Paulina Emilia Aumayr Wins the Grand Prize at the STRABAG ART Award 2026

Selected from among 738 applicants, Paulina Emilia Aumayr received the 2026 STRABAG Art Award Main Prize in recognition of her evolving artistic practice and contribution to contemporary painting.

On 25 June 2026, Paulina Emilia Aumayr was presented with the Main Prize of the 2026 STRABAG Art Award. The Main Prize and four Recognition Awards were formally presented by Stefan Kratochwill, CEO of STRABAG SE, and Sebastian Haselsteiner, Head of STRABAG ART.

The international jury comprised five curators and institutional leaders from major European art organizations: Anna-Catharina Gebbers, Curator at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin; Alenka Gregorič, Artistic Director of Cukrarna in Ljubljana; Johan Holten, Director of ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art in Copenhagen; Angela Stief, Director of ALBERTINA modern in Vienna; and Sebastian Haselsteiner, Director of STRABAG ART.

The jury recognized Aumayr’s sustained artistic development and her contribution to expanding the language of contemporary painting. Her work often begins with bodies, animals, and domestic objects drawn from everyday life, creating intimate scenes shaped by uncertainty and tension.

Reflecting on the imagery in her work, Aumayr stated: “My motifs stem from run-of-the-mill scenes, bodies, animals, objects within an intimate setting. I am interested in dogs because of their ambivalence, blending closeness, loyalty, and potential threat.”

Prize: 2026 STRABAG ART Award
Location: Vienna
Link: https://strabag.art/en

STRABAG ART Award 2026: Grand Prize Winner Paulina Emilia Aumayr. Photo: Nicole Viktorik.

Paulina Emilia Aumayr, Bis meine Haut zu Leder wird. (1), 2025, Photo: Manuel Carreon Lopez

Paulina Emilia Aumayr, Remember That Time You Set My House on Fire? – No. (4), 2026 (detail). Photo: Hagen Eckstein

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