Terms & Conditions

Erich Grabner Prize for Contemporary Graphic Art of the City of Krems 2026 - 
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The City of Krems is once again announcing the Erich Grabner Prize for Contemporary Graphic Art for 2026. In cooperation with the Province of Lower Austria, the Rotary Club Krems-Wachau, the Friends of the Grabner Family, and Göttweig Abbey, outstanding artistic positions in contemporary graphic art will be recognized in several categories.

The prizes are awarded in the form of acquisitions totaling EUR 15,500 and include the following categories:

Additionally: The works of this year’s prize winners will be presented next autumn at the art fair PARALLEL 2026 in Vienna.

By participating in the competition, artists agree that—if selected—the submitted work or series will be made available to the respective prize sponsor. This is carried out in the form of an acquisition or as part of further prizes such as exhibitions or residencies.

The Erich Grabner Prize for Contemporary Graphic Art of the City of Krems is awarded biennially and organized by the Department of Culture of the City of Krems.

Eligible to participate are all artists who, at the time of submission, have their primary residence in Austria.

Artists may submit either a single work (full size of Artwork* max. 100 × 100 cm) or a coherent series (up to three works, each max. 100 × 100 cm).

The submission process takes place in two stages:

• Stage 1: Digital Submission
  Works must first be submitted digitally. Technical requirements and deadlines will be announced in due time.
  A jury will select approximately 50 works or series from the digital submissions for the second stage.
• Stage 2: Physical Submission
  Selected artists will be invited to submit their works in physical (analog) form.
   

• Original works only: Submissions must be original works by the artist.
• Techniques: All graphic techniques are permitted, including interdisciplinary and cross-media approaches.
  (Note: Different conditions apply to the Göttweig Abbey Prize – see above.)
• Graphic character: The graphic element must be the dominant aspect in all submissions.
• Medium: Paper must be the primary medium.
• Date of creation: Submitted works must be recent, created in or after 2024.
• Format:
  • Single work: max. 100 × 100 cm
  • Series: max. 3 works, each 100 × 100 cm
     
• Digital submission form: All fields in the online form must be completed accurately:
  • Contact information
  • Work details (title, year, material, value, dimensions in cm using periods instead of commas)
  • Artist statement or short biography
    Do not upload additional documents. The jury will not consider multipage portfolios or extra PDFs.
     

Important: Incomplete submissions or entries exceeding the stated size or number limits will be excluded from the jury process.

Stage 1: Digital Submission
Digital submissions are open from January 19 to March 9, 2026.

Required materials:

• High-quality photographic documentation of the submitted work or series
• Complete personal details (name, date of birth, address, phone number, email)
• Detailed information about the work(s): title, technique, size (in cm), year, and price
• Short statement about the work or series
• Brief biography and overview of artistic practice
   

Only complete and on-time applications will be considered. Submit here.

A jury will select approximately 50 entries for the second round. Selected artists will be notified promptly after the jury’s decision.

Stage 2: Physical Submission
Selected works must be received—by post, courier, or in person—no later than April 30, 2026, at the following address:

Department of Culture, City of Krems
Körnermarkt 14
3500 Krems, Austria

Please note:

• Works must be submitted unframed unless the frame is an integral part of the piece.
• Proper packaging is essential.
• Works are not insured during the competition phase; insurance coverage begins only with the exhibition.
• The insured value corresponds to the stated price.
• The City of Krems assumes no liability for loss or damage during the competition.
• Works submitted in person must be collected in person after the exhibition.
• Works sent by post will be returned at the sender’s expense using the original packaging.
   

An independent jury of art and culture experts will determine the prize winners — except for the Audience Award.

In the first round, the jury selects approximately 50 submissions based on the digital entries. After physical submission, the jury awards four of the five prizes. The Audience Award will be determined through public voting during the exhibition.

All award winners will be officially announced at a public award ceremony.

• Heike Eipeldauer, Curator, mumok Vienna
• Gregor Kremser, Head of the Department of Culture, City of Krems & museumkrems
• Katharina Prerovsky, Art Historian, Department of Art & Culture, Province of Lower Austria
• Gerda Ridler, Director, Landesgalerie Niederösterreich
• Nina Schedlmayer, Art Critic, Journalist & Curator
• Jasper Sharp, Curator and Art Historian, Founder & Former Director of Phileas Vienna
   

With the awarding of the prizes, the winning works become the property of the respective prize sponsors:
the City of Krems, the Province of Lower Austria, Göttweig Abbey, and the Rotary Club Krems-Wachau.

Immediately following the second jury session, all physically submitted works will be presented as part of the exhibition paper unlimited_02 at museumkrems. Visitors will be able to vote for the Audience Award during the exhibition period.

Exhibition Opening & Award Ceremonies:

• Vernissage & Jury Award Ceremony: Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Dominikanerkirche Krems
• Audience Award Ceremony: Friday, September 18, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Dominikanerkirche Krems
   

Exhibition Duration: Until November 15, 2026

By participating in the competition, artists agree to the competition conditions as well as to the processing of their personal data for the purpose of conducting the competition, in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act. This also includes the obligation to collect the submitted work by the specified date. Legal recourse is excluded. The jury’s decision is final.

The privacy policy of the City of Krems applies and can be accessed at: www.krems.at/datenschutzerklaerung