Press Release

German Non-Fiction Prize 2025: 135 publishers submit 213 titles

Patricia Rahemipour is appointed jury spokesperson / Award ceremony to be held on 17 June 2025 in the Small Hall of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg

The jury for the German Non-Fiction Prize begins its work: 135 German-language publishers submitted a total of 213 titles for the award. Of these, 112 are based in Germany, 18 in Austria and 5 in Switzerland.

Each publisher was allowed to submit a maximum of two monographs published or to be published between 24 April 2024 and 29 April 2025, when the shortlist will be announced. In addition, each publisher could recommend up to five further titles from their own programme. This list of recommendations comprises 143 titles, from which the jury may request additional titles.

During their first joint meeting, the members of the jury appointed Patricia Rahemipour (Institute for Museum Research, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) as their spokesperson. The other members of the jury are:

Michael Hagner (ETH Zurich), Christiane Hoffmann (author), Michael Lemling (“Buchhandlung Lehmkuhl” bookshop), Manuela Lenzen (science journalist), Heike Schmoll (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) and Katrin Vohland (Natural History Museum Vienna).

Selection and awarding of the prize

In a two-stage process, the jury begins by compiling a shortlist comprising eight titles, which will be published on 29 April 2025. From this shortlist, the winning title is then chosen and announced at the award ceremony in the Small Hall of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg on 17 June 2025.

Prize and endowment

The Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels (Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association) awards the prize, which is worth a total of 42,500 euros. The winner receives 25,000 euros, the seven other nominees 2,500 euros each. The prize honours an outstanding original German-language edition of a non-fiction book that inspires socially meaningful debate and action. Last year, Christina Morina won the prize for her work “Tausend Aufbrüche” (“A Thousand New Beginnings”).

Deutsche Bank Stiftung (Deutsche Bank Foundation) is the main supporter of the prize, which is also backed by the city of Hamburg and Frankfurter Buchmesse.

More information about the prize can be found on www.deutscher-sachbuchpreis.de. Press photos of the jury are available at www.boersenverein.de/pressefotos.

Hashtag: #DeutscherSachbuchpreis

Frankfurt am Main, 14 January 2025

Media contacts:

Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels e. V.

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Tel. +49 (0) 69 1306-293, e-mail: t.kochNO SPAM SPAN!@boev.de

Robin Jung, PR Manager
Tel. +49 (0) 69 1306-426, e-mail: jungNO SPAM SPAN!@boev.de

mondello GmbH, media and public relations agency

Silke Ohlenforst, Tel. +49 (0) 30 24 631 141, e-mail: silke.ohlenforstNO SPAM SPAN!@agenturmondello.de

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