Residencies 2025/26
Residencies are not awarded for
- Education and further education projects, projects grants
- Doctoral theses
- Direct applications from countries in Central and Southeast Europe
- Direct applications from countries outside Europe
- Costs for studio space not provided by the Landis & Gyr Foundation
*Additional requirements for Bucharest and Sofia
Unlike the studios in London, Budapest and Zug, which are independently run, the studios in Bucharest and Sofia are affiliated with the local Institutes for Advanced Study (New Europe College NEC Bucharest and the Center for Advanced Study CAS Sofia, respectively).
The following additional requirements must therefore be met:
Very good English-language skills; interest in engaging with the region and with the arts and social sciences; willingness and ability to take part in Institute activities. Grant recipients are also expected to play an active role at the Institute through project work.
General information and application requirements
The Landis & Gyr Foundation awards residencies to Swiss artists and cultural professionals for extended stays in Budapest, Bucharest, London or Sofia, where they pursue a project in one of the following areas:
- Literature
- Composition
- Cultural criticism/curatorships
- Theatre (directing, dramaturgy, playwriting)
- Dance
- Visual arts
New: Residencies for Swiss writers and translators
The Foundation awards one- to three-month residencies in Zug to literary writers and translators. The small Weissenbach studio is reserved for these residencies. The stay is for individuals only. Good German or English language skills are a requirement for a stay in Zug.
New: Residencies for dance professionals
Starting with the 2024/25 call for applications, Landis & Gyr residencies are also open to dance professionals. Because the Foundation has no dance rehearsal spaces, the stays are particularly suitable for research projects.
Who may apply
Applications are accepted from Swiss artists and cultural professionals as well as non-Swiss artists and cultural professionals whose official residence has been in Switzerland for three or more years at the time of submitting the application. Prerequisite for all applicants is an outstanding record of achievement in one of the disciplines named above. Residencies are not designed to support artists at the start of their careers. There is no age limit.
Past recipients of a Landis & Gyr grant (residency, travel grant or artist grant) must wait at least three years before submitting a new application. The reference date is the date the final report was submitted. Persons who have unsuccessfully applied for a grant three times must wait three years before applying again. The reference date is the date the final report was submitted.
The following information is required for all applications:
-
Letter of motivation/reason for application
- Documentation/portfolio of your artistic career and activities, including a curriculum vitae (Please also provide a list of all grants and awards received to date, as well as previous residencies. All links in the document must be set as hyperlinks.)
- Project/activities planned for the residency
Evaluation criteria
- Level of artistic proficiency: artistic record of achievement and potential
- Need and motivation: the planned artistic activities, personal and artistic relationship to Bucharest*/Budapest/London/Sofia* as well as the added value the residency has for future artistic development
What the Landis & Gyr Foundation offers
Recipients of a residency may use the Foundation’s house in London or a flat in Zug, Budapest, Bucharest or Sofia free of charge. In addition, grant recipients receive a monthly stipend to cover living costs (London: CHF 3300 including travel expenses; Budapest/Bucharest/Sofia: CHF 2000 or Zug: CHF 2300 plus a one-time allowance for travel expenses). The studios offer quiet space to live and work. They are not suitable for a stay with children. Applicants may apply to one location only; a suitable time period (including a second priority) must also be named.
The Landis & Gyr Foundation takes the social security of cultural professionals seriously. Starting with the 2024/2025 call for applications, mandatory social insurance contributions will be deducted for residencies, travel grants and artist grants worth CHF 10,000 or more. More information
Contact for the residencies in Budapest, Bukarest, Sofia and Zug:
Anna Wälli, anna.waelli@lg-stiftung.ch, 041 725 23 58 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Contact for the residencies in London:
Stephanie Heller, stephanie.heller@lg-stiftung.ch, 041 725 23 50 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday)
London
The Landis & Gyr Foundation’s accommodations in Smithy Street in Whitechapel/Stepney (East London) include: five small studio houses, a spacious studio for visual artists and a workspace with acoustic isolation for composers.
Budapest
The Landis & Gyr Foundation has a generous studio flat in the Raoul Wallenberg guesthouse in Budapest. The building is located in the historic castle district in the city centre.
Bucharest
Unlike the independently operated studios in London, Budapest and Zug, the studios in Bucharest and Sofia are affiliated with the local Institutes for Advanced Study (New Europe College NEC Bucharest and the Center for Advanced Study CAS Sofia, respectively). The following additional requirements must therefore be met: very good English-language skills; interest in engaging with the region and with the arts and humanities; willingness and ability to take part in Institute activities. It is also expected that grant holders play an active role in the Institute through project work.
The Landis & Gyr Foundation has a studio flat in New Europe College NEC on Strada Plantelor in the city centre. The building houses the New Europe College NEC and Fellows.
http://www.nec.ro
Sofia
Unlike the independently operated studios in London, Budapest and Zug, the studios in Bucharest and Sofia are affiliated with the local Institutes for Advanced Study (New Europe College NEC Bucharest and the Center for Advanced Study CAS Sofia, respectively). The following additional requirements must therefore be met: very good English-language skills; interest in engaging with the region and with the arts and humanities; willingness and ability to take part in Institute activities. It is also expected that grant holders play an active role in the Institute through project work.
As of 2017, the Landis & Gyr Foundation has been offering annual three- to four-month stays in Sofia. The studio flat is provided and managed by the Center for Advanced Study CAS Sofia.
http://www.cas.bg
Zug
In an annex of the Convent Maria Opferung in Zug, the Landis & Gyr Foundation operates a studio house with three studio flats and one studio flat with a separate workspace. The studio flats are reserved for Central and South-Eastern European authors and translators as well as for Swiss authors and translators.
New: Residencies for Swiss writers and translators
The Foundation awards one- to three-month residencies in Zug to literary writers and translators. The small Weissenbach studio is reserved for these residencies. The stay is for individuals only. Good German or English language skills are a requirement for a stay in Zug.
Residencies are awarded to individuals from Central and South-Eastern Europe by invitation only. (No direct applications.)
