Call for Nominations: Siegfried Kracauer Prize 2026
The prizes for the best film review and for an innovative form of film criticism will be awarded this fall at the NRW Cinema Program Awards.
The Association of German Film Critics (VdFk), together with the newly joined Hessen Film & Media (HF&M) and its long-standing partners, MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, will once again award—in addition to the prize for the best film review—the prize for an innovative form of film criticism, which does not have to be text-based. These entries may have been published as video clips or podcasts on digital platforms. Film critics from German-speaking countries can now apply for both awards.
The categories “Best Film Review” and “Best Innovative Form of Film Criticism” each carry a prize of 5,000 euros and will be awarded based on the vote of a jury of experts. As in previous years, the award ceremony will be preceded by a shortlist of five nominees in each category.
While the award for Best Film Review honors an outstanding review of a film published within the submission period specified in the rules (July 16, 2025 – July 15, 2026) in print media, online portals, radio, or television, the second prize—as in the past two years—is intended to promote new forms of film analysis, such as video essays, podcasts, and the like. In this way, the Siegfried Kracauer Prize aims to strengthen original film criticism in the media, which is of central importance for younger audiences and contemporary discourse.
The deadline for submissions for the 2026 Siegfried Kracauer Prize is September 5, 2026.
Further information and application guidelines are available at www.siegfried-kracauer-preis.de.
The Siegfried Kracauer Prize is part of a joint initiative by the Association of German Film Critics (VdFk) in cooperation with MFG Baden-Württemberg, the Film and Media Foundation NRW, and Hessen Film & Medien (HF&M) to strengthen the German cinema landscape. Journalistic discourse in the form of reviews and essays, as well as in new media, is a key factor in the long-term development of cinema and in addressing future societal challenges.