The award ceremony
Announcing the Non-Fiction Book of the Year
2026
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The German Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2026
Jury evaluation
“To this day, the concept of ‘Germany Inc.’ continues to shape our conception of ourselves as a successful economic nation. In his history of the German economy from the early days of industrialisation to the present, Konstantin Richter shows just how little the ideas and assumptions associated with this model still correspond to contemporary realities. Through a skilfully constructed narrative, he reveals how the network of the ‘300 men’ shaped Germany on a personal, economic and political level. One thing becomes clear: this came at a cost. Nostalgia offers no way forward. Konstantin Richter exposes what lies behind the abstract notion of the ‘German economy’, providing a foundation for drawing the right conclusions for the future.”
Pictures of the award ceremony © Daniel Müller
The speech of the awardee
The award ceremony took place on 8 June 2026 at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg. It was hosted by Katty Salié (ZDF aspekte). Jana Schiedek, State Councillor for Culture and Media of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, and Sebastian Guggolz, President of the Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels, offered words of welcome to open the ceremony. Then the nominated books were introduced and Katty Salié discussed this year's selection with jury spokesperson Pascal Mathéus (Wassermann book shop, Hamburg). Finally, Sebastian Guggolz announced the Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2026.
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The award ceremony
About the German Non-Fiction Prize
The German Non-Fiction Prize is presented to the non-fiction book of the year as an annual award of the Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung (Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading). The award is given to outstanding non-fiction in German-language original edition that inspires social debate. The German Non-Fiction Prize is endowed with a total of 42,500 euros. The winner receives 25,000 euros, the seven nominees 2,500 euros each.
Publishers could submit two German-language monographs each from their current or planned programme. The seven members of the jury have reviewed 239 titles and nominated eight non-fiction books for the award. Now they have chosen the German Non-Fiction Book of the Year from this selection.
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