Deutscher Jugendbuchpreis

The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only state-funded literary award. In the past, authors from many countries have been recognised, including non-German speakers.

Organisation

The award is organized by the , also called AKJ or Association for Children's and Youth Literature, which receives financial support, including prize money, from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

Awards are given in five categories: Best Picture Book, Best Children's Book, Best Youth Book, Best Non-Fiction Book and Choice of the Youth Jury. Up to six nominations in each category are announced in March at the Leipzig Book Fair, and the awards are presented during the Frankfurt Book Fair by the Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. In each category, the winning author receives a 10,000 euro cash prize, and a bronze statuette designed by Detlef Kraft representing Momo from the novel by Michael Ende.

Furthermore, two special awards are presented alternately to German authors, illustrators or translators. The special award for lifetime achievement is set at 12,000 Euro. The newly created special award for new talents carries a value of 10,000 Euro. Both are also financed by the Federal Ministry.

History

Since the award was established, many changes have been made. When the (as the award was known until 1981) began in 1956, only two categories were recognised; Best Children's Book and Best Youth Book. In addition to these, a special prize was awarded every year in a different category. It was not until 1964 that the Best Picture Book and Best Non-fiction Book categories replaced this variable award. The final category recognized today, awarded by the , was not introduced until 2003, when it was originally called the Young People's Prize ().In 1991, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the award, the special award for lifetime achievement was reintroduced to recognise individual achievement for writers, illustrators and translators. In 2017 it was supplemented by the special award for new talents to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the award..

Jury

Awards are decided upon by three juries: the (Critics' Jury), the (Youth Jury) and the (Special Award Jury). The decides the nominations and the majority of the prizes; the only decides the prize. The ''Sonderpreisjury'' awards two special awards — for lifetime achievement and for a newcomer ("new talent") — in the areas of text, illustration or translation (in yearly rotation).

The is appointed by the once every two years, although jury members can serve two consecutive terms. The jury consists of nine members: the chair, and eight specialist judges - two for each award category.

The consists of the members of six German youth book clubs. It is also changed every two years, although some clubs serve consecutive terms.

The consists of three members and changes every year.

Awards

2020–2024

2010–2019

2017

Special award for lifetime achievement: Gudrun Pausewang (author)

2016

* Special award for lifetime achievement: Klaus Kordon (author)
2015

* Special award for lifetime achievement: Sabine Friedrichson (illustrator)
2014

* Special award for lifetime achievement: Angelika Kutsch (translator)
2013

* Special award for lifetime achievement: Andreas Steinhöfel (author)
2012

* Special award for lifetime achievement: Norman Junge (illustrator)

