City of Vienna - Subsidies for Literature - H.C. Artmann Award of the City of Vienna

The H.C. Artmann Award

You will receive a one-time prize of 10,000 EUR for outstanding achievements in the field of poetry. The City of Vienna has been awarding this prize since 2004 in honour of the Austrian poet Hans Carl Artmann. It is a one-off cash prize, not a monthly scholarship, and is awarded to a poet every two years.

Who can win it

• What you do: You write poetry. The prize is awarded exclusively to poets, not to novelists, essayists or other writers.
• Connection to Vienna: You live in Vienna; your work is closely linked to the city or bears a clear relation to the work of H.C. Artmann.
• Track record: You have already published some outstanding works. This prize recognises an established body of poetic work, not a single new work.
• No degree needed: You do not need to be enrolled at a university or hold an academic qualification. This is a literary prize for practising poets.

How it is awarded

It is not possible to apply for this award. A three-member expert jury, appointed by the Vienna City Councillor for Culture, nominates a winner. The City Councillor then makes the final decision. The jury decides at its own discretion, and there is neither a right of appeal nor an entitlement to the prize.

How realistic are your chances?

As there is no application process, there is no need to submit anything or meet any deadline. Every two years, a jury selects a poet who has a connection to Vienna and an extensive body of published work. In practice, this tends to reward long-standing, established careers in poetry rather than emerging talents.