Call for Applications: Startstipendien 2026 for Music and Performing Arts 

 

Under the title Startstipendien 2026, the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport is offering a total of 90 scholarships for emerging artists in the fields of music and performing arts. The Startstipendien 2026 scholarships represent recognition and support for the work of professionally active artists at the beginning of their careers. They are intended to enable work on new projects, advance artistic development, and facilitate entry into the Austrian and international arts scene.

Startstipendien 2026

Number: Up to 90 scholarships awarded
Disciplines: Architecture, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Design, Film, Photography, Literature, Media Arts, and Music
Duration: 6 months
Scholarship amount: € 9,000
Application deadline: 31 January 2026
The scholarship must be taken up within the year 2026

Eligibility
Eligible to apply are professionally active, self-employed artists who

• hold Austrian citizenship or have their permanent residence in Austria at the time of application and throughout the scholarship period, and
• whose degree was completed no more than five years prior to the application deadline, regardless of age.

For artists without a university or university of applied sciences degree, the date of birth must be after 31 December 1990.
Exceptions to these criteria must be explained separately and may only be considered if, for example, the start of the professional career was delayed due to family responsibilities, childcare, or serious illness. In such cases, a maximum extension of five years may be granted.

Not eligible to apply are:

• persons who are enrolled at a university or university of applied sciences at the time of application;
• persons who have already received a Start Scholarship from the Federal Ministry (in any field) or who will receive another scholarship from the Federal Ministry in 2026.

Funding Requirements

• Applications must be complete, submitted by the deadline, and relate to one field only.
• During the scholarship period, recipients are expected to work on a project described in a concept to be submitted with the application.
• The following will not be funded:
  • projects already completed at the time of application,
  • projects that are predominantly commercial or pedagogical in nature,
  • projects by non-professionals or amateurs,
  • projects carried out as part of education or degree programmes,
  • projects with a primarily socio-cultural focus.
• Applicants must demonstrate the prior realisation of initial artistic work:

‒ Visual Arts, Photography and Media Arts: at least two exhibitions
‒ Film: published film works
‒ Literature: publications in literary journals, anthologies, or similar
‒ Music and Performing Arts: at least two publicly performed productions

• Projects for which funding has already been applied for through the Federal Ministry cannot be considered.

Eligibility requirements

• Applications must be submitted in full and on time.
• The scholarship requires the implementation of work projects, which must be included with the application as a concept. Projects that have already been started or completed at the time of application, projects that are predominantly commercial or educational in nature, projects involving primarily laypeople and amateurs, projects within the framework of training, and projects with primarily sociocultural concerns will not be accepted.
• Projects for which funding has already been applied for at the BMWKMS will also not be considered.

Application
Applications must be submitted via the online application system. Application forms and information on the online procedure can be found at:
https://www.bmwkms.gv.at/themen/kunst-und-kultur/service-kunst-und-kultur/foerderungen/formulare-und-infoblaetter.html 

Submission Deadline

• Applications may be submitted from 15 November 2025
• The final deadline is 31 January 2026. Early submission is recommended.

All information is available on the website of the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media, and Sport.

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Meisterkurse, Sommerkurse, Akademien

 

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