Social Disadvantage in Higher Education / Classism

Deadline: Friday, May 1, 2026, 04:00pm

Social disadvantage refers to a form of discrimination based on a person’s economic and social position or background. This issue is often discussed under the term classism. Classism reflects notions of “lower” social classes being perceived as less valuable or less capable. Those most frequently affected include, for example, working-class individuals or unemployed people. Classism is closely linked to other forms of discrimination, such as racism or sexism, and contributes to the persistence of social inequality. This form of discrimination can occur in many areas, including education and the workplace.

While Austrian law recognizes characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, social background has so far not been included in Austria’s legal framework on equal treatment. In order to bring greater attention to this issue and to structurally counteract classism, the Working Group on Equal Opportunities (AfG) has advocated for the inclusion of classist devaluation and harassment in the Academy’s equality plan.

With this call, the AfG invites students of the Academy to create and submit visual works on the topic of “Social Disadvantage at Universities.” The selected works will be printed on postcards and shared on the Academy’s website and social media channels. This campaign aims to raise awareness—both within the Academy and beyond—of the issue and the prejudices, stigmatizations, and disadvantages associated with it.

We look forward to your submissions and to jointly setting an example for a self-critical approach to classism.

Jury

The jury consists of three members of the Working Group on Equal Opportunities (including one student representative) and one external member.

Eligibility

You must be an actively enrolled student at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
You must be reachable for potential questions regarding post-production

Submission Guidelines

Each participant may submit one work only. Submissions must include print-ready files in both .jpg and .tif format with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi, as well as a brief concept description (approx. 500 characters) explaining how the work is related to the topic of “Social disadvantage in higher education”.

By submitting, participants confirm that they are the authors of the images and hold all rights to them. They agree that the AfG may use the submitted images - crediting the authors - for printed postcards and digital distribution. The usage rights of the images remain with AfG / the Academy. Credit to the author(s) will always be provided wherever the image is used.

Required submission formats:

print-ready files .jpg and .tif, DIN A6 format (105 mm x 148 mm + 2 mm bleed on all sides; CMYK, 300 dpi)
online layout variations:
1. Square format (e.g. for social media): 1080 x 1350 px, RGB
2. Banner format (e.g. for website): 2048 x 1365 px, RGB

File naming: LastName_FirstName_Classism26_Image1

Submissions are accepted exclusively via the academy’s submission platform https://calls.akbild.ac.at/.

Award

The jury will select two images, each of which will be awarded EUR 500,-.

Contact

For questions regarding the content of this call, please contact af_gleichbehandlung@akbild.ac.at or Tel. +43 (1) 588 16 - 3400.

For further information please contact Eleonora Ciani (af_gleichbehandlung@akbild.ac.at, +43 (1) 588 16 - 3400 )

submission form

back