FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
Congratulations to the 2026 fellowship recipients!
- Eliana Kirkcaldy – International residency fellowship for new literary formats
- Meral Ziegler – International residency fellowship literature
- Mihyun Maria Kim – International residency fellowship visual arts
- Boris Loginov – National work fellowship with child composition
- Carsten Schneider – International residency fellowship composition
- Nicole Schuck – Fellowship at the invitation of Künstler:innenhaus 2026 for the project ‘Tönung der Elbe – Geräuschvolles Unterwasser’ (Tint of the Elbe – Noisy Underwater)
We would like to express our sincere thanks to all applicants and regret that we are unable to award more fellowships. We received a total of around 250 high-quality submissions in 2026. We greatly appreciate the work you have put into your applications and would like to encourage you to apply again next year.
Shortlist and Jury members
Description Fellowships
The Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg (“Artists’ House”) was founded in 1986. Its funding, from the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, enables it to grant fellowships in the fields of contemporary visual arts, literature and composition. It offers artists from all over the world the opportunity to complete new projects in an undisturbed working environment and to present them to an interested public.
All fellowships are selected by three expert juries.
International Artists in Residence
Every year, Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg regularly announces 3 residency fellowships for 4 month in the fields of composition, literature, and visual arts and grants one fellowship in the field of visual arts by invitation to an artist or group. Artists can apply for the 3 residency fellowships without restriction of age or place of residence. The funding is aimed at artists of all generations and stages of life.
National Work Fellowship with child(ren)
Since 2022, Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg awards a work fellowship without residency requirement to applicants with child(ren) who have their permanent place of residence in Germany. Proof of this must be provided upon starting the fellowship. Artists can apply for the annually changing work fellowship, alternating in the fields of composition, literature and visual arts, without restriction of age. The first order was decided by lot. In 2026 the fellowship will be announced for composition.
International Fellowship for new literary formats and creative curatorial approaches in literature
The Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg and the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media (Behörde für Kultur und Medien Hamburg), in cooperation with the Literaturhaus Hamburg, are offering a new 4 month residency fellowship for international curators in the field of literature for 2026. We are looking for new, creative and experimental literary formats. International and national literary curators or collectives with at least two years of practical experience are eligible to apply.
Curated group exhibition with a selection of works by the applicants at the Stadtgalerie Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg
The Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg would like to give more visibility and participation to a larger number of artists, writers and composers, as well as appreciate the effort they put into the application process.
The number of applicants for the 4 fellowship places grow every year, but the Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg is currently unable to offer more fellowships. That’s why we introduced a new format in 2024: a group presentation with selected works by applicants under changing curatorial direction.
In addition, the group presentation can reflect the impressive range of diversity of the applications, which reflects the diverse composition of our society in terms of geographical, ethnic or cultural origin, age, gender, sexual identity, world view, inclusion of people with disabilities or family situations.
All participating artists (approx. 10) will receive an exhibition fee.
At the end of the application form, you must indicate whether or not you wish to participate in the group exhibition. However, this does not constitute a guarantee of participation.
The group exhibition (in the spring of the fellowship year) shows a selection of artworks/contributions from all admitted applications of all three fellowship categories (residency and work fellowship).
The selection is made according to curatorial decisions and is not justified. Participation in the exhibition does not constitute an entitlement to funding; the fellowship holders are selected and exhibited independently of this. Participants in the exhibition who have not received a fellowship may reapply.
The Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg
The Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg is characterised by its individual support and the networking of the fellowship holders among each other. It also promotes the networking of the fellows with the cultural scene of the Hamburg metropolitan region and Schleswig-Holstein.
The Künstler:innenhaus is located directly on the banks of the Elbe, in the middle of the historic old town. Lauenburg is the southernmost town in Schleswig-Holstein, has around 12,000 inhabitants and is about 50 km from Hamburg, Lübeck, Schwerin and 25 km from Lüneburg. The town lies in the four-country corner of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with a railway connection on the Lübeck-Lüneburg line. The house was built in the middle of the last century, listed as a historical monument in 1982 and, after extensive restoration work, handed over to its new purpose as an artists’ house in 1986. Since then, 200 scholarship holders have lived and worked here.
Since 2009, the Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg is managed by a non-profit association (Künstlerhaus Lauenburg/Elbe e.V.) and a great deal of voluntary work. It receives financial support from the state of Schleswig-Holstein, the Duchy of Lauenburg County, the city of Lauenburg and the Förderverein (support association) Künstlerhaus Lauenburg/Elbe e.V.
Rooms and facilities
The ground floor houses the Stadtgalerie Künstlerhaus Lauenburg (gallery), the multifunctional event room “smük” and a large south-facing terrace directly on the Elbe. Cultural events such as cinema, readings and concerts regularly take place in the interior rooms and on the terrace.
