Deutscher Buchpreis: The 2026 German Book Prize is starting: 180 novels are in the running

07.04.2026

The 2026 German Book Prize is starting: 180 novels are in the running

The 2026 Book Prize season begins: 106 German-language publishers have submitted a total of 180 titles. 76 publishers are based in Germany, 14 in Switzerland and 16 in Austria. Of the titles submitted, 85 are from the current spring catalogue, a further 76 are due to be released in the autumn, and 19 titles were published last autumn.
A seven-member jury will decide which title is crowned Novel of the Year on 5 October. The German Book Prize Academy has appointed the following literary experts:

Theresa Donner (bookshop heiter bis wolkig, Halle an der Saale)
Jan Ehlert (NDR)
Maha El Hissy (independent critic)
Cornelia Geißler (Berliner Zeitung)
Emily Grunert (Literaturbüro NRW)
Stefanie Kreuzer (University of Kassel)
Adam Soboczynski (DIE ZEIT)

At their first joint jury meeting, the members elected Cornelia Geißler as their jury spokesperson. To ensure the award’s utmost independence, the German Book Prize Academy selects a new jury each year. It is possible to serve on the jury more than once.