Shida Bazyar Wins the 2026 German Book Prize for Die Lücken

Who won the 2026 German Book Prize? The prize's English news page, dated 5 October 2026, says Shida Bazyar has won with her novel Die Lücken, published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch. The page gives the English title in parentheses as "Omissions."

What the jury said

The page prints this statement from the jury: "At home in Heimesbach – is that possible? Through the fates of individual characters, Shida Bazyar's novel 'Die Lücken' ('Omissions') reflects on nearly a century of the ambivalence of life in Germany. There were neighbours who watched as Jewish people disappeared from the streets. There are neighbours who make decisions that determine whether people with migrant backgrounds feel at home. The author employs compelling literary strategies: the perspective of a dead narrator and the text's kaleidoscopic structure enable the novel to move between different periods, as well as to create intimacy and distance. The close interweaving of fictional and documentary elements, of invented and historical figures – who are also given a voice – adds to the book's powerful resonance. A novel that stands against indifference."

The seven jurors, and the association's president

The page names the jury for the German Book Prize 2026: spokesperson Cornelia Geißler (Berliner Zeitung), Theresa Donner ("heiter bis wolkig" bookshop, Halle an der Saale), Jan Ehlert (NDR), Maha El Hissy (literary scholar), Emily Grunert (Literaturbüro NRW), Stefanie Kreuzer (University of Kassel), and Adam Soboczynski (DIE ZEIT).

Sebastian Guggolz, president of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, is quoted there: "The German Book Prize makes visible what literature is capable of: it creates a form of understanding and strengthens our empathetic ability to seek ourselves in others and to find ourselves there. Through writing and reading, reading aloud and listening, we move towards one another and remain open to one another. This is undoubtedly one of the German Book Prize's greatest achievements: it is an invitation to dialogue."

The other five books

The page lists the rest of the shortlist, with publisher and month:

• Franziska Gänsler, Orca (Kein & Aber, August 2026)
• Valeria Gordeev, Die Zikade entschlüpft ihrer goldglänzenden Hülle (S. Fischer, August 2026)
• Elias Hirschl, Schleifen (Paul Zsolnay, January 2026)
• Peggy Mädler, Selbstregulierung des Herzens (Galiani Berlin, February 2026)
• Dana Vowinckel, Anton und Alma (Suhrkamp, September 2026)

The money, the funnel, and the room

Shida Bazyar receives 25,000 euros. The five finalists receive 2,500 euros each.

The page says the winning title was chosen in stages. Since the call for submissions went out, the seven jury members reviewed 205 titles published between October 2025 and September 2026. From those novels they compiled a longlist of 20 titles, and from that longlist they selected six for the shortlist. The award ceremony was held in the Kaisersaal of the Frankfurt Römer.

The page footer names Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels, at Braubachstraße 16, 60311 Frankfurt am Main. The same page says a press photo of Shida Bazyar would be available at about 8:30 p.m. on the Börsenverein's press-photo page.

Why it matters for authors

The purse is stated, and so is the shortlist money. The winner receives 25,000 euros. Each of the other five finalists receives 2,500 euros. The announcement does not attach a sales figure or a print run to the win.

The funnel is the part a writer can count. Seven jurors read 205 titles from a twelve-month window, October 2025 through September 2026, then a longlist of 20 and a shortlist of six. Die Lücken, from Kiepenheuer & Witsch, is the book that came out of that shortlist.

The citation names a method. The jury statement points to a dead narrator, a kaleidoscopic structure, and a mix of fictional and documentary elements. It opens on a place: "At home in Heimesbach – is that possible?"

The ceremony was in the Römer, on 5 October. The English page dates the news that day and places the ceremony in the Kaisersaal. Guggolz, speaking as president of the publishers' and booksellers' association, calls the prize an invitation to dialogue.

Sources

• Deutscher Buchpreis: "Die Lücken" ("Omissions") wins novel of the year (5 October 2026)