Overview
- The jury announced on Sunday that Lena Schätte had won the 2026 Ingeborg‑Bachmann‑Preis and the BKS Bank Publikumspreis for her text "Was wir tragen," with the main prize carrying €30,000.
- Ozan Zakariya Keskinkılıç received the Deutschlandfunk‑Preis of €12,500, Kinga Tóth won the Kelag‑Preis of €15,000 and Magdalena Schrefel took the 3sat‑Preis of €7,500.
- Juror Thomas Strässle called Schätte’s piece of "existenzielle Wucht" in his laudation, and the live jury debates onstage played a central role in shaping how texts were judged and received.
- Reporters tracked several recurring concerns across the shortlist, notably autofictional first‑person voices, bodily experience, class and queer intimacies, and Keskinkılıç had emerged as an early favorite during the readings.
- The awards closed the festival’s 50th edition and coincided with Ingeborg Bachmann’s 100th birthday, a pairing that critics said sharpened discussion about the prize’s cultural weight and the career boost a win can provide.