The jury for the German Book Prize 2025 has nominated 20 novels. Since the call for submissions went out, the jury has reviewed 229 titles published between October 2024 and September 2025. As the official English-language media partner, we are delighted to publish the list of nominated books.
The nominated novels are (in alphabetic order):
· Kathrin Bach: Lebensversicherung (Verlag Voland & Quist, February 2025)
Read a sample translation by Zaia Alexander here.
· Marko Dinić: Buch der Gesichter (Paul Zsolnay Verlag, August 2025)
Read a sample translation by Alexandra Roesch here.
· Nava Ebrahimi: Und Federn überall (Luchterhand Literaturverlag, September 2025)
Read a sample translation by Alexandra Roesch here.
· Dorothee Elmiger: Die Holländerinnen (Carl Hanser Verlag, August 2025)
Read a sample translation by Jen Calleja here.
· Kaleb Erdmann: Die Ausweichschule (park x ullstein, July 2025)
Read a sample translation by Rob Myatt here.
· Annett Gröschner: Schwebende Lasten (Verlag C.H.Beck, April 2025)
Read a sample translation by Katy Derbyshire here.
· Dmitrij Kapitelman: Russische Spezialitäten (Hanser Berlin, February 2025)
Read a sample translation by Rob Myatt here.
· Jina Khayyer: Im Herzen der Katze (Suhrkamp Verlag, July 2025)
· Jehona Kicaj: ë (Wallstein Verlag, July 2025)
Read a sample translation by Eleanor Updegraff here.
· Michael Köhlmeier: Die Verdorbenen (Carl Hanser Verlag, January 2025)
· Jonas Lüscher: Verzauberte Vorbestimmung (Carl Hanser Verlag, January 2025)
Read a sample translation by Tess Lewis here.
· Thomas Melle: Haus zur Sonne (Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch, August 2025)
Read a sample translation by Adrian Nathan West here.
· Jacinta Nandi: Single Mom Supper Club (Rowohlt Hundert Augen, June 2025)
· Gesa Olkusz: Die Sprache meines Bruders (Residenz Verlag, March 2025)
· Lena Schätte: Das Schwarz an den Händen meines Vaters (S.ִ Fischer Verlag, March 2025)
Read a sample translation by Alexandra Roesch here.
· Lina Schwenk: Blinde Geister (Verlag C.H.Beck, August 2025)
· Fiona Sironic: Am Samstag gehen die Mädchen in den Wald und jagen Sachen in die Luft (Ecco Verlag, March 2025)
Read a sample translation by Fiona Sironic here.
· Peter Wawerzinek: Rom sehen und nicht sterben (Penguin Verlag, September 2025)
· Christine Wunnicke: Wachs (Berenberg Verlag, March 2025)
Read a sample translation by Philip Boehm here.
· Feridun Zaimoglu: Sohn ohne Vater (Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch, February 2025)
Read a sample translation by Simon Pare here.
Jury spokesperson Laura de Weck (Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen) released the following statement:
“Our jury discussions in the fragile year of 2025 were guided by creative language, narrative perspective and the alarming reality of the present. Uncertainty defines our times. Yet one thing is certain: this year’s longlist brings together 20 outstanding novels that reflect the full spectrum of our precarious reality – through classical storytelling, tapestries of speech and unruly lists; through historical panoramas, contemporary observations and dystopias; through autobiographical and fantastical tales. The titles include debuts and established voices – authors who use absurdity to entertain and unsettle us. How in the world did we get to where we are today? And what are these conditions doing to us? We have every reason to be worried about the future – but not about literature.”
The Jury for 2025 -from left to right: Laura de Weck, Kathrin Matern, Friedhelm Marx, Shirin Sojitrawalla, Jürgen Kaube, Maria Carolina Foi, Lara Sielmann jury photo © Mo Wüstenhagen
About the prize
The German Book Prize is presented to the best German-language novel just before the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair as an annual award from the Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels – the Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. The Prize is intended to draw attention beyond national borders to authors writing in German, to reading and to the keynote medium of the book. Publishing companies can apply for the award by direct nomination of their titles. Unusually, titles still in production when applications are first invited can also be included in the selection process. Furthermore, the German Book Prize represents the guarantee of independent and competent prize judgement: the seven jurors will personally assess all the books that are submitted and that meet the criteria for consideration.
Prize money and presentation ceremony
The German Book Prize is worth a total of 37,500 euros. The winner receives 25,000 euros, the other five shortlisted authors receive 2,500 euros each. The German Book Prize 2025 will be presented in the Kaisersaal at Frankfurt’s Römer on the evening of October 13th – a first event marking the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair. The six authors will not find out which of them is to receive the German Book Prize until the evening of the official presentation.
Learn more
Read our interview with Gunvor Schmidt from the German Publishers and Booksellers Association
