The German Television Prize 2026 is entering the heated phase of competition: The independent expert jury, chaired by Stephan Lamby, has announced nominees in 27 categories. The contenders span fiction, entertainment, information, and sports programs that aired in Germany between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. The German Television Prize announced the list in Cologne on Wednesday.
At the top, a trio leads with four nominations each: the ZDFneo series “Chabos,” the ARD drama “Hundertdreizehn,” and the ARD film “The Policeman’s Niece.” Behind them are “Die Nibelungen – Kampf der Königreiche” (RTL+) and “Sturm kommt auf” (ZDF) with three nominations apiece. In entertainment, “Let’s Dance” (RTL) and the “Eurovision Song Contest – The German Final 2026” (ARD) each earn two nominations. The ESC pre-selection is nominated in the categories “Best Writing – Entertainment” and “Best Production Design – Entertainment.”
The jury sees the country reflected in the programming
For jury chair Lamby, the 2025/26 cohort shows how the country’s mood has shifted. “You can sense rising tensions and see how broadcasters are mirroring the changed national climate,” the journalist and producer is quoted as saying in the release. Freedom of expression and tolerance, social media, right-wing extremism, terrorism, and wars appeared across nearly all genres.
In fiction, Lamby noted how much was invested in individual stories—not only budget, but passion, craftsmanship, and teamwork. The information and sports categories posed the hardest decisions for the panel. The sheer breadth of options was enormous, Lamby said, which he interprets as evidence of growing public interest in journalistic formats.
“Olivia” as Best TV Film nominated
Joy should be abundant for the creators of the primetime film “Olivia.” The ZDF production is nominated in the category “Best TV Movie/Limited Series” (the film is freely streamable on ZDF.de). Two ARD productions are also in the running for this prize: “The Policeman’s Niece,” which examines the murder of a police officer by the neo-Nazi terrorist cell “National Socialist Underground” (NSU), and the crime drama “Tatort: Dunkelheit,” marking the debut of Frankfurt’s new investigative duo Maryam Azadi (Melika Foroutan) and Hamza Kulina (Edin Hasanović); the focus is on revisiting unsolved Cold Cases. In an estate dissolution, barrels containing body parts are discovered, uncovering a path to a string of crimes.
For Best Actor, Johannes Hegemann, who plays the title role in “Olivia,” is in the running. He faces Josef Hader (“Sturm kommt auf”), Edin Hasanović (“Tatort: Dunkelheit”), Johannes Kienast (“Chabos”), and Tom Schilling (“Achtsam Morden”).
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In addition to becoming a standout in acting, Derya Akyol is nominated for Best Actress for her role in the incredibly queer series “Euphoria,” the RTL adaptation of the US series “Euphoria.” She portrays 16-year-old Mila. Also in the running are Samirah Breuer (“Shadow Side”), Annette Frier (“Frier and Fifty – At the End of My Days”), Karin Hanczewski (“Call My Agent Berlin”), and Magdalena Laubisch (“The Policeman’s Niece”).
Princess Charmy may also be eyeing a TV prize. The RTL+ series is nominated as Best Reality Show—alongside “Villa of Temptation” (Sat.1) and “Werewolves – The Game of Deception” (ARD-Mediatheque). The nominated season of “Princess Charming” ended with a dramatic twist: Princess Nessi fell in love, sending home all remaining contestants ( TheColu.mn reported ).
Schöneberger to host the TV gala
The awards will be presented over two evenings. On September 8, Jan Köppen (43) will host the “Night of the Creative Minds” in Cologne’s Flora, and the following day Barbara Schöneberger (52) will take the stage for the TV gala at the Confex Center in Cologne. RTL will broadcast the show on September 9 starting at 8:15 p.m.; the overall responsibility for the prize traditionally rests with the Cologne private broadcaster.
Across all categories of works and people, ARD leads with 32 nominations, followed by ZDF with 23, RTL with 15, and ProSiebenSat.1 with 11. Netflix has seven nominations. If you want to preview the nominated titles in advance, you can do so from September 2 to September 16: MagentaTV will make many productions available for free, usually the first episode for series. (spot)
