The RING AWARD is the foremost international competition for directing, set & costume design in music theatre. It offers emerging, not yet established stage directors, set and costume designers a professional platform for planning and realizing actual theatre performances and awards prizes to them for outstanding achievements in their work.
The competition is organized by Bühnen Graz – Oper Graz, Schauspielhaus Graz, NEXT LIBERTY, art + Event | Theaterservice Graz – in cooperation with the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.
For almost three decades the RING AWARD has been reflecting current developments and fostering the creative potential in music theatre. It has gained a solid reputation for being an international stepping stone for exciting new artists.
The competition is held in Graz/Austria and has reached a wide-ranging international dimension through its high profile jury and the participation of contestants from all over the world. It is organized in three stages, its unique feature being actual stage performances already at the final.
In stage one each participating team submits a complete production concept for the staging of the competition opera including of set and figurines. The RING AWARD jury reviews all anonymized competition entries and nominates nine teams for the semifinal.
Stage two is the semifinal, where the nine teams are invited to Graz to present their concepts before the jury and a public audience. This stage also includes practice rehearsals by the competing directors, in-depth discussions of the concepts, and a critical reviewing of the set and costume designs by experts. The jury then nominates three teams for the final.
For stage three, the RING AWARD final, the teams prepare the stage performance of a given passage of the competition opera. The three productions in full set and costumes premiere within 24 hours at Schauspielhaus Graz, before the jury and audiences.
Thus not only theoretical concepts are being evaluated but the skills and abilities of young artists to realize their visions on stage.