Applications can be submitted in the following categories for achievements by persons who are German citizens, have been resident in Germany for at least three years or have completed their studies at a German university or other accredited educational institution. Regarding festivals, broadcast productions and projects in the field of music mediation, only the location of production is relevant – it must be in Germany.

8. Large Ensemble of the Year
11. Album of the Year
12. Debut Album of the Year
13. Broadcast Production of the Year
16. Festival of the Year
19. Composition/Arrangement of the Year
20. Journalistic Achievement
22. Music Mediation

In the case of group projects, at least half of the participating artists/performers or the bandleader, who is the eponym of the ensemble, must meet the above-mentioned criteria.

Submitting an application in multiple categories is possible depending on the specific categories, provided the artistic achievement meets the respective criteria of each award category — for example, an application for Album of the Year and Large Ensemble of the Year. However, it is not permitted to submit the same artistic work simultaneously in both a national and an international category. As of this edition, albums and broadcast productions may only be submitted in one of the award categories 11–15. For debut albums by newcomers and broadcast productions, it is recommended to apply in the respective designated categories (12, 13, or 15).

The requirements for the individual award categories, what constitutes a valid application, and which materials must be submitted in each case are listed individually for each category on this online application platform. Detailed information on the award procedure and the criteria for each category can also be found in the requirements for the individual award categories, what constitutes a valid application, and which materials must be submitted in each case are listed individually for each category in the program description.

The evaluation period for submissions for the German Jazz Prize 2026 will be from December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2025 inclusive. The submission deadline is  November 30, 2025, 23:59 (CET).

No, there is no application fee. Submitting an application is entirely free of charge.

All applications must be submitted online via the official application tool. In order for your application to be considered in the review process, you must digitally submit your completed application via the button “Submit application”.

All award categories are endowed with a prize money of at least 10,000 euros each. Nominees who do not win a prize receive a nomination money of at least 1,000 euros.

Only links can be inserted in the application portal of the German Jazz Prize; unfortunately, file uploads are not possible for various reasons. We therefore ask all applicants to make files available via cloud solutions such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive/Sharepoint or other providers. It is important that all links are available until the end of the edition (April 26, 2026). Time-limited links such as those provided by WeTransfer are not accepted.

The selection of the award recipients takes place in a two-stage process: The Expert Jury, divided into five groups, selects the nominees in each category from all valid submissions. For this purpose, the categories are assigned to the five jury groups, which review the submissions in their designated categories online and provide a non-binding evaluation through a voting system. This evaluation serves as a basis for discussion during the jury sessions of the individual groups, where the nominees are selected. The nominees are then reviewed by the Main Jury, which conducts a non-binding preliminary vote and discusses the results in two main jury sessions to select the award recipients in the respective categories.
In the categories Artist of the Year, Artist of the Year International, and Lifetime Achievement, the Main Jury directly selects the award recipients from all submitted proposals. In the Composition/Arrangement category, a five-member Special Jury selects the four nominees and one award recipient.

Further information about the selection process can be found on the German Jazz Prize website, as well as in the program description and jury statutes.

Each year the jury members will be published on the German Jazz Prize website after the selection of the nominees and prize winners. The juries of previous editions are listed here.

The expert jury of the German Jazz Prize is made up of a total of 25 personalities from the field of jazz and improvised music. In order to reflect all perspectives of this lively and multi-faceted music scene, the jury is formed as a representative cross-section of five people from each of the following areas: Artists, labels/publishers, clubs/festivals, management/agencies and journalists/media representatives. The main jury is made up of a total of 10 delegated representatives of the expert jury as well as 7 additional members who are outstanding and recognized personalities from cultural public life with an affinity for jazz. All juries have equal gender representation and are appointed by the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) on the basis of a proposal from the advisory board. Further detailed information on the functioning of the jury can be found in the jury statutes.

The award ceremony of the German Jazz Prize 2026 will take place on April 25, 2026 in Bremen as part of jazzahead!.