German Non-Fiction Prize 2025: meet the jury

Das Logo des Deutschen Sachbuchpreises 2025

Seven individuals will put their heads together to decide which title will be the German non-fiction book of the year 2025. The Akademie Deutscher Sachbuchpreis (Academy of the German Non-Fiction Prize) has appointed the following experts from the areas of non-fiction criticism, journalism, science and the book trade to the jury for the German Non-Fiction Prize:

•    Michael Hagner (ETH Zurich)
•    Christiane Hoffmann (author)
•    Michael Lemling (“Buchhandlung Lehmkuhl” bookshop)
•    Manuela Lenzen (science journalist)
•    Patricia Rahemipour (Institute for Museum Research, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation)
•    Heike Schmoll (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
•    Katrin Vohland (Natural History Museum Vienna)

At their first joint meeting, the members of the jury will appoint their spokesperson. The Akademie Deutscher Sachbuchpreis selects a new jury every year. It is possible to serve as a member of the jury more than once.

Die 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, worth a total of 42,500 euros, to an original German-language edition of an outstanding non-fiction book that inspires social debate. The winner receives 25,000 euros, the seven runners-up 2,500 euros each. The award ceremony will be held on 17 June 2025 in the Small Hall of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg.

Publishers may submit titles

Until 20 November 2024, publishers may submit two German-language monographs each from their current or planned programme and recommend up to five additional titles on anmeldung.deutscher-sachbuchpreis.de. These titles must be published between 24 April 2024 and 29 April 2025 and be available in bookstores no later than 29 April, when the nominees will be announced. 

The non-fiction book of the year is selected through a two-stage process. First, the jury compiles a list of nominees comprising eight titles, which will be announced on 29 April 2025. From this selection, the members of the jury will then choose the non-fiction book of the year. The eight authors will only find out which of them has won the German Non-Fiction Prize on the evening of the award ceremony itself.

Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth is patron of the German Non-Fiction Prize. 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. 

Complete information about the prize and the online application form are available at www.deutscher-sachbuchpreis.de.

The hashtag for the German Non-Fiction Prize is #DeutscherSachbuchpreis