The art prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, is awarded for an artistic intervention in a church interior in the area of the Württemberg Regional Church. The artistic means are freely selectable. Any form of expression in the visual arts is possible.
A short project description and idea sketch must be submitted in digital form. A jury made up of representatives of church art committees and a majority of well-known personalities from the art scene (academy, art museums, artists) will select the winning design, which will be realized. The jury can award up to three further designs a recognition prize of 1000 euros, combined with a public exhibition of the designs.
“Interplay” means: the intervention is in relation to the space and its furnishings in such a way that it enables a new perception of the familiar space or even individual pieces of furnishings. It can do this by enabling new visual or sensory experiences, challenging critical reflection on the space or its purpose and/or inviting interaction or participation.
The specified church space is the Stadtkirche Ludwigsburg, whose 300th anniversary will be celebrated in 2026. The baroque church, planned from the outset as a Protestant church building, is characterized by a sober, bright, almost unadorned interior. The planned artistic decoration fell victim to Duke Eberhard Ludwig’s notorious lack of money at the time.
The parish grants the artistic intervention every freedom. It must only remain possible to continue using the church space as a place of worship. In addition, all interventions must be reversible, as the space must be returned to its original state after the end of the presentation. For this reason – in addition to the art prize fee – a further maximum amount of 10,000 euros is available for the realization, including dismantling and cosmetic repairs.
The application deadline is November 15, 2025. Information and submission at www.kirche-kunstpreis.de
The jury will decide in February 2026.
Work on the church interior can begin on July 13. The opening and award ceremony will take place on July 25.
The presentation will run from July 25 to September 27, 2026.
Queries should be addressed to the church’s representative for art and sacred space consulting, Johannes Koch, and at the same time to the project manager
Application deadline: November 15, 2025