Tarabya Cultural Academy Residencies for the 2026-2027 season

From now until 29 December 2025, artists working in various disciplines who live and work in Germany may apply for a four- to eight-month Tarabya Residency at the Tarabya Cultural Academy in Istanbul. In addition, in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation, Turkish-German Co-Production Residencies will again be awarded. Tandems of cultural professionals from Germany and Türkiye may apply for this program jointly.

In the coming year, the Tarabya Cultural Academy will celebrate its 15th anniversary. Since its founding in October 2011, the residency program at the Bosporus has hosted more than 200 cultural professionals. During its anniversary year, the Academy once again invites artists to work, engage, and exchange with Istanbul’s and Türkiye’s vibrant cultural landscape. The Tarabya Residencies offer artists from Germany a space for the contemplative development and realization of their creative work, in collaboration with Turkish artists and cultural institutions. Strengthening and deepening the cultural dialogue between Germany and Türkiye, opening up new perspectives on German-Turkish relations, and supporting the artistic development of creative professionals from both countries are key aspects of the Tarabya Cultural Academy’s program.

Artists and cultural professionals who have already received public recognition for their work or publications may apply for a Tarabya Residency in Istanbul starting in October 2026. The residencies are awarded through an open call process. Applications from students will not be considered.

In cooperation with the Allianz Foundation, Co-Production Residencies are also awarded to tandems of creative professionals based in Germany and Türkiye. The Allianz Foundation supports artists and initiatives that develop ideas for social change, explore new approaches to addressing the urgent challenges of our time, and are committed to social justice, open societies, and a sustainable planet. Applications addressing these ideas and questions are explicitly encouraged. Both members of the tandem receive a monthly cash stipend to carry out their joint artistic project and are involved in the Tarabya Residency program’s activities.

Examples of tandems eligible for the Turkish-German co-production grants include:

• A director based in Türkiye who wishes to develop a new project with a screenwriter from Germany.
• A musician based in Türkiye who plans to collaborate with a composer from Germany over several months.
• A visual artist based in Germany who would like to carry out a joint project with a visual artist residing in Türkiye.

Applications for both the Tarabya Residencies and the Turkish-German Co-Production Residencies can now be submitted online. The application deadline is 29 December 2025.
Further information on the application process and the scope of the residencies can be found at: https://kulturakademie-tarabya.de/en/stipendium/#TarabyaResidency

About the Tarabya Cultural Academy
The Tarabya Cultural Academy was founded in 2011 at the initiative of the German Parliament. It is operated by the German Embassy in Ankara, and it is curated by the Goethe-Institut. Each year, the Tarabya Cultural Academy grants approximately 20 Tarabya Residencies to artists who live in Germany, and, in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation it offers Co-Production Residencies to three Turkish-German artist tandems to live and work at Tarabya. Since the first generation of residents, over 180 outstanding artists have worked on their projects on the grounds of the German Ambassador’s historic summer residence in Tarabya, including choreographer and dancer Olivia Hyunsin Kim, filmmaker Özlem Sarıyıldız, musician Hans Lüdemann, and visual artist Anahita Razmi.

Jury and Advisory Board
Applications are reviewed by an independent pre-jury consisting of five experts from Türkiye, as well as by a five-member main jury from Germany. The pre-jury, representing various artistic disciplines, evaluates all eligible applications, providing local perspectives and context for the main jury. The main jury, appointed by the Advisory Board of the Tarabya Cultural Academy, consists of experts across different fields of art and culture. The Academy’s Advisory Board includes members of the German Parliament and representatives of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Federal Foreign Office, and the Goethe-Institut. The Advisory Board advises on the Academy’s conceptual guidelines.

About the Allianz Foundation
The Allianz Foundation is a legally independent foundation established under German law that is based in Berlin. Its mission is to help create better living conditions for future generations. The Foundation operates both as a funding body and through its own initiatives, supporting projects across Europe and the Mediterranean region in the fields of civil society, the environment, art, and culture.
More information about the Allianz Foundation can be found here.