steirischer herbst is an interdisciplinary festival for contemporary art that takes place annually in Graz and Styria. Since the 1980s, it has consisted of both a program curated by the festival team and projects presented independently by the local art scene as part of the festival.
Since 2018, there has been an open call for this Partner Program. It is intended to offer not only established institutions a place within steirischer herbst but invite all artists and culture workers to be part of the festival.
For 2026, steirischer herbst is once again inviting noncommercial cultural initiatives and artists based in Graz or Styria to submit proposals for newly developed works with an experimental and critical character. Projects in the Partner Program are not tied to any specific theme or medium.
Only projects that take place entirely or partially during steirischer herbst ’26 (24.9.–18.10.26) can be considered.
Fifteen to twenty projects will be selected from the submissions. They will be presented as part of steirischer herbst and also featured in the festival’s communication materials and on its website. In addition to comprehensive promotion and a platform with international reach, the festival also offers financial support for the realization of projects on an individual basis. Integration into steirischer herbst’s educational program is also possible.
Important: All projects in the partner program are organized wholly independently by the participants. steirischer herbst is responsible neither for production nor organization. This includes finding venues.
Please submit your proposal by Monday, 12.1.26, 10:00 CET, to:
opencall [at] steirischerherbst.at.
Required documents:
- short, concrete project description (not a theoretical concept, max. 500 characters)
- detailed project description (max. 5000 characters)
- implementation plan
- for financial support: a financial scheme
- information about the institution or, for artists, a one-page CV
- information about the project’s venue (if it differs from the institution’s)
- reference and project materials relating to previous artistic practice (video and/or audio recordings, installation views, texts) and, if possible, images and texts relating to the submitted project. For performative projects (theater, dance, …), videos are an absolute necessity. (links or attachments up to 10 MB)
We are looking forward to your project proposals!
Bewerbungsschluss: 12. Januar 2026