Image: Secession Building, London
The Vienna Secession has announced the sixth edition of the Gerhard and Birgit Gmoser Prize for Contemporary Art, opening applications for artists based in Austria. The prize is awarded on a three-year cycle by the Vereinigung bildender Künstler*innen Wiener Secession and is endowed with 5,000 euros. According to the call, the deadline for entries is 23 August 2026.
The award was established through the Gerhard and Birgit Gmoser Foundation, which Birgit Gmoser created in 1999 in memory of her late husband, the Austrian diplomat and painter Gerhard Gmoser. The Secession describes the prize as nationwide, cross-genre and open to artists working across painting, sculpture, photography and new media, while also considering their overall artistic practice. The current announcement states that it is being offered in Vienna for the sixth time.
Eligibility is limited to artists who have had their permanent residence in Austria for at least five years, with no age restriction. There is no entry fee. Applications must be submitted exclusively by email in German or English to gmoserpreis@secession.at, and the Secession asks applicants to follow the guidelines exactly. Required materials include one A4 page with contact details and a short biography, plus up to two A4 pages of current, representative work images and texts, with optional further links. Submissions must be saved as a single PDF named in the format Name_Vorname_Gmoserpreis.pdf and sent in an email package no larger than 5 MB.
A five-member expert jury will select the winner anonymously and without public access. The jury is chaired by the president of the Secession, Ramesch Daha, and also includes Karine Fauchard, Philipp Fleischmann, Barbara Kapusta and Eva Schlegel. The institution says the diversity of the panel is intended to support a broad discussion of the submissions. The winning artist will be notified after the jury meeting in mid-September 2026.
The prize package includes more than the cash award. The chosen artist will also be invited to present their work in a Künstler*innengespräch, or artist talk, at the Vienna Secession in connection with the award presentation. The ceremony and conversation are scheduled for October 2026. The announcement says the presentation format will be arranged in advance between the recipient and the Secession.
The Gmoser prize has previously been awarded to Heidrun Holzfeind and Barbara Eichhorn in 2011, Ramesch Daha in 2014, Claudia Märzendorfer in 2017, Rosa Hausleitner in 2020 and Karine Fauchard in 2023. In its announcement, the Secession frames the prize as part of its ongoing support for artists in Austria, with contact for the application process listed as Maria Huber and press enquiries directed to Ramona Heinlein.
