Styrian culture jurors demand future-focused policy after cuts

Members of the Styrian state’s arts juries have warned that cultural funding is under pressure and called for a future-focused policy, ORF reported. The signatories include Andreas Unterweger, chair of Manuskripte, and Klaus Kastberger of the Literature House.

The open letter was published on Monday evening, alongside the presentation of the state’s arts and culture awards. The signatories said the current situation left little reason for the cultural sector to celebrate.

They said it had been unclear for much of 2026 whether the state could maintain its scholarship programmes. Although the scholarships were awarded despite further substantial cuts to the cultural budget and secured for next year, the suspension of all arts and culture awards in 2027 sent “a fatal signal”, the letter said.

The signatories also pointed to the announced abolition of the ORF regional levy in 2029, which they said would remove about 22 million euros in funding. They said the state government had not explained how it would pursue a constructive cultural policy after that loss.

The letter calls for sufficient funding and a clear political commitment to a modernist and open-minded understanding of culture. It was signed by Daniela Bartens, Christoph Hartner, Max Höfler, Klaus Kastberger, Angelika Klammer, Julian Melichar, Angelika Reitzer, Andrea Stift-Laube, Andreas Unterweger and Anja Weisi-Michelitsch. Unterweger told the APA news agency he expected more people to sign.