The Mainz City Writer Award is a literary prize awarded by the television stations ZDF, 3sat, and the city of Mainz. It was established in 1984 and has been awarded annually ever since. In addition to a prize of (now) €12,500, the winner receives the right to live in the Stadtschreiber residence in the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz for one year, as well as the opportunity to shoot a film on a topic of their choice.

The main purpose of the award is to honor writers "who influence or shape German-language literature with their works and who also strive to promote the interaction between literature and television."