Following a highly successful premiere last year, the Austrian Jazz Prize will be awarded for the second time on November 26, 2025, at Casino Velden. Musicians from Austria or whose main residence is in Austria are invited to submit their projects here. The Austrian Jazz Prize will be presented in the categories BEST LIVE ACT, BEST ALBUM, and NEWCOMER. New in 2025 is the HIGH IMPACT AWARD category, which will be awarded by an independent jury and honors outstanding artists for their special contributions to the development and representation of the Austrian jazz scene at home and abroad. The submission deadline is August 25, 2025.
Austria has a vibrant jazz and world music scene. To bring more public attention to these creative musicians, the Austrian Music Council (ÖMR), together with mica-music austria , the Ö1 Jazz editorial team , the IG World Music, and Porgy & Bess, succeeded in establishing a new Austrian Jazz Prize in 2024.
The 2025 prize is funded by:
- Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport (BMWKMS)
- State of Carinthia
- Jam Music Lab Private University
All submitting artists and projects – subject to their consent – are automatically also voting members of the Academy. Nominations of one’s own project or of oneself are permitted. From September 1 to 15, 2025, voting members of the Academy can propose five nominations per category. The ten most frequently nominated entries in each category will be nominated for the 2025 Jazz Prize .
categories and awards 2025:
“Best Live Act” (music project/band/ensemble/…)
- 1st place: € 10,000 prize money, Jazz Prize Ball + concert on November 26, 2025 and 1 follow-up concert
- 2nd / 3rd place: € 1,000 prize money & Jazz Prize Ball
“Best Album” (music project/album)
- 1st place: € 10,000 prize money + concert on November 26, 2025 and 1 follow-up concert
- 2nd / 3rd place: € 1,000 prize money & Jazz Prize Ball
“Best Newcomer” (person with all their projects)
- 1st place: € 5,000 prize money + concert on November 26, 2025 and 1 follow-up concert
- 2nd / 3rd place: € 1,000 prize money & Jazz Prize Ball
“High Impact Award”
Proponents Committee
- Andreas Felber – Ö1 Jazz Editor
- Christoph Huber – Porgy & Bes s
- Harald Huber – Austrian Music Council (ÖMR)
- Katrin Pröll – IG World Music
- Sabine Reiter – mica – music austria
- Günther Wildner – Austrian Music Council (ÖMR)
jury
The Proponents Committee of the Austrian Jazz Prize 2025 will nominate a seven-member jury, which will be composed according to aspects of professional expertise and diversity and will make a decision on the award based on the nominees in the three categories.
Artists Upload Requirements
Musicians are invited to upload their music projects using the Artist Upload Form . This will allow them to participate in the 2025 Austrian Jazz Prize and gain long-term visibility in the comprehensive ” Jazz & Global Music Library with Jazz References in Austria since January 2022. ” It is also possible to submit their music projects solely for the library and not apply for a prize.
The observation period for the Austrian Jazz Prize 2025 begins on August 26, 2024 , and ends on August 25, 2025 .
For each music project you will need the following information and documents:
- Name of the music project
- Short text characterizing the project
- List of participating artists
- photo
- 3 links (e.g. audio/video, webpage, mica database, …)
Which category do you want to apply for?
- “Best Live Act”: Link to a film documentation of a live performance during the observation period
- “Best Album”: Link to an album released during the observation period
- “Best Newcomer”: In addition to the film and/or album, a short text about the career so far
There is also the possibility to contribute to the “Library of Music Projects with a Jazz Connection in Austria since 2022” without applying for one or more categories of the Jazz Prize.
Final details
- Surname, first name of the submitting person – will not be published
- Availability (phone number, email address) – will not be published
- Declarations of consent
Academy Registration Requirements
If you are professionally active in any form in the jazz/improvised music/world music genre in Austria – as a journalist, event organizer, musician, teacher, label owner/producer, booker, sound engineer, etc. – you are invited to participate in the nomination process and contribute your expertise.
From September 1 to 15, 2025, you will have the opportunity to nominate five projects in each of the three categories “Best Live Act,” “Best Album,” and “Best Newcomer.” You also have the opportunity to encourage musicians or music projects to participate (submission deadline: August 25, 2025).
Please apply using the “Academy Registration” form. You will need the following information:
- Name first Name
- Email address and phone number
- Type of professional activity in the field (short description)
- Link to this activity
You will be notified as soon as possible regarding your inclusion in the Academy (the nominating panel of experts) of the Austrian Jazz Prize 2025. You will be contacted if you have any further questions.
