EUROPEAN
BAUHAUS
PRIZES2026
We won!!!
Große Leute — our circus carnival made with and by children and teenagers in Zeitz — received the New European Bauhaus Prize 2026. We are the only winning project from Germany this year!
We have some incredible news to share!
On 15 October, in Brussels, our children’s circus carnival Große Leute received the New European Bauhaus Prize 2026 in the category “Arts, Culture and Cultural Heritage as Drivers of Change”!
The New European Bauhaus Prizes, an initiative of the European Commission, celebrate projects that show how creativity, culture and new ideas can transform our cities and communities for the better.
And we are incredibly proud to be the only winning project from Germany this year!
Three years
of Große Leute
Große Leute is an annual circus carnival/festival in Zeitz created by and with children and teenagers. It is a space where children and young people can imagine, experiment, create and express themselves. They come up with ideas, invent characters and stories, build costumes, learn circus skills and, together, transform the streets of their town into a huge celebration.
Looking back at photos from the past three years, we can see how much the carnival has grown. But even more importantly, we can see how the children have grown — how their ideas, confidence and creative voices have developed along the way.
We believe that children have something important to say.
Their ideas matter. And they should have the opportunity to shape the world around them. This prize is a wonderful recognition of that belief.
Recognition alone cannot keep the circus running.
Winning this prize is an enormous encouragement for our team. Today, around 120 children and young people participate in our regular circus activities in Zeitz. They come from very different backgrounds, and all our programmes are free of charge.
Over the past few years, we have built something truly special: a place where children find friends, discover their talents, develop their own artistic voices and create performances they can be proud of.
And right now, we are facing a funding gap that puts the continuation of this work at risk.
We need your help to keep Upsala-Circus alive and growing. If you believe in what we do, please consider making a donation. Every contribution matters.
And if you know someone — a friend, a colleague, a company or a foundation — who might be willing to support us, please share this message with them. It would mean a great deal to us.
“Don’t Think About Elephants”
A film created by Reallabor Zekiwa Zeitz
How does a carnival come to life?
This documentary follows the entire creative journey of Große Leute — from the first workshops and wild ideas to costumes, masks, circus rehearsals, a giant elephant and the carnival itself.
Filmed from many different perspectives, including GoPro cameras in the hands of children and teenagers, it offers a unique look behind the scenes.
Nikolaikirche, Zeitz
Free admission
Thank you for being part of our story, for believing in our work and for helping us make it possible.
With love and gratitude,
Your Upsala-Circus Team ♥
Upsala-Circus gGmbH · Neumarkt 40, 06712 Zeitz