JURIES
The juries of the German Jazz Prize determine the nominees and prize winners in a transparent and independent process. The selection of the awardees takes place in a two-stage process:
First step – Nominee selection: From all applications (submission categories) and suggestions of the jury members (curated categories), four deserving artists or projects are nominated for each prize category. If not separately determined for the category, this is done by the expert jury.
Second step – Prize winner selection: For each category, the main jury selects one prize winner from among the four nominees.
Exceptions from this process:
• Lifetime Achievement category: This category honors individuals for their outstanding achievements and long-term service to the development of jazz in Germany. This prize category is granted at the jury’s discretion and is not necessarily awarded every year.
• Artist of the Year & Artist of the Year International categories: Further information is available in the program description ↗︎
• Composition/Arrangement category: More information is available further below in the special jury section and in the program description ↗︎
Jury members are generally appointed for a two-year term by Initiative Musik, in consultation with the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), on the basis of a proposal by the German Jazz Prize advisory board.
In addition, the advisory board may appoint a special jury in justified cases to determine the nominees and/or prize winners in one or more categories.
More information on the composition of the main, expert and special juries, as well as the current jury members and jury statutes, can be found further below.
Former jury members ↗︎
Prize categories & submission process ↗︎
MAIN JURY
The main jury is made up of a total of 10 representatives of the 5 expert juries as well as 7 other members who are outstanding and recognized personalities of cultural public life with an affinity for jazz. The main jury determines the winners of the German Jazz Prize from the four nominated artists and performances in an award category.
Main Jury – 6th edition
Berlin-based Musician and Author
Label Owner (Bretford Records), Music Manager, Concert Promoter & Booker
Journalist, Author (ZEIT, Tagesspiegel, Taz, Jazzthing), Lecturer (Columbia University, HCA), Curator, Publicist
Vibraphonist, Marimbist, Improviser and Composer
Musician, Musicologist, and Manager
Saxophonist/Composer
Musician and Curator for XJAZZ! Festival
Cultural Manager and Curator
Drummer, Composer and Podcaster for MDR Kultur
Artist Manager, President and Founder, 24 Seven Artist Development
Internationally Documented Visual Artist, Composer, and Musician
Cultural and Tour Manager, Dramaturg; Production Manager and Co-Curator of the mu/niq jazz Festival (niq kollektiv)
Composer, Clarinetist, Bandleader
Managing Director at Musicboard Berlin and the Pop-Kultur Festival
Singer, Lyricist
Guitarist, Composer, Curator, Teacher
Dramaturgy and Project Development at Monheimer Kulturwerke GmbH
EXPERT JURY
The expert jury of the German Jazz Prize is composed of a total of 25 personalities from the field of jazz and improvised music. In order to reflect all perspectives of this lively and multifaceted 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 expert jury determines the nominees of an edition, independently, expertly and in a dynamic dialog.
Expert Jury – 6th edition
Berlin-based Musician and Author
Musician/ Professor
Label Owner (Bretford Records), Music Manager, Concert Promoter & Booker
Journalist, Author (ZEIT, Tagesspiegel, Taz, Jazzthing), Lecturer (Columbia University, HCA), Curator, Publicist
Musician and Producer, Co-Founder of Squama Recordings
President of August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Founder/Director of Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival
Writer / Journalist
Musician and Curator for XJAZZ! Festival
Cultural Manager and Curator
Journalist
Association Friends of Irène Schweizer, until 2026: Intakt Records, Director of Taktlos Festival
Creative Director, Producer & Cultural Curator
Music Journalist, Author, University Lecturer
Artist Manager, President and Founder, 24 Seven Artist Development
Composer, Professor of Music at Columbia University, Artistic Director at International Contemporary Ensemble
Music Curator, DJ and Producer
Musician, Musicologist, and Manager
Cultural and Tour Manager, Dramaturg; Production Manager and Co-Curator of the mu/niq jazz Festival (niq kollektiv)
Marimba & Vibraphone Artist, Composer
Owner Der Promotor
Label Owner/ Artist Manager
Drummer, Curator (Bezau Beatz), Label (Boomslang Records)
Co-Artistic Director of the Südtirol Jazzfestival Alto Adige and Artistic Director of the Jazz Program at Dekadenz Brixen
Guitarist, Composer, Curator, Teacher
Dramaturgy and Project Development at Monheimer Kulturwerke GmbH
SPECIAL JURY
In the Composition/Arrangement category a five-member special jury selects the four nominees as well as the prize winner.
Special Jury – 6th edition
Pianist, Eb Horn Player, Composer, Educator and Professor of Jazz at Bern University of the Arts
Musician & Composer
Drummer, Composer, Arranger
Composer, Clarinetist, Bandleader
Musician (Woodwind Instruments) and Composer