German Science Fiction Award Winners: A Comprehensive History
The landscape of speculative fiction in Germany is marked by a rich tradition of imaginative storytelling, ranging from sweeping space operas to intimate psychological dramas. The German Science Fiction Awards recognize excellence across multiple formats, celebrating both homegrown talent and the best international works translated into German. By honoring novels, short fiction, and radio plays, these awards highlight the evolution of the genre within the German-speaking market.
The awards are divided into specific categories to ensure that diverse forms of storytelling—from the expansive scope of a novel to the concise impact of a short story—are given proper recognition.
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Key Facts
- German-language Novel: Awarded to professional works of at least 100 pages published in German.
- Foreign Work: Recognizes foreign-language fiction and non-fiction translated into German.
- Short Fiction: Covers German-language works under 100 pages, including short stories and novellas.
- Radio Drama: A specialized category honoring auditory storytelling, with jury selection beginning in 1993.
- Dominant Authors: Andreas Eschbach is among the most frequent winners in the novel category.
Award Categories and Criteria
German-language Novel
This category is reserved for professional works written by German-language authors with a minimum length of 100 pages. To be eligible, the work must have been published for the first time in a German-language market during the award year.
Foreign Work
Originally titled "Foreign Novel" until 1997, this category has expanded to include both fiction and non-fiction. It honors foreign-language works that received their first German translation during the award year.
German-language Short Fiction
Established in its current form in 1997, this category encompasses works shorter than 100 pages. This includes short stories, novelettes, and novellas. Prior to 1997, these were split into two distinct categories for short stories and novelettes/novellas.
Radio Drama
While prizes for radio drama have existed since 1987, the process was formalized in 1993 when a professional jury began selecting the winners. This category often includes derivative works based on famous international sci-fi novels.
Summary of Award Winners
| Category | Notable Winners | Key Works |
|---|---|---|
| German Novel | Andreas Eschbach | Solarstation, Quest, Herr aller Dinge |
| Foreign Work | China Miéville | Perdido Street Station, The Scar, Iron Council |
| Short Fiction | Wolfgang Jeschke | Partner fürs Leben, Die Cusanische Acceleratio |
| Radio Drama | Wolfgang Rindfleisch | Uhrwerk Orange |
Complete List of Winners
German-language Novel
- 1981: Georg Zauner, Die Enkel der Raketenbauer
- 1982: Wolfgang Jeschke, The Last Day of Creation
- 1983: Richard Hey, Im Jahr 95 nach Hiroshima
- 1984: Thomas R. P. Mielke, Das Sakriversum
- 1985: Herbert W. Franke, Die Kälte des Weltraums
- 1986: Herbert W. Franke, Endzeit
- 1987: Carl Amery, Die Wallfahrer
- 1988: Gudrun Pausewang, Die Wolke
- 1989: Norbert Stöbe, New York ist himmlisch
- 1990: Wolfgang Jeschke, Midas
- 1991: Carl Amery, Das Geheimnis der Krypta
- 1992: Christian Mähr, Fatous Staub
- 1993: Herbert Rosendorfer, Die goldenen Heiligen oder Columbus entdeckt Europa
- 1994: Thomas Ziegler, Die Stimmen der Nacht
- 1995: Hans Joachim Alpers, Das zerrissene Land
- 1996: Hans Joachim Alpers, Die graue Eminenz
- 1997: Andreas Eschbach, Solarstation
- 1998: No Award
- 1999: Andreas Eschbach, Jesus Video
- 2000: Andreas Eschbach, Kelwitts Stern
- 2001: Michael Marrak, Lord Gamma
- 2002: Andreas Eschbach, Quest
- 2003: Michael Marrak, Imagon
- 2004: Andreas Eschbach, Der Letzte seiner Art
- 2005: Frank Schätzing, The Swarm
- 2006: Wolfgang Jeschke, Das Cusanus-Spiel
- 2007: Herbert W. Franke, Auf der Spur des Engels
- 2008: Andreas Eschbach, Ausgebrannt
- 2009: Dietmar Dath, Die Abschaffung der Arten
- 2010: Andreas Eschbach, Ein König für Deutschland
- 2011: Uwe Post, Walpar Tonnraffir und der Zeigefinger Gottes
- 2012: Andreas Eschbach, Herr aller Dinge
- 2013: Dietmar Dath, Pulsarnacht
- 2014: Wolfgang Jeschke, Dschiheads
- 2015: Tom Hillenbrand, Drohnenland
- 2016: Andreas Brandhorst, Das Schiff
- 2017: Andreas Brandhorst, Omni
- 2018: Michael Marrak, Der Kanon mechanischer Seelen
- 2019: Andreas Eschbach, NSA – Nationales Sicherheits-Amt
- 2020: Andreas Eschbach, Das größte Abenteuer
- 2021: Andreas Eschbach, Eines Menschen Flügel
- 2022: Uwe Hermann, Nanopark
- 2023: Aiki Mira, Neongrau – Game Over im Neurosubstrat
- 2024: Aiki Mira, Neurobiest
Foreign Work
- 1984: Brian Aldiss, Helliconia Spring
- 1985: Philip K. Dick, VALIS
- 1986: Daniel Keyes, The Minds of Billy Milligan
- 1987: Jerry Yulsman, Elleander Morning
- 1988: Christopher Priest, The Glamour
- 1989: Orson Scott Card, Speaker for the Dead
- 1990: Lucius Shepard, Life During Wartime
