The five titles nominated for the main Austrian Book Prize are Anna Baar’s Amseln (Wallstein), Birgit Birnbacher’s Sie wollen uns erzählen (Zsolnay), Norbert Gstrein’s Im ersten Licht (Hanser), Elias Hirschl’s Schleifen (Zsolnay), and Sabine Scholl’s Die zweite Haut (Weissbooks).
Three works have been shortlisted for the Debut Prize: Marlen Mairhofer’s Alice (JUNG UND JUNG), Nina Temann’s oh augen, eigene oper (poetenladen Verlag), and David Vajda’s Diamanten (Hanser Berlin).
The five-member jury, comprising Uta Degner, Markus Köhle, Lara Sielmann, Julia Zarbach, and Helmut Zechner, evaluated 102 literary, essayistic, lyrical, and dramatic works released within the eligibility period. Jury statements for the nominations are available on the official prize website.
Andreas Babler, Federal Minister for Art and Culture, congratulated the nominees, noting that the debut nominations highlight the diversity and future potential of the Austrian literary landscape. Benedikt Föger, President of the Main Association of Austrian Book Trade, praised the linguistic strength and thematic variety of the shortlisted works.
The winners will be announced on November 23, 2026, at the opening of the Buch Wien fair, which runs from November 25 to 29. The main prize carries a €20,000 award, with the four other finalists receiving €2,500 each. The Debut Prize is valued at €10,000, with the two remaining finalists also receiving €2,500.
The prize is organized by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Art, Culture, Media and Sport, the Main Association of the Austrian Book Trade, and the Vienna Chamber of Labour.