The shortlist has been selected for the €25,000 (about $29,000) 2026 German Book Prize. The winner will be named October 5 in Frankfurt on the eve of the Frankfurt Book Fair. The shortlist:
Shida Bazyar for Die Lücken (Kiepenheuer & Witsch)
Franziska Gänsler for Orca (Kein & Aber)
Valeria Gordeev for Die Zikade entschlüpft ihrer goldglänzenden Hülle (S. Fischer)
Elias Hirschl for Schleifen (Paul Zsolnay)
Peggy Mädler for Selbstregulierung des Herzens (Galiani Berlin)
Dana Vowinckel for Anton und Alma (Suhrkamp)