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Apply for the German Publishing Prize

The German Publishing Prize is awarded to book publishers to promote the preservation of book culture in Germany.

As an independent publisher, you are eligible for the German Publishing Prize if you have demonstrated:

  • a distinctive publishing profile,
  • cultural engagement,
  • compelling innovative and digital projects,
  • professionalism and quality in publishing,
  • professional distribution,
  • careful editing and proofreading,
  • support for emerging talent,
  • appealing book design,
  • wide-reaching and target-audience-oriented communication and public relations, or socially relevant initiatives and corresponding commitment.

If you receive an award, you can receive not only the seal of quality but also a prize of up to 60,000 EUR. The amount of the prize depends on the jury’s evaluation of your performance as well as your average revenue over the past 3 years:

  • Average annual revenue of less than 3 million EUR:
  • Seal of Quality and a cash prize of 60,000 EUR for 3 particularly outstanding publishers (top prize)
  • Seal of Quality and a prize of 24,000 EUR for an additional 60 outstanding publishers
  • Average annual revenue of 3 million EUR or more:
  • Seal of Quality without a cash prize for up to 3 outstanding publishers

Please submit your application to the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).

You are not entitled to an award.

  • German Publishing Prize Nomination Selection
  • The German Publishing Prize is awarded for outstanding achievements in the following areas:
    • Distinctive publishing profile
    • Cultural Engagement
    • Compelling, innovative, and digital projects
    • Professionalism and quality of publishing work
    • Professional distribution
    • Careful editing and proofreading
    • Support for emerging talent
    • Attractive book design
    • Wide-reaching and target-audience-specific communication and public relations
  • Eligible to participate in the publishing award:
    • Independent book publishers in all genres
    • with headquarters or a branch office in Germany,
    • that have been in existence for at least 3 years,
    • have published at least 4 books per year by different authors over the past 3 years (exceptions may apply),
    • are not currently undergoing insolvency proceedings, and
    • were not awarded a top prize in the German Publishing Prize (prize money of 60,000 EUR) in the previous year
    • and have not been awarded a German Publishing Prize in the last two consecutive years.
  • Awards:
    • Awarding of a cash-endowed seal of quality in conjunction with a prize for book publishers with an average annual revenue of less than 3 million EUR over the past 3 years
    • Awarding of a non-monetary seal of quality to book publishers with an average annual revenue over the past three years of more than 3 million EUR
  • Selection Process:
    • The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) decides on the award
    • The BKM is advised by an independent jury of experts
    • There is no legal entitlement to receive the award
  • Information available from: the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), Division K21 
  • Applications may be submitted via: the German Publishing Prize website
  • Responsible authority: The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM)

  • A signed self-certification form in which you affirm that you will use the award money received exclusively for the purposes of this award
  • written confirmation that you have read and understood the information sheet on subsidy fraud
  • A signed copy of the privacy policy
  • A signed form of the Declaration of Financial Capacity

You are eligible to apply if your publishing house:

  • is independent,
  • has its headquarters or a branch office in Germany,
  • has been in business for at least 3 years, and
  • has published at least 4 books per year by different authors over the past 3 years (exceptions may apply),
  • is not currently undergoing insolvency proceedings,
  • has not been awarded a top prize in the German Publishing Prize (prize money of 60,000 EUR) in the past year,
  • has not been awarded a German Publishing Prize in the last 2 consecutive years, and
  • demonstrates outstanding achievements

You are not eligible to apply if you are:

  • a pure pay-to-publish or cost-price publisher,
  • a publishing division or imprint of a corporate group that generates more than 3 million EUR in total annual revenue,
  • A publisher that is directly financially dependent on other institutions such as
    • museums,
    • universities,
    • literary centers,
    • political parties,
    • religious institutions, professional organizations, or associations.
  • A publishing house whose catalog consists exclusively of periodicals such as newspapers or magazines, or of
    • encyclopedias,
    • reference publications such as address books or form books,
    • sheet music,
    • maps or other cartographic material,
    • textbooks, and educational and teaching materials.

There are no costs involved.

To enter the German Publishing Prize, you must apply online on the German Publishing Prize website.

  • Go to the German Publishing Prize website, fill out the application form online, and submit it.
  • You will receive an electronic confirmation via email that your application has been received. The email will also include your application number and a PDF with your details.
  • Print out the PDF and sign it.
  • Also print out all other required documents. You can find these documents available for download under the “Application Documents” navigation link on the German Publishing Prize website.
  • Sign all documents and send them by mail to the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).
  • The requirement to print and sign the documents does not apply if you have logged in to the online application portal via “ELSTER – My Business Account.”
  • You may also submit additional documents to supplement your application. Please upload these to the application portal whenever possible. To do so, you must log in with your username and password.
  • You may also submit copies of your book by mail for review.
  • The BKM will notify you by email if you have been selected for the award.
  • If you also receive a cash prize, the payment will be transferred to your business account following the award ceremony.

If you use the money, you should ensure that you use it only for expenses in accordance with your declaration of commitment and that you report it for tax purposes on your own responsibility.

You are not entitled to have your submitted application materials returned. If you voluntarily submitted copies of your book for review, these will be donated to a nonprofit organization once the application process is complete.

You may object to the donation via email within four weeks after the online application deadline has passed.

Note: You can log in to your user account at any time, even after submitting your application.

For example, you can view the details of your most recent application if you wish to apply again next year.

Processing time: 4 - 5 Months

The Publishing Prize is awarded annually, provided that the necessary budgetary funds are available. You can find the current application deadlines on the German Publishing Prize website under “Dates.”

Legal action is prohibited.

There are no notes or special considerations.

Redirect Service: Deep Link to the Original Portal

The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM)

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Source: Serviceportal Saarland