Organizer Information
Galerie im Saalbau is a municipal gallery for contemporary art in the Neukölln district of Berlin, run by the district's Department of Culture (Fachbereich Kultur, Bezirksamt Neukölln). Housed in the Saalbau building on Karl-Marx-Straße — one of the oldest cultural buildings in the historic Rixdorf quarter, originally opened in 1876 — the gallery was established in 1990 after the building was restored from disrepair. It is a member of the Arbeitskreis Kommunale Galerien (Municipal Galleries Working Group) Berlin.
Since 2014, three of the gallery's six annual exhibitions have been awarded to Neukölln-based artists through an independent expert jury, showcasing the range of artistic production in the district's studios. Since 2017, the gallery has also hosted the nominee exhibition for the Neuköllner Kunstpreis (Neukölln Art Prize), which the Department of Culture organizes together with Kulturnetzwerk Neukölln e.V. and the housing association STADT UND LAND Wohnbauten-Gesellschaft mbH. The 2027 edition marks the prize's tenth anniversary cycle.
Title & Description
Neuköllner Kunstpreis 2027 (Neukölln Art Prize 2027)
The Neuköllner Kunstpreis is an annual open call for visual artists based in Berlin-Neukölln, established by the district's Department of Culture in cooperation with Kulturnetzwerk Neukölln e.V. and STADT UND LAND. The prize aims to bring the artistic quality of Neukölln's art scene to a wider public and to strengthen the artists working there. An independent jury of representatives from the Berlin art scene nominates seven to eight artists in a transparent process; their work is shown in a group exhibition at Galerie im Saalbau, during which the three prize-winners are determined.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Art
Eligibility
- Open to visual artists who have either completed an artistic education and/or can demonstrate several years of artistic activity in the field of visual arts
- Must have lived in Neukölln, or have their own studio there, for at least six months (to be proven upon nomination)
- The submitted work must be an existing piece, no older than 3 years, that represents the applicant's practice; the jury evaluates the individual work in the context of the applicant's overall portfolio
- Performance works are not permitted
- Video works must be illustrated with a film still; the video link must be freely accessible to the jury without registration on a video platform (playback may be password-protected, provided the password is clearly stated in the application)
- Submitted work may not exceed the following dimensions: floor works/sculptures 4 m²; wall-mounted works 6 m²
- Excluded: nominees and winners of the Neuköllner Kunstpreis from the past four years
- Excluded: students, who are not eligible to apply
- Excluded: jury members and staff of the Bezirksamt Neukölln
Program Benefits & Awards
- Total prize fund of €6,000, divided as: 1st Prize €3,000, 2nd Prize €2,000, 3rd Prize €1,000
- Nominated artists (seven to eight in total) are presented in a group exhibition at Galerie im Saalbau
- Winners are announced at an official award ceremony at Heimathafen Neukölln on 29 January 2027
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 September 2026
- Jury meets to select nominees: November 2026
- Award ceremony and announcement of winners: 29 January 2027, at Heimathafen Neukölln
Location
Berlin-Neukölln, Germany
Additional Details
- Required application materials: a digital photo documentation of the submitted work (JPEG, min. 10×15 cm, min. 300 dpi); a statement on the artistic approach and working method (max. 1,200 characters); a portfolio/catalogue of work from the past 5 years (max. 7 pages, max. 10 MB, PDF); an artistic CV covering education, scholarships, awards, and selected exhibitions (max. 2 pages, max. 2 MB, PDF)
- The jury composition had not yet been announced at the time of publication; the same jury meets twice — once to select nominees, and again onsite to determine the three winners
- There is no legal entitlement to receiving the prize
- If nominated, artists are obligated to make their work available for the nominee exhibition; delivery and collection of the work is at the applicant's own cost and risk
- Works are insured during the exhibition and transport period, provided the insurance value was communicated in time
- By participating, artists agree to transfer reproduction rights free of charge to the Department of Culture for any resulting art publication or online/press use, with the photographer credited
- Contact: Yolanda Kaddu-Mulindwa, Fachbereich Kultur, Bezirksamt Neukölln von Berlin, Karl-Marx-Str. 141, 12043 Berlin — kunstpreis@bezirksamt-neukoelln.de