The literary prize, awarded jointly by ZDF and 3sat in collaboration with the city of Mainz, comes with a cash prize of 12,500 euros. The winner receives the right to live for one year in the City Writer’s Residence, located in the heart of Mainz’s Old Town, as well as the opportunity to produce a film in collaboration with ZDF and 3sat on a topic of her choice.

“Teresa Präauer enriches German-language literature with stylistic mastery and an unmistakable voice,” said the jury. “With a keen eye on our present, she writes with precision and vivid imagery across a variety of genres for a wide audience. She counters the fast pace of our times with the art of mindfulness, helping us recognize the expectations and projections through which we perceive the world. This original storyteller of the younger generation explores major themes such as identity, belonging, and memory with as much ease and humor as she does depth. Time and again, her work surprises with unexpected perspectives—as does her latest essay, ‘Nie mehr weinen’ (Never Cry Again).”

Teresa Präauer, born in Linz in 1979, studied German language and literature and painting in Salzburg, Berlin, and Vienna, and lives in Vienna. In 2012, she received the ZDF “aspekte” Literature Prize for her first novel, “Für den Herrscher aus Übersee.” 

Further awards followed, including the Erich Fried Prize in 2017, the Bremen Literature Prize in 2024 for the book “Kochen im falschen Jahrhundert,” the City of Vienna Prize for Literature in 2025, as well as nominations for the Bachmann Prize, the German Book Prize, the Bavarian Book Prize, and the Austrian Book Prize. 

Präauer held the Chair of Poetics at the University of Mainz in 2017, as well as visiting professorships at the Free University of Berlin, the University of Zurich, and various American universities. Her diverse body of work includes novels, essays, columns on the philosophy of language, and plays. Her new novel, *One Love, Ten Days*, will be published in the spring of 2027.

The Mainz City Writer Literature Prize has been awarded annually since 1985. The jury for the 2027 award includes: Dr. Dörte Hansen, Julia Schoch, Peter Stamm, Feridun Zaimoglu, ZDF Program Director Dr. Nadine Bilke, ZDF Head of Culture Anne Reidt, 3sat Channel Director Natalie Müller-Elmau, “Kulturzeit” Editor-in-Chief Anja Fix (3sat), ZDF Culture Editor Dr. Susanne Becker (jury chair), Mainz’s Head of Cultural Affairs Ata Delbasteh, and the current City Writer Sven Regener.

Contact
: For questions regarding this press release, please contact Dr. Britta Schröder and Maja Tripkovic by email at schroeder.bzdfde and tripkovic.mzdfde. 

You can reach ZDF Communications by email at pressedesk@zdf.de or by phone at 06131 – 70-12108.