Academy of Arts criticizes the country’s austerity policy

The award is financed by the State of Berlin and awarded by the AdK. According to Huber, the academy was informed of the cut in October 2025 “as a side note under ‘Other’” by a representative of the Senate Administration.

The Berlin Art Prize has been awarded since 1948 and commemorates the March Revolution of 1848. It is expressly designed as a political prize. The state of Berlin has so far provided a total of 45,000 euros for the seven awards: 15,000 euros for the Grand Art Prize and 5,000 euros for the other prizes. The announced halving would significantly reduce any endowment. Other cultural prizes also awarded by the state are also affected, says Huber.

Hannah Höch Prize also affected

The Hannah Höch Prize, which has been awarded every two years since 1996 and is endowed with a total of 80,000 euros, will be awarded this time. “Due to the budget situation of the state of Berlin, there are no funds available for the Hannah Höch funding award in the 2026-2027 double budget,” it says on the cultural administration website. Renowned artists such as Cornelia Schimmele, Johannes Grützke and Helga Paris received the prize, among others.

There was no specific justification for the savings in the Berlin Art Prize, according to AdK Presidential Secretary Bettina Huber. They are part of the general budget cuts in the state budget.

According to its own statements, the AdK is already covering all organizational and financial expenses relating to juries, implementation and communication from its own resources. In the future, the cuts would only affect the award winners.

On Wednesday, the composer, director and vocal artist Meredith Monk is to receive the Berlin Grand Art Prize 2026. The award ceremony will take place as usual, the AdK announced. However, your president will discuss the cuts in his speech. The academy had not previously made the process public in order not to burden the prize and the prize winners.

In its statement, the AdK also criticizes the lack of dialogue with the state government. The governing mayor did not respond to two letters. The decision weakens the significance of the prize, which stands for the connection between artistic freedom and democracy.