young artists award

Young Art Prize Visual Arts Carinthia 2026
speechless
Ira Grünberger, Maria Hummer, Paula Hummer, Raul Lile, Leonie Marcella Pirker, Verena Walzl

The candidates for this year's Young Art Prize Visual Arts Carinthia have been confirmed! Ira Grünberger, Maria Hummer, Paula Hummer, Raul Lile, Leonie Marcella Pirker and Verena Walzl have been working since the beginning of the year towards the major exhibition, for which GALERIE3 will once again rent the Künstlerhaus Klagenfurt.
The shortlist brings together a wide range of artistic approaches: from narrative painting, textile art, and sculptural-installative positions to conceptual approaches, the young artists from Carinthia can again hope for a diverse exhibition.
The theme of the 2026 competition is “speechless”. In times of multiple crises, we are unfortunately all too familiar with speechlessness, and thus the theme reflects a societal mood. Yet the theme of this year’s art competition can also be interpreted positively: one can be speechless with joy and happiness. Furthermore, a core element of the visual arts is that it can also function without language, offering a visual communication that does not require verbal levels and may even at times evade them. Art can often express what cannot be put into words. Last but not least, the theme opens up future questions: What possibilities arise when we are left speechless?
The awards will be presented by the sponsors, with the Province of Carinthia Culture and the Wietersdorfer Group (third prize) alongside Fundermax being a new local company as the sponsor of the second prize.
In parallel, last year's winners Nanna Kaiser, Angelus Schnabl and Kristin Wadlig are exhibiting.

General information about the Young Art Prize Visual Arts Carinthia can be found on the website of GALERIE3