The 2026 Rheingau Literature Prize has been awarded to author Lukas Rietzschel for his novel “Sanditz.” The award, established by the Rheingau Literature Festival, is being presented for the 33rd time this year. The prize comes with a cash award of 11,111 euros and 111 bottles of the finest Rheingau Rieslings. The Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Art, and Culture, as well as the Rheingau Music Festival e.V., each contribute 5,000 euros to the prize, which is supplemented by 1,111 euros from the Relais & Châteaux Hotel Burg Schwarzenstein. The exquisite wines come from the outstanding cellars of the Association of German Rheingau Prädikat Wine Estates. hr2-hultur is a media partner of the Rheingau Literature Festival.
From the jury’s statement: “In his novel *Sanditz*, Lukas Rietzschel tells a family story set in Lusatia that spans nearly half a century, from the 1970s to the war in Ukraine. This period encompasses the social upheavals in the GDR that led to reunification, but also the disappointments experienced afterward by the residents of the fictional town of Sanditz—who were eager for a fresh start—and the resulting skepticism toward the achievements of the new era. Focusing on three generations of the Wenzel family, Rietzschel offers an exemplary study of the disintegration of a community, in which the atmosphere of the novel grows increasingly tense, centered on the narrative focal point of Sanditz. In this way, the tradition of “Wende” novels is both continued and expanded to include the transformation that began after 1990. Rietzschel succeeds in creating a German portrait that broadens our perspective: reaching far to the east and extending well beyond Germany’s borders—and beyond all clichés. His Wenzels are figures of the world from Lusatia.”