- 1991: Iain M. Banks, The Bridge
- 1992: Iain M. Banks, The Wasp Factory
- 1993: Iain M. Banks, Use of Weapons
- 1994: Connie Willis, Doomsday Book
- 1995: Ian McDonald, Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone
- 1996: Stephen Baxter, The Time Ships
- 1997: Kate Wilhelm, Death Qualified: A Mystery of Chaos
- 1998: Iain M. Banks, Excession
- 1999: Ian McDonald, Sacrifice of Fools
- 2000: Greg Egan, Distress
- 2001: Mary Doria Russell, The Sparrow
- 2002: Connie Willis, To Say Nothing of the Dog
- 2003: China Miéville, Perdido Street Station
- 2004: Vernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky
- 2005: China Miéville, The Scar
- 2006: China Miéville, Iron Council
- 2007: Robert Charles Wilson, Spin
- 2008: Sergey Lukyanenko, Spectrum
- 2009: Charles Stross, Glasshouse
- 2010: John Scalzi, The Android's Dream
- 2011: China Miéville, The City & the City
- 2012: Paolo Bacigalupi, The Windup Girl
- 2013: Ted Chiang, Hell Is the Absence of God
- 2014: Jo Walton, Among Others
- 2015: Ursula K. Le Guin, Paradises Lost
- 2016: Neal Stephenson, Seveneves
- 2017: Cixin Liu, The Three Body Problem
- 2018: Nnedi Okorafor, The Book of Phoenix
- 2019: Jasper Fforde, Early Riser
- 2020: Margaret Atwood, The Testaments
- 2021: Simon Stålenhag, Tales from the Loop
- 2022: Kim Stanley Robinson, The Ministry for the Future
- 2023: Becky Chambers, Die Galaxie und das Licht darin (The Galaxy, and the Ground Within)
- 2024: Ursula K. Le Guin, Immer nach Hause (Always Coming Home)
German-language Short Fiction
- 1997: Wolfgang Jeschke, Partner fürs Leben
- 1998: Malte S. Sembten, Blind Date
- 1999: Marcus Hammerschmitt, Wüstenlack
- 2000: Wolfgang Jeschke, Die Cusanische Acceleratio
- 2001: Marcus Hammerschmitt, Troubadoure
- 2002: Wolfgang Jeschke, Allah akbar And So Smart Our NLWs
- 2003: Erik Simon, Spiel beendet, sagte der Sumpf
- 2004: Angela Steinmüller and Karlheinz Steinmüller, Vor der Zeitreise
- 2005: Wolfgang Jeschke, Das Geschmeide
- 2006: Rainer Erler, An e-Star is born
- 2007: Marcus Hammerschmitt, Canea Null
- 2008: Michael K. Iwoleit, Der Moloch
- 2009: Andreas Eschbach, Survival-Training and Heidrun Jänchen, Ein Geschäft wie jedes andere
- 2010: Ernst-Eberhard Manski, Das Klassentreffen der Weserwinzer
- 2011: Michael K. Iwoleit, Die Schwelle
- 2012: Frank W. Haubold, Am Ende der Reise
- 2013: Klaus N. Frick, Im Käfig
- 2014: Michael Marrak, Coen Sloterdykes diametral levitierendes Chronoversum
- 2015: Fabian Tomaschek, Boatpeople
- 2016: Karsten Kruschel, Was geschieht dem Licht am Ende des Tunnels?
- 2017: Gabriele Behrend, Suicide Rooms
- 2018: Uwe Hermann, Das Internet der Dinge
- 2019: Thorsten Küper, Confinement
- 2020: Jacqueline Montemurri, Koloss aus dem Orbit
- 2021: Angela Steinmüller and Karlheinz Steinmüller, Marslandschaften
- 2022: Aiki Mira, Utopie-27
- 2023: Uwe Hermann, Die Nachrichtenmacher
- 2024: Uwe Hermann, Die End-of-Life-Schaltung
Radio Drama
- 1993: Eva Maria Mudrich, Sommernachtstraum
- 1996: Wolfgang Rindfleisch, Uhrwerk Orange
- 1997: Friedrich Bestenreiner, Paradise Hospital Inc.
- 1998: Karlheinz Knuth, Die Tage nebenan
- 1999: Heiko Michael Hartmann, MOI
- 2000: Marina Dietz, Träumen Androiden
- 2002: Walter Adler, Tokio liebt uns nicht mehr
- 2005: Norbert Schaeffer, Das letzte Geheimnis
- 2006: Matthias Wittekindt, Das Lewskow-Manuscript
- 2007: Matthias Scheliga, Amnesia
- 2009: Bodo Traber & Tilman Zens, Die Flüsterer
- 2012: Till Müller-Klug, Sprachlabor Babylon
- 2013: Heinz von Cramer, Unerwartete Ereignisse
- 2015: Walter Adler, Foxfinder
- 2016: Georg Heinzen, Sale
- 2018: Bodo Traber, Paradise Revisited
- 2019: Anne Krüger, Supermarkt
- 2020: Gerrit Booms, Unser Leben in den Wäldern
- 2021: Heinz Sommer, Der zweite Schlaf
- 2022: Christian Wittmann and Georg Zeitblom, r_crusoe™
- 2023: Emma Braslavsky, Die Nacht war bleich, die Lichter blinkten
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the requirements for the German-language Novel category?
To qualify, a work must be written by a German-language author, be at least 100 pages long, and be published professionally in German for the first time within the award year.
How has the Foreign Work category changed over time?
The category was originally called "Foreign Novel" until 1997. It has since expanded to include both fiction and non-fiction works translated into German.
What is the difference between the Novel and Short Fiction categories?
The primary distinction is length: novels must be at least 100 pages, while short fiction includes any work under 100 pages, such as short stories and novellas.
When did the Radio Drama category start using a jury?
Although prizes for radio drama were awarded starting in 1987, a formal jury selection process was only implemented beginning in 1993.
Who is one of the most successful authors in the German Novel category?
Andreas Eschbach is a highly frequent winner, with awards spanning several decades, including works like Solarstation and Herr aller Dinge.