Südwestrundfunk, a public service organization, awards a prize for works of radio art. The award goes to the best production of an audio work that uses musical material and structures in an acoustic performance.
The Karl Sczuka Prize is awarded annually in October by Südwestrundfunk’s Director General.
If possible, the works awarded the Karl Sczuka Prize should be performed as part of the Donaueschingen Festival ("Donaueschinger Musiktage").
In addition to the Karl Sczuka Prize, Südwestrundfunk awards a support grant.
In connection with the Karl Sczuka Prize presentation, the "Karl Sczuka Research Grant in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut" (hereinafter referred to as "Research Grant") is awarded as an additional prize jointly by SWR and the Goethe-Institut.
I.
The Karl Sczuka Prize is endowed with 12,500 euros (twelve thousand five hundred euros). It can be shared.
The support grant is endowed with 2,500 euros (two thousand five hundred euros).
The aim of the Research Grant, which is endowed with 5,000 euros (five thousand euros), is to support the research phase for international radio art projects, which is often only possible under rudimentary conditions, and thus to strengthen the willingness to engage with other cultural spheres.
II.
The Karl Sczuka Prize is publicly advertised.
Authors, composers, directors or production teams – hereinafter referred to as creators – can apply for the prize.
Creators must submit their productions to Südwestrundfunk in the form of broadcastable copies (via digital file transfer) by May 23 of each year. A previously entered work may not be submitted again. The producer (e.g. the broadcaster) can also submit the work on behalf of the creator (hereinafter referred to as the submitter).
The fully completed submission form including the declaration on rights of use must be submitted with the production. The declaration on rights of use shall ensure that all rights required for the competition are granted. With this declaration, the submitter releases SWR from third-party claims.
The submission form is available on the website www.swr2.de/sczuka. Instructions for completing and digitally submitting the submission form can be found on the above website and on the form itself.
The digital submission must be accompanied by:
a) a manuscript or, where one is not available, a treatment (PDF);
b) a short biography and a catalog raisonné of the creators (PDF);
c) a free photo portrait of the creator(s) with photo credit (300dpi);
d) information about the place and time of production and, if applicable, the date it was first broadcast or published. This date must not be before June 1 of the previous year.
III.
The support grant is presented annually to one of the Karl Sczuka Prize applicants. Associated with the support grant is the possibility of carrying out a two-week production in a Südwestrundfunk radio play studio.
IV.
The Research Grant, awarded annually, is aimed at artists who work in the field of acoustic and time-based art (audio, performance and sound artists) that deal with narrative, technical and artistic possibilities of the radio medium and are active in Germany.
The award winner will be selected from the Karl Sczuka Prize applicants, provided they have also declared their participation in the Research Grant competition when submitting their entry.
The Research Grant offers the possibility of a research stay in a non-German-speaking country.
V.
By submitting the work digitally, the submitter grants SWR the non-exclusive right to use the work in whole and/or in part without any restriction relating to time or location and to the extent specified below.
For the purpose of selecting and awarding the Karl Sczuka Prize, support grant and Research Grant, the submitter grants SWR the reproduction and archiving rights for the work or its parts.
In addition, the submitter grants SWR the right to edit the work, use excerpts from it for producing "Das Hörspiel vom Hörspiel" and perform the production – for a fee to be paid by SWR at the usual broadcasting conditions – to be announced in the program, to be broadcast once and made publicly accessible on SWR2's on-demand and online services for an unlimited period of time.
For works of the award winners and research fellow(s), SWR is also granted the right to broadcast the work once on the radio, as well as the unlimited right to make it publicly available on SWR2's on-demand and online services. Furthermore, the award winners and the research fellow grant SWR for the purpose of announcing the Karl Sczuka Prize, support grant and Research Grant, in connection with festivals, in particular the "Donaueschinger Musiktage”, at exhibitions and trade fairs presentation, performance and broadcasting rights as well as the right to program announcements.
The submitter declares his/her willingness to transfer the rights to the production required for further and/or additional uses to the broadcasters of ARD/Deutschlandradio under the usual conditions.
VI.
An independent jury decides on awarding the Karl Sczuka Prize and support grant. It is not obliged to award the prizes. The jury consists of five members selected among experts and critics. The jury chairperson is appointed by Südwestrundfunk. He/she has the right to propose four further jury members. The right to propose refers to the respective annual award. After coordination with SWR, they will be invited to the jury. Deliberations of the jury are not public. Members are obliged to vote; the jury makes its decision with a simple majority of votes.
The jury also makes a pre-selection for the Research Grant from among the applicants. The winner will then be chosen on the basis of the pre-selection with the participation of a Goethe-Institut representative. The jury and Goethe-Institut representative make their decision with a simple majority of votes. In the event of a tie, the chairperson decides.
Juror(s) may not be permanent employees or permanent freelancers of a broadcasting company, regardless of whether they are active or former.
The jury is supported in its work by a Südwestrundfunk employee appointed by the General Director; this person is entitled to take part in jury meetings, but has no right to vote.
The jury‘s decisions are final. It is not subject to legal recourse.
Stuttgart, March 10, 2022
Prof. Dr. Kai Gniffke
Südwestrundfunk Director General
