In the "Most Beautiful German Books" competition organised by Stiftung Buchkunst, two juries of experts selected the 25 most beautiful books of the year in an elaborate process. The award-winning titles include various publications by HGB designers:
In the "Non-fiction" category, the design by Nelly Nakahara and Gerrit Brocks from the typography class for the publication "Prototyp 1928-1933" by artist Ute Richter was honoured.
Publications from Leipzig-based publisher Spector Books are also among this year's award-winning titles. For example, Wolfgang Schwärzler's design for Alexander Kluge: "Der Konjunktiv der Bilder" in the "General Literature" category or the design by HGB alumni Lamm & Kirch for Oxana Gourinovitch: "Raising the Curtain" in the "Specialist Books" category. Also published by Spector Books is "Visible upon Breakdown", designed by Offshore (Isabel Seiffert, Christoph Miler) and "Science / Fiction" by Natasha Agapova, both of which were honoured in the "Art and Photography Books" category.
Among the winning titles in the competition "Förderpreis für junge Buchgestaltung 2025" is the publication by Nora Börding and Anne Speltz "The forgotten stories of the 'Boat Driver'", in the design of which HGB master student Hendrik Heinicke is involved. To the jury statement...
The three works selected for the prize will be honoured with an exhibition at einBuch.haus in Berlin from 17 July to 16 August 2025. Congratulations!
Every year, the Stiftung Buchkunst honours the best-designed books of the year: the 25 selected publications are exemplary in terms of design, concept and workmanship. They show a wide range of design and production possibilities as well as important trends and tendencies in German book production.
Around 600 entries competed for the coveted awards. 14 jurors spent seven days discussing the submitted titles.
From 10 October 2025 to 18 January 2026, the Stiftung Buchkunst and the Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig invite you to the opening of the exhibition "The Most Beautiful German Books 2025".Visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the 25 award-winning books of the year, browse through them, touch them and discuss their design and meaning. The exhibition will be complemented by talks with players from the design and book scene who will discuss the future of the book and its visual language.
At the opening of the exhibition on 9 October at 6 PM, the award-winning book Prototyp 1928-33 will be presented in a discussion with the publisher and artist Ute Richter and the designers Nelly Nakahara and Gerrit Brocks. They will talk about the significance of the work, the special design and the history of the Leipzig School of Labour - an educational project whose influence still reverberates today.
Free admission, GfZK Auditorium