Jan. 12, 2026
As a European technology group for building services, STRABAG SE has its origins in Austria and Germany. STRABAG ART—founded in the 1990s, when the group was still headquartered in the Austrian town of Spittal/Drau—has successfully built bridges between the worlds of work and art, including via its annual art prize to support young artists. First awarded in 1994, the competition was initially limited to Austria. Since 2009, the competition has served as an international platform for young talent across Europe.
Jury meeting 2025 // Photo by Eva Kelety
The STRABAG ART Award supports artists of up to 40 years old in the fields of painting and drawing, terms which are freely reinterpreted for the contemporary art landscape. Considered artists should be from Germany, Slovenia and Austria. Applicants should either be citizens or have resided in one of the three countries for at least two years.
The jury members of STRABAG ART Award 2026 are art experts from the participating countries: Anna-Catharina Gebbers, Curator Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin; Alenka Gregorič, Artistic Director Cukrarna, Ljubljana; Johan Holten, Director Kunsthalle Mannheim; Angela Stief, Director Albertina Modern, Vienna; Sebastian Haselsteiner, Director STRABAG ART, Vienna.
Jury meeting 2025 // Photo by Eva Kelety
A main prize of €16,000 and four recognition prizes of €8,000 each will be awarded. In addition, artworks of the winners may be purchased for STRABAG ART Collection. The award ceremony and opening of the exhibition from the winning artists will take place on June 25th, 2026 at the STRABAG House in Vienna. A catalog will be published to accompany the exhibition.
Last year’s STRABAG ART Award winners include Haakon Neubert, who received the main prize for his bold, acrylic work, alongside recognition prize recipients Emma Hummerhielm Carlén, Benjamin Burkard, Dior Thiam and Maximilian Prüfer. Their artworks ranged across painting and mixed-media, and each had a solo exhibition at the STRABAG House in Vienna.
Application Info
strabag.art
Deadline: Jan. 26, 2026
