The Coburg Glass Prize aims to provide a Europe-wide overview of current trends and developments in contemporary glass art and again take stock of the situation. The objective is to show which design and processing techniques artists currently use, which thematic content predominates and whether current social questions, such as sustainability, migration, political suppression, globalisation and climate change are taken into account. It is also a matter of ascertaining how far glass is still considered purely as a material or whether, given its numerous possible uses and special properties, such as transparency, it is viewed as a complex medium with multiple meanings.

The competition and accompanying exhibition is open to artists living in or originating from Europe who work with glass as a material.

Participation is open to professional artists submitting vessels, sculptures, objects, installations or stained glass made in or after 2020. The competition is organised in cooperation with the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung, Munich.

The exhibition of current works by approximately 100 to 150 artists yet to be selected will be shown from 10 April to 25 September 2022 in the Veste Coburg and the European Museum of Modern Glass in Rödental. The award ceremony will take place on 9 April 2022 in Coburg. A bilingual catalogue will be published to accompany the exhibition. Each selected applicant will receive two exhibition catalogues. Restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic are possible. This may lead to cancellation of the competition.

In an initial round, an international jury will assess the submitted objects from all candidates in a photo-judging session and select the artworks for the exhibition.

In a second round, the same jury will announce the prize winners from the submitted works. The jury’s decisions are final. There is no right of appeal.

Three main prizes and several special prizes will be awarded by the international jury, the first prize being €15,000, the second prize €10,000 and the third prize €5,000. There will also be an audience award.

The Coburg Glass Prize is open to artists born or living in Europe who work with glass as a material.

Entry is restricted to professional artists, with sculptures, objects, installations or stained glass.

The artworks must have been produced in 2020 or 2021.

The artworks must be one-off pieces. Functional glass and designs for industry are not permitted. The submitted works may not have been entered in other competitions or exhibitions. All the works must be for sale and be owned by the artists.

Shipment of the chosen objects is payable by the candidates themselves and is at their own risk. The objects will be insured at the expense of the Veste Coburg Art Collections solely for the duration of the competition and exhibition. The candidates selected by the jury for the exhibition will receive a lump sum of €200 as a contribution towards transport, packaging and insurance expenses.

All candidates must respect current customs regulations and, if necessary, pay customs duty on the objects at their own expense (“delivered duty paid”). We recommend temporary importation with an ATA Carnet.

The exhibition will be held in the historical rooms of the Veste Coburg and the European Museum of Modern Glass. Due to issues of space and conservation requirements at the Veste Coburg, it may in specific circumstances not be possible to have very large objects delivered or properly displayed in the exhibition rooms. We cannot accept crates over 185cm high or 150cm wide. Likewise, because of the historical vaulted ceilings in the exhibition rooms, artworks cannot be suspended from the ceiling. The organiser therefore reserves the right to refuse especially large or exceptionally heavy objects or objects which are difficult to mount for technical or safety reasons, and to exclude them from presentation in the exhibition.

The return transport of unsold works is at the expense of the consignor. Artists can collect their works themselves. Date and place will be announced later.

Artists should register for the competition by completing and submitting the registration form exclusively via the registration portal on the website of the Veste Coburg Art Collections (www.coburger-glaspreis.de). Upload will be possible from 1 June 2021.

A maximum of three works of art may be entered for the competition. The objects must be available for the entire duration of the exhibition. The jury may select up to three objects by any one artist for the exhibition. Artworks in several parts are permitted.

Artists may submit up to three digital images or, exceptionally, short video clips per artwork to the Veste Coburg Art Collections (minimum image size is 3,000 pixels for the short side of the image). We also ask for a portrait photo of the candidate.

The accepted file formats are JPEG or TIFF. The images may be submitted solely by uploading them with the registration form; file names will be generated automatically. Candidates grant the organiser the irrevocable and royalty-free right to use their work and submitted photos free of charge in the exhibition catalogue and in the printed material relating to the competition and exhibition, and for advertising and press purposes, as well as on the Internet and website. Candidates should state the name of the copyright owner and declare that the organiser is entitled to use the photos free of charge. Any claims by third parties will be borne by the candidate.

The following information must be provided with the artworks: last name, first name, title and date of creation, material, technique, dimensions (height, breadth, depth and approximate weight), insurance value (identical to sales value incl. VAT). You are also asked to provide brief biographical details (professional training including dates, 2-3 exhibition participations, awards).

The deadline for registration and submission of the photos is 31 July 2021.

An application is only valid once the photographic material has been received.

The photo-judging round will take place in Coburg in late September. This decides which of the submitted works are to participate in the exhibition and competition. Following the photo-judging round, the selected artists will be notified and requested to submit the objects selected by the jury (1-3 artworks) for the exhibition.

In the second round of judging, the submitted works will be viewed and the prize winners announced.

Given the current coronavirus pandemic, it may be necessary to deviate from the planned schedule and rules. The organiser therefore reserves the right to modify the terms and conditions of participation in the competition and exhibition and even to cancel the event outright. Candidates are not entitled to a refund of any expenses incurred.

The displayed works can be sold through the intermediary of the Veste Coburg Art Collections. The sales price is that of the stated insurance value, which must include VAT if applicable. A sales commission of 20% of the sales price will be withheld.

The Veste Coburg Art Collections have the right of first refusal to purchase prize-winning works. The participating artists shall grant the Veste Coburg Art Collections a discount of 40% of the sales price. In that case, the commission is waived.