The Magic House is Waiting for a Story
Story Open Call

The Former Tainan Park Management Office, located within Tainan Park, has recently been restored and reactivated as an important site for art education and public engagement by Tainan Art Museum. To foster new connections between this historic building and the communities that surround it, Tainan Art Museum is launching The Magic House is Waiting for a Story, an open call inviting the public to imagine, write, and contribute stories inspired by this unique place.

Beginning with The Magic House itself, participants are encouraged to draw inspiration from the landscapes, memories, and atmospheres of Tainan Park, exploring the possibilities of storytelling through fiction, poetry, letters, myths, fragments, scenes, rumours, and other literary forms.

Suggested themes include the children’s playground, the bomb shelter, the Japanese garden, local flora and fauna, urban legends, and imagined spirits or magical beings. Through diverse voices and perspectives, the project seeks to cultivate new narratives that connect people, place, and collective memory.

The competition is open to participants of all ages and nationalities. Submissions may take any literary form. Entries written in Chinese or Japanese must not exceed 2,000 characters, while entries in all other languages are limited to 1,200 words.

A panel comprising writers, artists, and scholars will review the submissions and select the winning entries.
Awards include:

1st Prize｜NTD 30,000
2nd Prize｜NTD 20,000
3rd Prize｜NTD 10,000

Selected works may subsequently be featured through publication, exhibition, artistic interpretation, and public presentation, allowing stories to remain part of The Magic House and continue to be encountered by future visitors.

We warmly invite writers, storytellers, and anyone with an interest in imagination, literature, and the cultural life of the city to participate in this open call and help shape a new chapter in the story of the Former Tainan Park Management Office.

Submission Period
3 July – 4 October 2026

Project Website
https://reurl.cc/grgxVz

Tainan Art Museum Website
https://www.tnam.museum/event/detail/727

Supervisor｜Tainan City Government
Co-Organizers｜Public Works Bureau, Tainan City Government, Cultural Affairs Bureau, Tainan City Government, Tainan Art Museum
Artistic Director｜Joshua SOFAER
Animation｜HSIAO Yu-Jen, CHANG Min-Chin, WANG You-Ting
Voice-over｜HUANG, Hsin-Yao, LI, Hung-Ching (Miko)
Illustration｜CHEN Chiao, STUDIO HUA JIAO, Humor

Contact Person : Mr. Chiou, Education and Public Programs Department, Tainan Art Museum
Tel : +886 6 221 8881 ext. 2307
E-mail : tamartforest@tnam.museum