SpaceNet Award 2026 starts - motto: "Solution"
The motto: A solution can bring clarity - or raise new questions. It is the end of a puzzle, the conclusion of a conflict, the aha of a moment. Solutions can be elegant, like a formula that suddenly explains everything. Or chaotic, like tears that finally flow. In chemistry, a solution is a mixture - of substances that combine without losing themselves. In maths, it is exact, logical and irrefutable. Solutions can bring peace or unrest. They create order - or turn everything upside down. Some spend a lifetime searching for them. Others stumble across them by chance.
Genre and style are freely selectable in both categories, as is the interpretation of the motto. Only unpublished works are eligible to take part.
This year's expert jury includes poetry slammer Lotta Emilia, author and journalist Stefan Ulrich and filmmaker, designer and interior architect Konstantin Landuris. The seventh SpaceNet Award will be presented at an evening ceremony in summer 2026. The first places in each category will each receive 2,500 euros in prize money; 200 euros each are earmarked for the second and third places and the young talent award. The 30 best pieces of writing and photographs will then be published in an anthology by SpaceNet Verlag and distributed through bookshops.
"What began as an initiative for our 20th company anniversary has developed into a permanent platform for narrative and visual discovery. Every time, we are surprised anew by the creativity of the people and the range of literary and photographic works submitted," says Sebastian von Bomhard, SpaceNet board member and initiator of the SpaceNet Award. "It is precisely this diversity that the SpaceNet Award aims to make visible: We want to offer new and experienced talents a stage and are proud to honour German literary and visual works and immortalise them in our book volumes."
Facts about the SpaceNet Award:
- The competition starts on 25 November 2025.
- Application deadline is 22 February 2026.
- Participation is exclusively online by uploading a previously unpublished short story in German with a maximum of 10,000 characters or a previously unpublished photo with a minimum resolution of 5 megapixels. https://spacenet-award.de/mitmachen
- The best short story and the best photo will each receive prize money of 2,500 euros, while the second and third prizes in both categories and the young talent prize will each receive 200 euros.
- The prizes will be awarded at a gala ceremony in Munich in summer 2026.
- The 30 best short stories and images will be published in a book.
SpaceNet Verlag has published the following so far
- "Stein - stories and pictures", 2024
- "Y - stories and pictures", 2022
- "Pause - stories and pictures", 2020
- "25 years of the internet in Germany: a quarter of a century of new territory", 2019
- "Quintessence - stories and images", 2018
- "What works when nothing works? - Stories and images", 2016
- "On grounding the cloud - stories and images", 2014
- "World Wide What? Anecdotes and bizarre stories from the early days of the internet in Germany", 2009
About the jury (excerpt)
Lotta Emilia is known as a poetry slammer, workshop leader and freelance wedding speaker. As an absolute gut feeling person, she finds words for emotions, social conflicts and uncomfortable topics. Lotta originally came to the poetry slam in early summer 2017 out of procrastination and then stayed for the passion. She became German-speaking runner-up in 2021. Some of her texts were published in 2020 in the anthology "Poesie" by Dichter und Denker Verlag. More about Lotta Emilia.
Stefan Ulrich is a freelance author and journalist. After studying law in Munich and Freiburg, he joined the Süddeutsche Zeitung in 1994, where he was first sent to Rome (2005 - 2009) and then to Paris (2009 - 2013) as a correspondent - a period during which his first books were written. His works include the book "Die Morde von Morcone", published in 2017, and its sequel "In Schönheit sterben" in 2018. His book "Isole Belle" was published by dtv in 2024 and deals with the past and present of Italy based on 15 different islands. More about Stefan Ulrich.
Konstantin Landuris is a filmmaker, designer and interior architect. Konstantin and his team develop a wide range of projects from interior design to industrial and furniture design, interactive art installations and music performances. Konstantin's futuristic design puts people at the centre with a high demand for sustainable functionality and environmental compatibility. Since 2021, the team has been working on a JetSuit, a suit with electric motors for flying, with the support of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. Konstantin Landuris' kinetic and interactive art installations are represented by galleries and exhibition spaces around the world. He is part of the artist collective super+. More about Konstantin Landuris.