2026 Wolfgang Koeppen Prize Awarded to Author and Editor Charlotte Gneuß
Award Ceremony for the Wolfgang Koeppen Literature Prize from the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald
This year, the Wolfgang Koeppen Literature Prize of the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is being awarded to author and editor Charlotte Gneuß.
This year, the Wolfgang Koeppen Prize for Literature from the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is being awarded to author and editor Charlotte Gneuß. She was nominated by author, musician, and performance artist Madame Nielsen, the 2024 prize winner.
Since 1998, this prize has been awarded every two years on June 23 for literary work that, much like Wolfgang Koeppen’s oeuvre, is connected to the unfinished project of literary modernism, remain mindful of its contemporaneity, and—not least—be comparable to Koeppen’s work in terms of social sensitivity. The prize, which comes with a cash award of 5,000 euros, is not awarded by a jury; rather, the most recent laureate nominates the next recipient.
The Wolfgang Koeppen Prize has been awarded to the following: †Richard Anders (1998), Thomas Lehr (2000), Susanne Riedel (2002), †Ludwig Fels (2004), Bartholomäus Grill (2006), Sibylle Berg (2008), Joachim Lottmann (2010), Anna Katharina Hahn (2012), Karl-Heinz Ott (2014), Thomas Hettche (2016), Christoph Peters (2018), Marcus Braun (2020), Christian Kracht (2022), and Madame Nielsen (2024).
Madame Nielsen justifies her nomination with the following words:
I have read Charlotte Gneuß’s debut novel, *Gittersee*, and although it is heavily inspired by the early works of Handke, it nevertheless has its own (dark) tone and meets the criteria (of the Wolfgang Koeppen Prize) in every respect. … And so I will—I think—yes, I now dare to nominate Charlotte Gneuß as the 2026 Koeppen Prize winner.
Due to limited seating capacity, we expressly request that reservations be made by August 28, 2026, by calling 03834 85 36 1101 or emailing Oberbuergermeister@greifswald.de.
Organizers: The University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald and the Literaturhaus Vorpommern (IKAZ e.V.)
