Axel Eggebrecht Prize 2026 goes to Marie von Kuck.
Leipzig, 28 May, 2026. Leipzig-based radio feature author Marie von Kuck has been named the recipient of the 2026 Axel Eggebrecht Prize, awarded by Media Foundation of Sparkasse Leipzig. This decision was made by a jury chaired by Ulrike Toma (NDR public broadcasting). The prize honours a lifetime achievement in the field of radio features and carries a cash award of 10,000 euros. The award ceremony will take place on 2 July, 2026, during the summer festival of the Sparkasse Leipzig Foundations at Media Campus Villa Ida in Leipzig, the foundations' headquarters. The Günter Eich Prize - awarded for lifetime achievement in radio drama - will also be presented on this occasion; this year, it goes to radio drama author Hermann Bohlen.
Stephan Seeger, Managing Director of Media Foundation and Director Foundations of Sparkasse Leipzig, pays tribute to this year’s award winner: "Few authors in recent years have produced as many outstanding radio features on the topics of social justice and human rights as Marie von Kuck. With works such as *Ihre Angst spielt hier keine Rolle* (Her Fear Doesn't Matter Here), *Station 19*, and *Draußen* (Outside), she stands firmly in the tradition of the radio feature - giving a voice to those who are rarely heard. My warmest congratulations go to Marie von Kuck on this thoroughly deserved award, and my equally warm thanks go to the jury for their excellent choice."
"During the peaceful revolution in East Germany in 1989, I took to the streets in Leipzig to call for democracy and freedom of the press. I never could have imagined that, decades later, I would receive this prestigious feature award here - nor, for that matter, that a free press and democracy could once again be in such jeopardy as they are today," said award winner Marie von Kuck, who was nominated by Deutschlandfunk public broadcasting. "I am therefore especially pleased that this award highlights and honours the art of nuanced, in-depth journalism," Kuck added.
The jury - which, in addition to chair Ulrike Toma, included Sabine Küchler (editor at Deutschlandfunk public broadcasting) and Wolfgang Schiffer (long-time head of radio drama, radio features, and literature at WDR public broadcasting) - explained its decision as follows: "The defining characteristic of Marie von Kuck’s work is her choice to focus on people rather than on sensational effects. This makes her an author defined by the act of listening and distinguishes her selfless, magnanimous features." (Note: full jury statement at the end of this announcement).
About the laureate
Marie von Kuck, born in Leipzig in 1971, began vocational training as a machine and plant fitter - combined with studies for the university entrance qualification - in 1987. Shortly thereafter, she became active in the East German opposition movement. During the political upheavals of 1989, von Kuck discontinued her training and moved to Berlin in 1990. After working in psychiatric care and nursing, she eventually trained as a state-certified occupational therapist. In 1997, Marie von Kuck began studying puppetry at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, and in 2017, she completed training as a drama therapist.
Marie von Kuck writes radio reports, radio dramas, and radio features - many of them award-winning. In her journalistic work, she frequently focuses - with a critical eye - on issues of social injustice and human rights, as Volker Lilienthal highlighted in his 2019 laudatory speech upon presenting her with the Otto Brenner Prize. Lilienthal cited police violence as one example, noting that von Kuck had brought the issue into the public consciousness "long before others had discovered this topic, which is almost fashionable today."
Echoing the words of Protestant journalist Robert Geisendörfer, he paid tribute to the investigative journalist as a "voice for the voiceless," stating: "She brings those who are overlooked and disregarded out of the shadows of our ignorance." Other topics covered in her journalistic work include right-wing extremism, psychiatry, and violence against women.
Marie von Kuck has received multiple awards for her work, including the German Social Prize (2012), third prize at the Otto Brenner Prize for Critical Journalism (2019), the Prix Europa (2022) in the category of "Best European Radio Investigation of the Year," and the Robert Geisendörfer Prize (2023).
About the Prize
The Axel Eggebrecht Prize, awarded in memory of the radio feature pioneer of the same name, honors not a single broadcast but an extraordinary body of work in the field of German-language radio features. Previous recipients include Helmut Kopetzky (2008), Richard Goll and Alfred Treiber (2010), Friedrich Schütze-Quest (2012), Paul Kohl (2014), Margot Overath (2016), Alfred Koch (2018), Dr. Walter Filz (2021), Lorenz Rollhäuser (2022), and Franziska Sophie Dorau (2024). The prize is awarded biennially alongside the Günter Eich Prize for outstanding radio drama authors.
Die Jury-Begründung
If there is such a thing as a selfless, magnanimous radio feature, Marie von Kuck invented it. With sober thoroughness, she listens to people who have a story to tell - stories of violence and humiliation, of situations and experiences affecting individuals, perhaps minorities, and likely women and children. The subjects include domestic violence, obstetric violence, police violence, and homelessness.
Marie von Kuck brings these subjects to the radio feature with tremendous precision and from a female perspective; *Ihre Angst spielt hier keine Rolle* (Her Fear Plays No Role Here), *Station 19*, and *Draußen* (Outside) are examples of her programs, which deal succinctly and clearly with topics that otherwise too often get lost in the daily clutter and noise of the information deluge. Unafraid to engage directly with her subjects and enamored with authentic voices and soundscapes, she eschews gimmicks, conveying content with only minimal emotional embellishment. With both heart and intellect, she documents lives that are far from ordinary yet unfold right in our midst; with sensitivity and a profound sense of justice, she describes the experiences of others - experiences that concern us all.
What stands out in Marie von Kuck’s work is her decision to focus on people rather than on sensational effects. This defines her as an author who listens and characterizes her selfless, magnanimous radio features. Marie von Kuck, nominated by the feature department of Deutschlandfunk, is being awarded the 2026 Axel Eggebrecht Prize.