Invitation to the Press Conference and the Austrian Jazz Summit 2026

On the occasion of the 3rd Austrian Jazz Award ceremony on November 28, 2026, at Dom im Berg in Graz, the Austrian Music Council, on behalf of all cooperation partners and sponsors, invites you to a press conference and the Austrian Jazz Summit 2026 on May 28, 2026, at 1:00 PM at Jazz & Musicclub Porgy & Bess.

Austria has an exceptionally vibrant jazz and world music scene. In order to give creative musicians greater public visibility, the Austrian Music Council (ÖMR), together with mica – music austria, the Ö1 jazz editorial team, IG World Music, and the association Stockwerk Jazz, succeeded in securing funding for another Austrian Jazz Award from the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport, the Graz Region Tourism Association, the City of Graz, and JAM MUSIC LAB Private University Vienna.

As part of the Austrian Jazz Summit 2026:

• Review of the Austrian Jazz Awards 2024 & 2025
• Information about the Academy and the 2026 voting process
• Details about the official gala on November 28, 2026, at Dom im Berg in Graz
• Exchange on the further development of the Austrian jazz & global music scene (experiences, ideas, initiatives)

Last year’s Austrian Jazz Award 2025 focused on outstanding artists whose projects and musical visions inspired audiences. The gala at Casino Velden on Lake Wörthersee provided a fitting setting for the awards ceremony honoring Helene Glüxam (Newcomer 2026), the Kenji Herbert Trio (Album 2025: A Million Forests of the Fall), and Christian Muthspiel & ORJAZZTRA VIENNA (Live Act 2025).

For the first time, the High Impact Award 2025 for exceptional contributions to the development and representation of the Austrian jazz scene nationally and internationally was awarded ex aequo to Wolfgang Muthspiel and Wolfgang Puschnig.

The gala was broadcast live in its entirety on ORF ON and can still be viewed and heard there until May 25, 2026.

Below you will find the detailed schedule for the Austrian Jazz Award 2026 as well as all new developments regarding the award ceremony.

Schedule

■ May 28 (1:00–3:00 PM): Austrian Jazz Summit 2026 @ Porgy & Bess – Press conference, Austrian Jazz Award 2026: Start of the submission phase, eligibility period for releases: August 26, 2025 – August 25, 2026 (Live Act, Album, Newcomer)

■ August 25 (11:59 PM) – Submission deadline (Newcomer, Album, Live Act)

■ September 1 – 20 – Academy voting

■ September 20 – 25 – Review of nominations

■ September 28 – Press release announcing the nominees

■ September 29 – October 19 – Social media campaign for the nominees, decision regarding the winners of the Academy voting, decision regarding the “High Impact Award 2026”

■ October 20 – Press conference announcing the winners (mdw, New Concert Hall, Rennweg 8, 1030 Vienna)

■ October 21 – November 27 – Media campaign for the winners and the gala concert

■ November 28 – Award ceremony and gala concert (Dom im Berg in Graz), live broadcast on Ö1

Categories

In addition to the categories “Live Act,” “Album,” and “Newcomer,” the “High Impact Award” will once again be presented in 2026.

Gala

All winners will perform at the Austrian Jazz Award Gala on November 28, 2026, at Dom im Berg in Graz, which will be broadcast live on Ö1 and ORF ON.

Awards

• EUR 10,000 prize money & Jazz Award trophy (ball), as well as funding for a follow-up concert for the winners of the categories Live Act and Album of the Year 2026

• EUR 5,000 prize money & Jazz Award trophy (ball), as well as funding for a follow-up concert for the winner of the category Newcomer of the Year 2026

• EUR 1,000 prize money & Jazz Award trophy (ball) for the second- and third-place winners in each category

• The “High Impact Award” will also include prize money.

We warmly invite you to the Austrian Jazz Summit 2026 and look forward to an inspiring exchange of ideas and experiences.

Please register by May 27, 2026, via email at office@jazzpreis.at .

With kind regards, The Jazz Award Organizing Team