Book Prizes

The literary landscapes of Germany, Austria and Switzerland are home to numerous prizes. Here, we summarise some of the key awards and signpost to where you can find out more information.

The German Book Prize

Launched in 2005, the German Book Prize is the equivalent of the Man Booker Prize, seeking the best novel written in German in each publishing year. It is awarded at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.

Find out more here.

New Books in German is the prize’s English-language media partner; we announce both the long- and shortlist for the prize on this website.

Most of its winners have already been translated into English: Arno Geiger’s We Are Doing Fine (tr. Maria Poglitsch Bauer; Ariadne Press, 2010), Katharina Hacker’s The Have-Nots (tr. Helen Atkins; Europa Editions, 2008), Julia Franck’s The Blind Side of the Heart (tr. Anthea Bell; Harvill, 2009), The Tower by Uwe Tellkamp (tr. Michael Mitchell; Penguin, 2014), Fly away, Pigeon by Melinda Nadj Abonji (tr. Tess Lewis; Seagull, 2014) and In Times of Fading Light by Eugen Ruge (tr. Anthea Bell; Faber, 2013). The 2014 winner, Lutz Seiler’s Kruso, is forthcoming with Scribe (tr. Tess Lewis). 

The Swiss Book Prize

The Swiss Book Prize is awarded every November to an author writing in German who has been living in Switzerland for at least two years. Founded in 2008, it is coordinated by the Basel Literature Association and the Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association and is funded by private sponsors. The winner receives CHF 30,000 (c. £20,000) and the four shortlisted authors each receive CHF 2,500.

The Austrian Book Prize

The aim of the annual Austrian Book Prize is to honour the quality and originality of Austrian literature and to give it the attention it deserves throughout the German-speaking world. Find out more here.

Other German Prizes

Other Austrian Prizes

Prizes for all German Language Literature