Announcement of the German Prize for Nature Writing 2026
In 2026, the German Prize for Nature Writing enters its ninth call for submissions. The prize is awarded by Matthes & Seitz Berlin in cooperation with the German Environment Agency and the Art and Nature Foundation. The award includes prize money of EUR 10,000 and is under the patronage of the President of the German Environment Agency, Dirk Messner. Authors have until 1 March 2026 to submit their texts.
The German Prize for Nature Writing awards authors who make reference to ‘nature’ in their literary work. The annual prize draws on the literary tradition of nature writing, which is particularly widespread in the USA and Great Britain, in which authors deal with the perception of nature, the practical handling of the natural world, reflections on the relationship between nature and culture and the history of human appropriation of nature. Across genres, the prize considers essayistic, lyrical as well as epic writing.
The thematisation of ‘nature’ includes the dialectic of external and internal nature, the dissolution of the boundaries between culture and nature and the issues surrounding the preservation of natural phenomena and natural processes. Nature writing is not concerned with “nature as such”, but with nature as its perceived, experienced and explored by human beings. In recent years, the prize has been awarded to Franziska Füchsl, Levin Westermann, Ulrike Draesner, Esther Kinsky, Marion Poschmann and many more.
The call for submissions
The following materials must be included with the submission:
A. Anonymised documents (one PDF file):
- either: a prose text (short story, opening of a novel) of 30-50 standard pages
- or: 10 poems
- or: an essay of at least 8 standard pages
- a synopsis of max. one page
The anonymised documents must not contain any name, biographical information or acknowledgements.
B. Separate file with personal details (one PDF file):
- Name and address
- Email address and telephone number
- Short bio-bibliography
Submissions must be sent exclusively in digital form to dpnw@matthes-seitz-berlin.de. The submission deadline is 1 March 2026.
The German Environment Agency, as well as the Art and Nature Foundation at its Nantesbuch site, contribute to the prize money. In addition, the Art and Nature Foundation will enable the prize-winner to spend six weeks writing at its extensive nature and event centre in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, around 40 km south of Munich. Furthermore, the Art and Nature Foundation awards a scholarship to two of the applicants to participate in its high-profile Nature Writing seminar from 18 to 21 November 2026.
The award ceremony will take place in early September as part of the international literature festival berlin at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele (Schaperstraße 24, 10719 Berlin).
The jury
This year, the jury consists of journalist and author Petra Ahne; co-owner of the Kreuzberg bookshop Zabriskie Jean-Marie Dhur; literary and cultural scholar Steffen Richter; image and media scholar Birgit Schneider; and writer and literary scholar Florian Werner.