organising discussions at this year’s festival.
All submitted ideas will be evaluated by the Opinion Festival programme team, which consists of the festival’s core members, discussion area coordinators, and invited experts.
Evaluation Criteria for Discussion Ideas:
- The discussion’s value to Estonian society – what is the content and why is it important to hold this discussion now?
- The discussion’s relevance – why is the Opinion Festival the right place for it?
- Inclusion of diverse viewpoints – we particularly seek discussions that feature a range of perspectives.
- Collaboration across different sectors, with a focus on involving civil society alongside the public and private sectors.
- The novelty of the topic and the freshness of the approach.
- The organiser’s adherence to the Respectful Discussion Convention.
If multiple organisers submit similar ideas, they will be brought together to collaborate and organise the discussion jointly.
The selected ideas will form thematic discussion areas, and organisers of the accepted discussions will be contacted by 7 April at the latest.
Take a look at the Q&A at the bottom of this page to gain a better understanding of the different aspects of organising a discussion.
Q&A
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Who can submit an idea through the open call?
The open call is open to all organisations, businesses, communities, and other groups. Ideas can be submitted in Estonian or English, and discussions can be conducted in the respective languages.
It is important that your idea is well thought out, provides specific answers to the questions in the application form, and aligns with good discussion practices. By submitting an idea, you commit to organising the discussion in collaboration with other area organisers and the festival team.
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What happens after submitting an idea? Who puts together the Festival programme, what is taken into account while doing that?
After the open call concludes, the festival team will evaluate all submissions based on established guidelines. The evaluation team includes the festival’s core team and discussion area coordinators. Selected ideas will be grouped into thematic discussion areas.
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What is the timeline for setting up a discussion?
The evaluation of the discussions submitted during the idea collection will take place at the end of March. In early April, idea submitters will be notified of those who have been accepted into this year’s Opinion Festival programme. Subsequently, under the leadership of the Opinion Festival’s volunteer coordinator, work will begin on creating the discussions and discussion areas.
By June 9th, the content of the discussions, the design of the shared discussion areas, and the technical solutions must be finalised. By this date, Johannes Säre, the Opinion Festival’s technical lead, expects input from all organisers regarding area construction. Each discussion area coordinator expects details related to their discussions by this date – from the final title to the confirmation of moderators and participants. The Opinion Festival’s schedule will be announced on July 7th
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Are there obligations attached to submitting your idea for the Festival?
Each idea submitter must be prepared to organise their own discussion. Ideas that progress from the idea collection will be allocated among the discussion areas, and in addition to organising their own discussion, idea submitters must collectively contribute to the technical organisation of the discussion area, including jointly covering the direct costs associated with organising the area.
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What are the costs attached to the discussion at the Festival?
There are costs that you have to take into account when setting up a discussion at the Festival. The festival, for its part, provides directional signs to the discussion area, electricity, recording of discussions as podcasts, and access to drinking water at water points, in addition to everything already mentioned regarding the general organisation of the festival. We will help with the design of visuals to create a unified image.
Other arising costs (area construction, design, sound equipment, video transmission, shelters, seating, etc.) will be shared among the organisations organising the discussions.
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What if we don’t have the funds required?
If an organisation doesn’t have the funds necessary, it is possible, in agreement with other area organisers, to contribute to setting up and supporting the area in some other way.
Some examples of non-financial contributions over the years:
*leading and managing the collaboration between the organisers as the area lead;
*managing area communication work;
*coordinating area design and construction work (finding solutions supporting the concept of the area, etc).
Additionally, discussion areas are allowed to involve sponsors, yet sponsors’ visibility at the area should be in strict compliance with general rules of the Festival and the concept of the area.
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Should we handle everything ourselves?
No, there will be help. The Opinion Festival team includes discussion area coordinators who help create a cohesive discussion area, find answers to all organisational questions, and advise discussion organisers to ensure that the festival organisation process is as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
This year, we will also be providing stronger support to discussion organisers on the content side. Discussion design mentors will be involved in the Opinion Festival programme team, offering a helping hand to those who wish to take the first steps in putting together a discussion. They will contribute to determining the purpose, format, and participants of the discussion.
The festival’s experience shows that one of the key factors for a successful discussion is a good moderator. We recommend finding a moderator at an early stage and involving them in shaping the discussion. SpeakSmart, a partner of the Opinion Festival, provides consultations for conducting discussions and is a good support for moderators.
If you have any other questions, please contact Opinion Festival Programme Project Manager Karolin Nummert at karolin.nummert@arvamusfestival.ee.