Hölty- Preis für Lyrik - Preisverleihung

With 20,000 euros in prize money, donated by Sparkasse Hannover, the Hölty Prize for Poetry is the most highly endowed poetry prize in the German-speaking world. It has been awarded every two years since 2008 by the City of Hannover and Sparkasse Hannover. The award ceremony will take place on December 2, 2026, at the Sprengel Museum Hannover.

This year’s winner, Jayne-Ann Igel, was born in Leipzig in 1954. After completing training in academic librarianship, she initially worked at the Deutsche Bücherei Leipzig and in the book trade. From 1978 to 1982, she studied theology but did not complete her degree. She worked in the healthcare sector until the late 1980s; since then, she has been working as a freelance author.