LITERARY PRIZE FOR SHORT CRITICAL TEXTS
WORTMELDUNGEN
Short critical texts play virtually no role on the book market. Yet they are an exceptionally contemporary literary form: in times of social crisis, short literary forms can be a swift and relevant way of reacting to what’s going on in society. Our WORTMELDUNGEN programme seeks to champion this literature. At a literal level, ‘Wortmeldung’ is a term that means ‘word notice’, but depending on the context it can also refer to an oral contribution or request to speak.
For whom?
Authors of short critical texts
Aim
Promoting the production and visibility of short texts
Frequency
Annual presentation of literature prize / young talent award
Location
Submissions in German-speaking regions (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
Supporting authors and young upcoming authors
WORTMELDUNGEN, which was established in 2018, has made it possible for us to give a boost to the authors of short critical texts who not only encapsulate the zeitgeist but also question it. We achieve this by awarding two prizes each year: the WORTMELDUNGEN Ulrike Crespo Literaturpreis of 35,000 euros and the WORTMELDUNGEN Ulrike Crespo Förderpreis, an award for up-and-coming authors worth a total of 15,000 euros. WORTMELDUNGEN generates visibility for the authors – for instance, their texts are published by Verbrecher Verlag.
Short texts on big themes
Since 2018, these awards have recognised outstanding short literary texts written in German – whether essays, speeches, short prose or short stories. They explore issues such as the abuse of power and sexism, care and dying, right-wing populism and the climate crisis.
One theme – two prizes
The WORTMELDUNGEN prize for literature forms the starting point for the WORTMELDUNGEN young talent award. After the literature prize has been awarded, the winner formulates a callout to young authors for the WORTMELDUNGEN Förderpreis award, based on their text and its theme – and budding writers respond with their own texts.
The WORTMELDUNGEN literature prize has previously been won by Petra Piuk (2018), Thomas Stangl (2019), Kathrin Röggla (2020), Marion Poschmann (2021), Volha Hapeyeva (2022), Judith Schalansky (2023) and Frank Witzel (2024).
The WORTMELDUNGEN young talent award has gone to Juli Mahid Carly, Irina Nekrasov and Jonë Zhitia (2022), Melanie Sasha Berger, Samuel J. Kramer and Benedikt Kuhn (2021), Miriam Emefa Dzah, Jasmin Merkel and Marie Lucienne Verse (2020), Katherina Braschel, Luca Manuel Kieser and Jana Krüger (2019), and Sophie Baumberg, Magdalena Kotzurek and Leona Stahlmann (2018/19).
WORTMELDUNGEN in numbers
87
authors up to 2023
15
young talent awards up to 2023
7
literature prizes by 2024
‘Schalansky uses the image of the canary, whose sudden silence once warned miners of decreasing oxygen levels, to guide the reader through the tangled thicket of the state of alert and emergency.’
VIDEO PORTRAIT OF JUDITH SCHALANSKY (in German)
Judith Schalansky, winner of the WORTMELDUNGEN literature prize in 2023
THE AUTHOR ON ESSAYS AS A GENRE (in German)
Judith Schalansky, winner of the WORTMELDUNGEN literature prize in 2023
‘In Germany there are hardly any prizes for literary essays. The WORTMELDUNGEN literature prize occupies a highly relevant niche in the awards landscape.’
‘In Germany there are hardly any prizes for literary essays. The WORTMELDUNGEN literature prize occupies a highly relevant niche in the awards landscape.’
PARTNERS
WORTMELDUNGEN is a Crespo Foundation programme in cooperation with Literaturhaus Frankfurt, Schauspiel Frankfurt, the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK) and Verbrecher Verlag.
CONTACTS
Sandra Poppe
Crespo Foundation
‘Our aim in awarding the WORTMELDUNGEN literary prize is to raise the profile of authors and their literary and critical approaches to current issues.’
‘Our aim in awarding the WORTMELDUNGEN literary prize is to raise the profile of authors and their literary and critical approaches to current issues.’
Katja Schaffer
Crespo Foundation
‘The WORTMELDUNGEN prize for talented young authors assists the winners with a range of activities such as workshops and meetings with specialists in the field, providing a comprehensive level of support that goes far beyond simply awarding a prize.’
‘The WORTMELDUNGEN prize for talented young authors assists the winners with a range of activities such as workshops and meetings with specialists in the field, providing a comprehensive level of support that goes far beyond simply awarding a prize.’