SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE Karlsuhe 2026: BBBank-Award & dm-Award

In summer 2026, the internationally renowned SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE Light Festival will again take place in the UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts Karlsruhe. Since its launch in 2015, around 300,000 visitors come together every year over four weeks to experience media art in an enchanting open-air setting. This annual, barrier-free and free-of-charge event attracts not only citizens but also guests from all over the world to Karlsruhe, making it one of the largest media-artistic canvases worldwide.

For the next edition we have two calls open right now:

• BBBank-Award in Projection Mapping

To apply for the BBBank-Award 2026, submit a concept for a projection mapping on the 170-meter-wide façade of the baroque palace. A jury will select three concepts from all submissions. Each selected project will receive a production grant of €15,000 and be presented throughout the entire festival. On the opening night of the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE, the audience will vote for their favorite among these three works. The winning project will receive an additional prize of €5,000.

In 2026, the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE Karlsruhe will focus on visions of urban communities. The following themes may serve as inspiration or focal points:

• Urban spaces and landscapes
• Architecture and society
• The micro- and macrocosm of the city
• Experiences of urban atmospheres
• Structures and new beginnings
• Moments of transformation and transition

Entries are open until November 18, 2025, 1 p.m. CET. Further information and the exact conditions of participation can be found here.

• dm-Award connecting worlds

With the dm‑Award connecting worlds, international artists and collectives are invited to submit innovative projects that connect the digital space of the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE projection mappings on the palace façade with the analog space in front of the palace and into the city. Concepts that go beyond the immediate event location—involving the city center or extending into it—are especially welcome. The prize is endowed with €10,000. In addition to the prize, the production costs of the winning project will also be financially subsidized of up to €20,000 net. Curatorial support and technical assistance by KME and ZKM are included in the prize.

The application period ends on November 24, 2025, 1 p.m. CET. Further information and the exact conditions of participation can be found here.

Please don’t hesitate to address your questions to our team: cityofmediaarts@kultur.karlsruhe.de.