ADKV-ART COLOGNE Award for Kunstvereine
The call for entries for the ADKV-ART COLOGNE Prize for Kunstvereine 2026 is now online!
Further information on the call for entries can be found here.
The ADKV-ART COLOGNE Prize for Kunstvereine is the only national award presented to art associations. The prize serves as a testament to the exemplary work and commitment of the more than 300 art associations spread across the country. In 2021, this commitment was included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The deep-rooted presence of art associations within civil society ensures the provision of opportunities in the fields of visual arts and culture, as well as spaces for discussing social issues, even in rural areas. This unique commitment to democratic and open cultural work and society, which is largely supported by voluntary work, must continue to be promoted and supported.
The ADKV-ART COLOGNE Prize for Art Associations contributes to this.
This long-standing prize was first established in 2000 and has been awarded since 2006 by the Working Group of German Art Associations in cooperation with ART COLOGNE.
The prize is endowed with €8,000. The prize money is donated by ART COLOGNE. In addition, ART COLOGNE produces promotional films featuring the prize winners. The following year, the award-winning art associations have a stand at ART COLOGNE. The award ceremony takes place on the Saturday afternoon at Art Cologne.
The ADKV would like to express its sincere thanks for the extensive support provided by ART COLOGNE, without which the award would not be possible.
Criteria for Awarding the Prize
- Promotion of contemporary art in regional and international contexts, particularly through the ongoing presentation of contemporary art in exhibition venues and through temporary projects outside established institutions
- Exploration and promotion of experimental artistic approaches
- Active engagement with current artistic, social, and cultural-political discourses
- Development and sustainable integration of innovative art education, both as project-based practice and as an integral part of the program
- Institutional self-examination as a continuous reflection on and further development of one’s own practice
- Consideration of diversity, participation, and accessibility in programming, education, and institutional orientation
- Development of new forms of engagement and participation
- Conception and implementation of public events addressing current artistic and social issues
- Establishment and maintenance of interdisciplinary and solidarity-based networks at the regional and national levels
- Engagement in local cultural policy discourses and in strengthening cultural infrastructure
Nomination
To ensure broad public awareness of the award, 16 prominent figures from the arts, culture, and media are asked to each nominate an art association based on the list of criteria. The goal is to adequately reflect the diversity and heterogeneity of the art association landscape.
Previous award winners are excluded from nomination; art associations whose representatives serve on the ADKV board may be nominated but are excluded from receiving the award.
Application
Once again, art associations that have not yet received the award have the opportunity to submit an independent application. The prerequisite is the timely and complete submission of application materials via the form provided on the ADKV website (www.kunstvereine.de). Announcement in mid-April.
Jury
The winners will be selected by a five-member jury drawn from the fields of art, culture, and media. The decision will be based on both the submitted nominations and the applications received by the deadline.
Previous winners of the ADKV-ART COLOGNE Prize for ART Associations
2024 - Kunstverein Dresden
2024 - Kunstverein Global Forest e.V.
2023 - Dortmunder Kunstverein
2022 - Bonner Kunstverein
2021 - Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ADKV-ART COLOGNE Prize for Art Criticism was not awarded.
2020 - Halle für Kunst Lüneburg
2019 - KV-Verein für zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig
2018 - Temporary Gallery
2017 - Kunstverein Hartware MedienKunstVerein (HKMV), Dortmund
2016 - Kunstverein Arnsberg und Kunstverein Harburger Bahnhof
2015 - Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf
2014 - Bielefelder Kunstverein
2013 - Neuer Berliner Kunstverein
2012 - Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe
2011 - Kunstverein Nürnberg - Albrecht Dürer Gesellschaft
2010 - Kölnischer Kunstverein
2009 - Heidelberger Kunstverein
2008 - Salzburger Kunstverein & Westfälischer Kunstverein
2007 - Kunstverein Wolfsburg
2006 - ACC Galerie Weimar
2000 - 2005
Winners of the ART FRANKFURT PRIZE
From 2000 to 2005, ART FRANKFURT recognized the innovative work and exhibition practices of an art association through the ART FRANKFURT PRIZE (formerly the Adam Elsheimer Prize), which carried a prize of €13,000.