The prize is worth 10,000 euros and will be awarded at the conclusion of the hr-Hörfest Wiesbaden on Sunday, January 31, at 3:00 p.m. as part of the hr2 Children’s Audiobook Gala at the Kleines Haus of the Hessian State Theater in Wiesbaden. The Children’s and Young Adult Audiobook Prize of the State Capital of Wiesbaden is awarded in cooperation with the jury of the hr2 Audiobook Best-Sellers List and is one of the most highly endowed prizes in this field. 

The 2026 Children’s and Youth Audiobook of the Year, “Kanak Kids – Half-Adapted and Completely in Between” by Anna Dimitrova, skillfully explores the theme of migration in an engaging and entertaining way. The heroine is 16-year-old Dessi, whose parents are from Bulgaria. Having grown up in Munich’s troubled Neuperlach neighborhood, Dessi now attends a high school in the city center. She feels torn between the world of her tradition-conscious father and her new friends from downtown. To avoid causing a stir, she keeps these two aspects of her life a secret from each other, even wearing a blonde wig and blue contact lenses when she goes to school. Of course, her secret is eventually revealed. Dessi now realizes that she must find her own identity and stand up for her needs and desires.

The jury praises actress Vidina Popov for her skillful interpretation of the thoroughly authentic, profound, and yet humorous text, bringing it to life with great wit. 

Vidina Popov is an actress, host, stand-up comedian, and singer with Bulgarian roots. She completed her training at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and with Philippe Gaulier in France. From 2017 to 2024, she was a member of the ensemble at the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin. She appears in various film and television productions, hosts her own radio show, and combines theater, stand-up comedy, and music in her solo show “Ich bin Bulgare?!” 

For more information, visit www.wiesbaden.de (opens in a new tab).