The two upper floors contain large artists’ studios and flats. All studios are fully furnished and have their own shower room and kitchen, as well as a telephone and Wi-Fi connection. There are also a printing press, a piano, a keyboard, and a small fellowship library with computer work station. In the adjoining building of the Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg is the Stadtgalerie Künstlerhaus Lauenburg. The exhibition rooms, which were modernised in 2021, are connected across the buildings. The gallery space is available for the final presentations.
Objectives of the institution
The Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg is dedicated to supporting artists in the fields of contemporary visual arts, literature and composition, who are considered to have the potential for promising artistic development. Within the framework of its regular fellowship programme, it offers a stimulating working environment in which artists, authors and composers can pursue their artistic work outside the art market. Furthermore, with its fellowship and event programme, the Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg pursues the goal of securing and expanding its important supraregional role as a meeting place for artists, professionals, and those interested in art and culture.
Call for applications 2026
The Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg announces four fellowships for the state of Schleswig-Holstein in the following possible areas:
- One international residency fellowship in the field of visual arts
- One international residency fellowship in the field of literature
- One international residency fellowship in the field of composition
- One national work fellowship for applicants with child in the field of composition
Furthermore, the Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg, in cooperation with the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media (Behörde für Kultur und Medien Hamburg), is offering a fellowship for curation in the field of literature:
- One international residency fellowship for new literary formats
The period of stay for the residency fellowship holders at the Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg is 4 months from mid-May to mid-September.
The period for the work fellowship is also 4 months from mid-May to mid-September. However, attendance is not a requirement.
Scope of the funding
Within the framework of the sponsorship, the fellowship holder receives a monthly grant of 1000 EUR net for the duration of the fellowship (valid for residency fellowships, the fellowship by invitation”, and the work fellowship).
The fellowship includes free use of the flat and studio. Electricity supply for flat and studio, internet as well as telephony in the German Festnetz are also free of charge.
Visitors and family members are very welcome. Please note, however, that for continuous stays from the second week onwards, we charge a contribution towards expenses of €50 per month (excluding bed linen and towels).
The Künstler:innenhaus provides a contribution to the production costs for the final presentations. The exact amount will be communicated at the beginning of the fellowship. Additional funds for material expenses and project-related publications can be raised with the professional support of the Künstler:innenhaus, but there is no guarantee of success.
Expectations of the fellows
We assume that the majority of the residency fellowship will be spent in Lauenburg, that means a minimum of 50 %.
During their stay at the Künstler:innenhaus, the fellows are expected to participate in and develop a final individual presentation and a discussion format, as well as a joint initial presentation (1-day format). The fellows currently receive a total expense allowance of €300 for the initial and final presentations. Please refer to the form sections for visual arts, literature, composition and working grant with children for specifications and details.
We are pleased about an artistic work gift for the collection of Künstler:innenhaus StadtgalerieLauenburg . However, this is a voluntary decision.
But a DIN A4 report on the fellowship at Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg for the state of Schleswig-Holstein is obligatory.
The exclusivity of the exhibitions and productions at the Künstler:innenhaus is assumed. The Künstler:innenhaus welcomes the participation of the fellowship holders in projects to promote art and culture as an educational mission in cooperation with the Open Studio of the Künstler:innenhaus or the talk series ‘Dialog im smük’.
Further exhibitions, events, discussions – also at other locations in Lauenburg and Schleswig-Holstein – will be supported by the association Künstlerhaus Lauenburg/Elbe e.V. as far as possible.
We expect sociable people who actively seek exchange of ideas in their particular areas of artistic competence.
Application and selection procedure
Professional German and international artists, authors (publication in German language), composers and curators (in Literature) can apply for admission to the Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg.
Artists who are still studying (first study) at the time of starting the fellowship, who receive another residency grant at the same time, or who have already received a fellowship from the state of Schleswig-Holstein (counts for Artists in Residence programme visual arts, literature, composition) in the past three years, are not eligible to apply.
The Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg charges an application fee of 10,00 € (except fellowship curation in literature). (reasons see FAQ)
Please transfer the application fee when submitting the application via PayPal or to the following recipient when submitting your application:
Künstlerhaus Lauenburg e.V.
Raiffeisenbank Lauenburg
IBAN DE12 2306 3129 0000 2818 67
BIC GENODEF1RLB
The online application forms will be available on 15 September.
We only accept applications via the form on our website.
Incomplete applications or applications that do not comply with the specifications will not be considered. Applications without payment of the processing fee of 10.00 € are also excluded.
The jury meetings for awarding the fellowships will take place at the beginning of the fellowship year. Information on the awarding of the fellowships will be published on the website www.kuenstlerhaus-lauenburg.de shortly after the jury meeting. We will also publish the shortlists for all categories and the jury members there. The chosen fellows will be contacted personally. Please refrain from individual enquiries. We will inform all applicants of the results by newsletter. Please understand that due to the high number of applications, we are unable to send individual notifications.
The fellowships are financed by funds from the Ministry for General and Professional Education, Science, Research and Culture of the State of Schleswig-Holstein.
The fellowship for curation in literature is sponsored by
