Solitude fellowship

Akademie Schloss Solitude supports young artists and scientists, as well as cultural professionals via residential fellowships only. Are you interested in applying for a residential fellowship? You will find all information on conditions, benefits and the selection procedure on this page.

Requirements

Artists and scientists can apply. The Solitude fellowship is a residential fellowship. Fellows are obliged to spend at least two thirds of their fellowships at the Akademie. All fellows must have their permanent residence in Stuttgart for the fellowship’s duration (obligation to register residence).

Applications from students enrolled in degree programs will not be considered; PhD students may submit applications.

Applications of artist groups are possible.

Knowledge of either German and/or English and/or French is a prerequisite for application.

Double applications to the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg gGmbH (Arts Foundation Baden-Württemberg) and the AkademieSchloss Solitude are not permitted.

Applicants whose applications are refused during a specific selection procedure may send in applications during two other rounds (maximum).

Application rounds for Solitude fellowships are held every two years. The jury awards a maximum of 65 fellows. 42 live/work studios and three guest studios are available.

Scholarships are usually awarded for a period of six, nine or twelve months.

Spheres of practice in detail

Artists and scientists from the following spheres of practice can apply:

VISUAL – Visual arts and media
Including painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, film, video, photography, printing, ceramics, textiles, performance

AURAL & PHYSICAL – Music and performing arts
Including music, music interpretation and composition, sound installation, sound performance, dance, choreography, drama, theater, music theater, dramaturgy, directing

DIGITAL – Digital Solitude
Including digital art, gaming, hacking, computing, programming, web-based video production and installation, digital journalism, digital publishing

SPATIAL – Architecture and design
Including architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, applied arts, design, stage design, fashion design, costume design, product design, furniture design

TEXTUAL – Literature and language
Including German-language and international literature in all written forms (dramatic texts, lyric poetry, prose, essay, and translation)

SOCIETAL/COMMUNAL-BASED WORK – Education, mediation, theory
Including art criticism, critical theory, curation, art education, socially engaged art

SCIENTIFIC – art, science & business/Humanities, social, natural and economic sciences
Including philosophy, anthropology, biology, botany, physics, mathematics, computer science, cultural studies, ecology, gender studies, history, law, public policy, medicine, political science and political theory, psychology, sociology, economics, and finance

Benefits

The fellowship includes the following benefits:

  • A free, furnished living/working studio including electricity, water and heating,
  • A monthly fellowship grant of € 1,200,
  • Travel expenses for arrival and departure (on a one-time basis).

The Akademie also offers optional additional benefits which are adjustable in accordance with the current budget situation:

  • Transport expenses subsidy for the carriage of materials, tools, instruments and books to Stuttgart and from Stuttgart to the fellow’s home town,
  • Project funding and one-off materials subsidy,
  • Health insurance in the case of non-EU fellowship candidates.

Fellows may use the Akademie’s carpentry and metal workshops under the supervision of the resident managers. They also have access to a digital film editing studio, a VR studio, a printing and copying room, two small libraries and several computer workstations.

The Akademie maintains 42 living and working studios, and three guest studios. These studios are usually only equipped for one person due to their size and the buildings’ historic design. The Akademie does its best to accommodate families/partners. Please note that this is not always possible in the case of families/partners from abroad, because entry and residence regulations must be observed. The fellowship grant allows to cover the standard living costs for one person in Stuttgart.

The Akademie has two pet-friendly studio apartments. In all other apartments keeping a pet is not allowed. Please keep in mind that we can only host two pet-owners at the same time as spaces are limited. To keep a pet at Akademie Schloss Solitude, you will need to get approval from the administration after you have been accepted as a fellow and before the fellowship starts. 

Akademie Schloss Solitude - Solitude fellowship

Selection process during jury meeting

Selection procedure

New jurors are appointed every 24 months.

The international first-rate jury guarantees that the chosen fellows are of a high artistic and scientific level.

The jurors base their recommendations on the qualitative aspects of work samples submitted by the applicants.

There is no legal entitlement to the allocation of a fellowship. The applicant will be informed of the decision in writing, but no reasons will be given. Individuals embarking on fellowships receive a foundation contract and a set of house rules. Fellowships are deemed legally effective after the foundation contract has been signed.