New panel of judges now chosen

The German Book Prize for 2011 launches with a new logo and a new panel of judges. The best German-language novel will be chosen this year by Maike Albath (Deutschlandfunk and DeutschlandRadio Kultur), Gregor Dotzauer (Der Tagesspiegel), Ulrike Draesner (author), Clemens-Peter Haase (Goethe-Institut), Ina Hartwig (freelance critic), Christine Westermann (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) and Uwe Wittstock (Focus). ”I am delighted with this first-class choice of judges and am already excited now to see what they will choose. After all, the different panel of judges gives the German Book Prize a distinct profile every year”, says Gottfried Honnefelder, president of the Börsenverein and chairman of the German Book Prize Academy. The judges have been chosen by the German Book Prize Academy which is made up of representatives from the book and media industry and the Goethe-Institut.

The winner of the prize will be chosen over several selection stages. In the first instance, the judges look through all the novels submitted by publishing companies and then compile a longlist of 20 titles. This list will be announced on 17 August 2011. From these titles, the judges choose six for the shortlist which is made public on 14 September 2011. It is not until the evening of the prize presentation ceremony that the six authors find out which of them is the winner of the German Book Prize, as well as 25,000 euros in prize money. The other five finalists receive 2,500 euros each.

To ensure the greatest possible independence for the award, the German Book Prize Academy selects a new panel of judges every year. The members of the Academy are: Gottfried Honnefelder (president of the Börsenverein and chairman of the German Book Prize Academy), Juergen Boos (director of the Frankfurt Book Fair), Klaus-Dieter Lehmann (president of the Goethe-Institut), Bernd Neumann (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media), Jan Paschen (managing director, Paschen & Companie), Herbert Hans Grüntker (deputy board chairman, 1822-Stiftung der Frankfurter Sparkasse), Viola Taube (deputy president of the Börsenvereins), Joachim Unseld (chairman of the Börsenverein's Commercial Publishing Companies Group), Benedikt Föger (Czernin Verlag), Wilfried Weber (Bücherstube Felix Jud, Hamburg) and Dorothea von Törne (winner of the Alfred Kerr Prize for Literary Criticism 2010).

The German Book Prize is awarded by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels Foundation, with total prize money of 37,500 euros. Partners backing the German Book Prize are Paschen & Companie, the 1822-Stiftung der Frankfurter Sparkasse, the Frankfurt Book Fair and the City of Frankfurt. Deutsche Welle supports the German Book Prize with media promotion both at home and abroad. The prize presentation ceremony will be held on 10 October 2011 in the Kaisersaal at the Frankfurt Römer, marking the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Publishing companies from Germany, Austria and Switzerland have until 31 March 2011 to submit two German-language novels each from their current or planned list. They are only eligible to make submissions for the award if they are members of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association -  Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, or of Switzerland's association, the Schweizer Buchhändler- und Verleger-Verband, or the Hauptverband des Österreichischen Buchhandels as the Austrian book trade's main association. The books must be published some time between October 2010 and 14 September 2011 (announcement of the shortlist). The titles, reading copies, pdf files and galley proofs can still be submitted up until 15 June 2011. The  Börsenverein is now in the process of sending out application documents and detailed information.

All information available at  www.deutscher-buchpreis.de.

Frankfurt am Main, 14 February 2011

Contact for the media:

Press & PR
Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels e.V.
Claudia Paul, Director, Press & PR, Press Officer
Phone +49 (0) 69 1306-293, e-mail: paul@boev.de
Johannes Neufeld, Press Assistant
Phone +49 (0) 69 1306-292, e-mail: neufeld@boev.de