The Erich Sokol Prize honours, in its main category, a lifetime achievement or outstanding accomplishments in the field of caricature. The primary focus is on the quality of draftsmanship, but also on the satirical content and the political statements expressed in the artist’s overall oeuvre. The prize particularly considers traditionally produced works – for example, executed in pencil, ink or acrylic. It is awarded to artists with a clear stance, whose work is uncomfortable, creates social friction and is driven by major satirical ideas.

In addition, the prize honours a satirical attitude as a lifelong artistic practice – a self‑understanding developed over decades that regards satire not as a stylistic device but as a way of life and a continuous intervention in society.

Artists are increasingly working with digital techniques. In caricature, too, digital media are being used more and more alongside traditional methods such as pencil, ink or acrylic. The internet and social media channels in particular play a central role in disseminating caricatural statements and make it possible to reach a much larger audience than is possible via classic print media.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) opens up new possibilities for caricaturists, but at the same time presents challenges. The focus is on a critically reflective approach to AI and on engaging with and questioning AI‑driven processes.

The working conditions of young caricaturists are becoming increasingly challenging. On the one hand, many of them are confronted with political repression; on the other, their work is increasingly being displaced by AI‑generated images. At the same time, the market for drawn works has tightened considerably in the context of the internet and a “for free” culture.

Caricaturists and satirical initiatives therefore need targeted support as well as formats that enable them to continue their work independently, without interference and in the long term. Caricature has never been as widespread as it is today – and at the same time its artistic freedom has rarely been more strongly under threat.

The international AIR – ARTIST IN RESIDENCE Lower Austria programme in Krems promotes worldwide cultural exchange. It offers caricaturists, illustrators and comic artists the opportunity to live and work in Lower Austria on a temporary basis and to get to know the local cultural landscape. Over the years, the programme has given rise to numerous long-term exchange relationships and friendships.

Two scholarships from AIR – ARTIST IN RESIDENCE Lower Austria are awarded to international participants. These include free accommodation in a studio apartment in Krems for two months each, a monthly grant of € 1,300, and personal support on site. Austrian artists are excluded from the awarding of these scholarships.

1. The application documents (portfolio, short biography) must be uploaded by the participants in digital form (PDF format, max. file size 9 MB each) via the form provided on the website of the Karikaturmuseum Krems by 31/12/2026, 8:00 p.m. (CET) at the latest.
    
2. The portfolio must contain at least four and no more than ten works and should, if possible, consist of pieces from the last two years. Please do not send any originals, as they will not be returned. No liability is accepted for submitted originals. The application documents should also include a short biography covering key artistic milestones, such as education. Submissions are possible both by invitation and on the participants’ own initiative.
    
3. Submissions that do not comply with the requirements of this call for entries will not be considered further. No separate notification will be sent regarding non-consideration.
    
4. After the submission deadline, all entries will be reviewed by an independent expert jury. The expert jury is entitled to nominate artists for the competition on its own initiative. All submissions will be assessed by the individual jury members, who evaluate independently of one another and online.
   
   The artists’ portfolios are the primary basis of evaluation. In addition to the fulfilment of the competition’s objectives and the creative idea, the main criteria are a particular degree of originality, quality of draftsmanship, strength of content, innovative spirit and an interesting use of media.
   
   The jury’s deliberations are not public, its decision is final and not subject to legal appeal. With regard to the submitted proposals, the jury members are obliged to maintain confidentiality until the announcement of the award winners by the jury.
    
5. The winners will be notified by e-mail shortly after the selection has been made. Other competition participants apart from the nominees will not be personally informed.
    
6. The prizes will be awarded in a formal ceremony in July 2027 as part of the opening of the exhibition at the Karikaturmuseum Krems dedicated to the 2027/2028 award winners.
    
7. The Karikaturmuseum Krems addresses a heterogeneous and wide-ranging group of visitors, including children, and is entitled to exclude submissions with inhuman or discriminatory content from participation in the competition. The organiser is under no obligation to disclose the reasons for an exclusion. Participants who attempt to disrupt or manipulate the competition process, or who violate applicable law or the rights of third parties, will also be excluded from participation.

Under the patronage of Annemarie Sokol, an international expert jury decides on the awarding of the prizes. The jury consists of artists, experts from the fields of caricature, media and online publishing, as well as representatives of the Department of Arts and Culture of the Province of Lower Austria and of the Karikaturmuseum Krems. The Karikaturmuseum Krems, with Gottfried Gusenbauer responsible for the administration of the submissions and the selection process, reserves the right to determine the number of jury members and to change the composition of the jury.

Participants in the competition must be the creators of the submitted works and thus authors within the meaning of § 10 (1) of the Copyright Act, Federal Law Gazette No. 111/1936, as amended. By submitting a portfolio to the specified e-mail address, the artists grant the Karikaturmuseum Krems the right to forward the works to the jury members.
 

Furthermore, the participants agree that, in the event of a nomination for the Sokol Prize for Digital Caricature, Critical Drawing and Satire, they grant the Karikaturmuseum Krems the right, free of charge, to present the nominated work(s) in the exhibition and to exploit them in connection with the exhibition and the award ceremony. This includes the publication and use of the works in the context of reporting, documentation, publications and promotional purposes.
 

The temporally and materially unrestricted, free right of reproduction for the catalogue, public relations and marketing (including the internet, all social media channels, non-commercial apps), educational programmes related to the exhibition and for documentation purposes after the end of the exhibition is likewise deemed granted upon submission, unless the participant explicitly decides otherwise in writing. The use of the works must in each case be accompanied by the participant’s name as the author.
 

For the purpose of contract processing and publication in the event of a nomination, the personal data provided by the potential award winner will be processed (electronically) in accordance with the GDPR. The organiser reserves the right to exclude participants from the competition who violate the terms and conditions of participation.
 

The granting of rights is settled with the prize money. Any further reimbursement of costs or payment of fees is excluded. Non-winning participants will not receive any compensation for expenses.

SOKOL Award for a Life's Work

Gerald Scarfe (United Kingdom)

SOKOL Grand Prize for Digital Caricature

Florian Satzinger (Austria)

SOKOL Sponsorship Award

Liz Montague (United States)

2x AIR – ARTIST IN RESIDENCE Lower Austria Scholarships

EtchingRoom1 | Kristina Yarosh und Anna Khodkova (Ukraine)

Ghita Ait Bensalah (Morocco)

SOKOL Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement
Sebastian Krüger (Germany)

SOKOL Main Prize for Digital Caricature
Thomas Fluharty (USA)

SOKOL Advancement Award
Nadia Khiari (Tunisia)

2 x AIR – ARTIST IN RESIDENCE Niederösterreich scholarships
Ramize Erer (Turkey)
Frank Hoppmann (Germany)