The UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts Karlsruhe is announcing its Project Funding Program for Media Art for the seventh time. A total of €100,000 is available to support innovative media art projects in public outdoor spaces.
The funding is aimed at artists, cultural and media professionals, as well as initiatives and institutions from Baden-Württemberg. The program’s goal is to sustainably strengthen the regional media art scene, foster exchange between different creative communities, and provide new impulses for contemporary media art.
Against the backdrop of tight overall financial conditions, Karlsruhe is sending a clear cultural-political signal: media art remains a central profile of the city and an important field for the future development of urban culture.
“Being able to continue this funding program for the seventh year, especially in financially challenging times, is a strong commitment to media art and to the artists of this city. Media art shapes Karlsruhe’s cultural identity and highlights how crucial artistic innovation, spaces for exchange, and opportunities for dialogue and engagement in public spaces are for a vibrant urban society,” said Dr. Dominika Szope, Head of the Karlsruhe’s Department of Cultural Affairs.
A particular focus of the call is on projects that contribute to international networking, exchange, and collaboration within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the field of media art. The selected projects will be presented in the summer of 2027 throughout Karlsruhe as part of the annual exhibition Media art is here, and will again coincide with the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE festival.
The application deadline is May 18, 2026.
In 2019, Karlsruhe was recognized by UNESCO as the first and, so far, only city in Germany with the title “Creative City of Media Arts” and was admitted into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). The global network was founded in 2004 to promote collaboration with and among cities that have identified creativity and culture as a strategic factor in building sustainable urban societies.