Orphil 2026 Poetry Prize
The Orphil Poetry Prize of the state capital Wiesbaden will be awarded to the poet Karin Fellner in 2026. She is being honored for her lyrical work to date, in particular the volume "Polle und Fu". Lara Rüter is honored with the Orphil Debut Prize. She receives the prize for her lyrical debut work "amoretten in netzen".
The jury for the Orphil Poetry Prize consists of Carolin Callies (poet and literary educator), Maren Jäger (literary scholar and critic), and Christian Metz (literary scholar and critic). The Orphil Poetry Prize is endowed with 10,000 euros, and the Debut Prize with 2,500 euros. Both prizes are awarded every two years.
Jury statement
"Karin Fellner, born in Munich in 1970, weaves conversational poetry from the encounters between her protagonists—poetry brimming with wit, sharp-witted quickness, daring wordplay, and an exuberant zest for punchlines. This exuberant linguistic cheerfulness, characteristic of Fellner’s six volumes of poetry to date, simultaneously raises fundamental social questions about what stance one can take toward a world that itself seems to be falling apart.”
Karin Fellner studied psychology in Konstanz and literature in Munich. She works as an author, writing coach, and poetry educator, and leads writing workshops, including for the Lyrik Kabinett in Munich. Her poems have received numerous awards, including the Wolfgang Weyrauch Prize (2005), the Media Prize at the Merano Poetry Prize (2012), the Christian Ferber Honorary Award from the German Schiller Foundation (2021), and the South Palatinate Poetry Prize (2024).
Jury statement debut prize
"Lara Rüter's debut impressed the jury with its diversity of forms and languages, as well as its wordplay and existential depth, which shines through the shimmer—and not least through the sophisticated interweaving of ancient sources and myths with practices of the digital age."
Lara Rüter was born in Hanover in 1990 and lives in Leipzig. She studied cultural studies in Hildesheim and creative writing at the German Literature Institute in Leipzig. She was the poetry prize winner at the 26th Open Mike. In 2020, she received the Caroline Schlegel Prize for Essays, and in 2021, the Wolfgang Weihrauch Prize at the Literary March. “amoretten in netzen” is her first independent book publication. Her book “Affenliebe” was also published in 2026.
Award
The award ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Literaturhaus Villa Clementine. Dr. Hendrik Schmehl, Head of the Cultural Affairs Department, will present the award. Karin Fellner and Lara Rüter will read from their works at the ceremony. The evening will feature musical accompaniment by Volker Reichl on guitar. The founder of the “Orphil” poetry prizes is Ilse Konell, widow of the poet George Konell, who died in 1991 and spent many years of his life in Wiesbaden.
The event is organized by the Wiesbaden Cultural Office.