karl sczuka prize for radio art

The Southwest Broadcasting Corporation (SWR) is awarding the 2026 Karl Sczuka Prize for radio drama as radio art. Submissions are open until May 23, 2026, for works in the fields of radio drama, media art, and music that utilize musical structures and materials in acoustic performance formats.

The prize is awarded by an independent jury chaired by visual artist Olaf Nicolai. Other jury members include curator and author Inke Arns, curator, author, and lecturer Julia Cloot, literary scholar Michael Grote, and writer, musician, and DJ Thomas Meinecke. The Karl Sczuka Prize will be awarded as a public event during the 2026 Donaueschingen Music Festival. The Karl Sczuka Prize was established in 1955 by the former Südwestfunk (Southwest Broadcasting). It is named after Karl Sczuka (1900–1954), the resident composer during the SWF's founding years.