2011

* Jugendjury:
** Nominees:
*** ''Margos Spuren'' ( Margo's Footsteps) by John Green (text); Sophie Zeitz (translation)
*** ''Erebos'' by Ursula Poznanski
*** ''Freak City'' by Katrin Schrocke
*** ''Nichts'' (Nothing) by Janne Teller (text); Sigrid C. Engeler (translation)
*** ''Numbers'' by Rachel Ward (text); Uwe-Michael Gutzschhahn (translation)
*** ''Wenn du stirbst, zieht dein ganzes Leben an dir vorbei, sagen sie'' (If you die, your life moves past you, they say) by Lauren Oliver (text); Katharina Meier Diestel (translation)
* Picture book:
** Nominees:
*** ''Meine große kleine Welt'' (My big little world) by Marianne Dubuc (text); Anna Dove (translation)
*** ''Das Baumhaus'' (The war) by Marije Tolman (illustration); Ronald Tolman (illustration);
*** ''Oups'' by Jean-Luc Fromental (text); Joёlle Jolivet (illustration); Leonard Jacobson (translation)
*** ''Die Geschichte vom Fuchs, der den Verstand verlor '' by Martin Baltscheit
*** ''Papas Arme sind ein Boot'' (Papa's arms are a boat) by Stein Erik Lunde (text); Øywind Torseter (illustration); Maike Dörries (translation)
*** ''Tatu und Patu und ihre verrückten Maschinen '' (Tatu and Patu and their crazy machines) by Sami Toivonen (text); Aino Havukainen (text); Elina Kritzokat (translation)
* Children's book:
** Nominees:
*** ''Ich, Gorilla und der Affenstern'' (Me, Gorilla and Monkey-star) by Frida Nilsson (text); Ulf K. (illustration); Fred Buchinger (translation)
*** ''Anton taucht ab'' by Milena Baisch (text); Elke Kusche (illustration)
*** ''Der letzte unsichtbare Junge'' (The last invisible boy) by Evan Kuhlman (text); JP Coovert (illustration); Uwe-Michael Gutzschhahn (translation)
*** ''Rosie und der Urgroßvater'' by Monika Helfer (text); Michael Köhlmeier (text); Barbara Steinitz (illustration)
*** ''Onkel Montagues Schauergeschichten'' (Uncle Montague's tales of horror) by Chris Priestley (text); David Roberts (illustration); Beatrice Howeg (translation)
*** ''Hundewinter'' (Dog Winter) by KA Nuzum (text); Gerda Bean (translation)
* Youth book:
** Nominees:
*** ''Schrödinger, Dr. Linda und eine Leiche im Kühlhaus'' (Schrödinger, Dr. Linda and a corpse in cold storage) by Jan de Leeuw (text); Rolf Erdorf (translation)
*** ''Tschick'' (Why We Took the Car) by Wolfgang Herrndorf
*** ''Town – Irgendwo in Australien'' (Town – somewhere in Australia) by James Roy (text); Stefanie Schaeffler (translation)
*** ''Zusammen allein'' (Together alone) by Karin Bruder
*** ''Runaway'' by Oscar Huijelos (text); Günter Ohnemus (translation)
*** ''Crank'' by Ellen Hopkins (text); Henning Ahrens (translation)
* Non-fiction book:
** Nominees:
*** ''Das große Buch der Bilder und Wörter'' (The big book of pictures and words) by Ole Könnecke
*** ''Alles Familie!'' (All family!) by Alexandra Maxeiner (text); Anke Kuhl (illustration)
*** ''Der Junge, der Picasso biss'' (The boy who bit Picasso) by Antony Penrose (words); Egbert Baqué (translation)
*** ''Zuckerpass und Blutgrätsche'' by Christian Eichler (text); Jürgen Rieckhoff (illustration)
*** ''Die genialsten Erfindungen der Natur'' (The most ingenious inventions of nature) by Sigrid Belzer
*** ''Von den Sternen bis zum Tau'' by Jens Soentgen (text); Vitali Konstantinov (illustration)

2010

* Jugendjury:
** Nominees:
*** ''Einmal'' (Once) by Morris Gleitzman,
*** ''Chatroom-Falle'' by Helen Vreeswijk,
*** ''Tote Mädchen lügen nicht'' (Thirteen Reasons Why) by Jay Asher,
*** ''Die Tribute von Panem: Tödliche Spiele'' (The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins,
*** ''Unser allerbestes Jahr'' ( The Film Club) by David Gilmour,
*** ''Die Einsamkeit der Primzahlen'' (The Solitude of Prime Numbers) by Paolo Giordano,
* Picture book:
** Nominees:
*** ''Johanna im Zug'' by Kathrin Schärer,
*** ''Wenn ich das 7. Geißlein wär´'' by Karla Schneider (text) and Stefanie Harjes (illustration),
*** ''Gedicht für einen Goldfisch'' by Jean-Pierre Siméon (text) and Olivier Tallec (illustration),
*** ''Garmans Sommer'' by Stian Hole,
*** ''An Großvaters Hand: Meine Kindheit in China'' by Chen Jianghong,
*** ''Um Mitternacht'' by Eduard Mörike (text) and Hannes Binder (illustration),
* Children's book:
** Nominees:
*** ''Die Bibel: Das Alte Testament'' by Sybil Gräfin Schönfeldt (text) and Klaus Ensikat (illustration),
*** ''Timur und die Erfindungen aus lauter Liebe'' by Marlies Bardeli (text) and Anke Kuhl (illustration),
*** ''Meine Mutter ist in Amerika und hat Buffalo Bill getroffen'' by Jean Regnaud (text), Émile Bravo (illustration) and Michael Hau (Organisation),
*** ''Das Mädchen mit den drei Namen'' by Tami Shem-Tov