Designs in the following five categories will be awarded a trophy made of red porphyry, the rock from which the Giebichenstein Castle is built, overlooking the River Saale. The Friends and Supporters’ Association of the BURG is awarding 500 euros for each of the five GiebichenSteine:

• GiebichenStein for the best communication
• GiebichenStein for the best idea / the best concept
• GiebichenStein for the most committed cause
• GiebichenStein for the most interesting experiment
• Friends' GiebichenStein 

Three further special prizes are awarded as part of the GiebichenStein Design Prize. In addition to the GRASSI Young Talent Prize, which includes an exhibition at the Stadtmuseum Halle, the Prize of the Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation is also awarded.

• GRASSI Young Talent Prize
  The prize, sponsored by culturtraeger GmbH, includes not only a presentation at the GRASSIMESSE but also a CityCards postcard edition and the purchase of a work for the collections of the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts, Leipzig.
• Exhibition at the Stadtmuseum Halle
  The Stadtmuseum Halle selects a project to be displayed for one year in its permanent exhibition as an example of design studies at the BURG.
• Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation Prize
  The Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation has been awarding its own prize for the past five years. It is awarded for bold forms of social engagement and comes with a further 500 euros prize money.

The authors of the nominated competition entries will also be provided with professionally produced photographs of their work for personal use.

All nominated works will be included in the university archive, published in the BURG’s 2026/27 yearbook and presented electronically at the Halle City Museum for one year.

In the event of a nomination, the written project description will serve as the basis for the entry in the yearbook and for the exhibition captions. It should therefore describe the project as accurately as possible and must not exceed the required length of 1,000 characters (including spaces). The editorial team reserves the right to adapt the content and language of the texts to suit the yearbook. Theoretical works must also be submitted as PDF files and uploaded to the designated folder. The stage of development of the projects at the time of submission is not decisive. However, please note that, in the event of a nomination, your project will be exhibited at the Burg Galerie im Volkspark. In the event of a nomination, you are required to submit a short video of approximately three minutes explaining your project/concept by 1 September 2026 and upload it to the designated folder. The video is an essential requirement for the external jury. Please also note that you must be on site for the set-up and dismantling, i.e. during the week before and after the exhibition period.

All information regarding submissions and deadlines can be found online and in the prospectus for the GiebichenStein Design Prize 2026. Registration takes place online. You will then receive an online access link to your digital application folder and can upload your documents by 13 July 2026.