Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels: Ulli Lust is awarded the German Non-Fiction Prize 2025 for “Die Frau als Mensch”

Statement from the jury:

“The strong woman as a human being. In her informed and imaginative non-fiction book on the origins of humanity – between evolution and culture – Ulli Lust reveals how the role of women in human history has remained largely invisible. A fundamental revision of the long-dominant image of “man as mankind” is overdue, as this book demonstrates through its unique interweaving of scholarly insights from archaeology, anthropology, and art history, continually inspired by everyday experiences. With this multi-layered approach, Lust succeeds in breaking open long-held assumptions – including those about the genre of non-fiction itself, which she expands in the most beautiful way through her virtuoso combination of image and text.”

The members of the jury for the German Non-Fiction Prize 2025 are: Michael Hagner (ETH Zurich), Christiane Hoffmann (author), Michael Lemling (“Buchhandlung Lehmkuhl” bookshop), Manuela Lenzen (science journalist), Patricia Rahemipour (Institute for Museum Research, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation), Heike Schmoll (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) and Katrin Vohland (Natural History Museum Vienna).

The following books were also nominated for the award:

Ingo Dachwitz & Sven Hilbig, Digitaler Kolonialismus. Wie Tech-Konzerne und Großmächte die Welt unter sich aufteilen (C.H.Beck)

Aladin El-Mafaalani, Sebastian Kurtenbach & Klaus Peter Strohmeier, Kinder – Minderheit ohne Schutz. Aufwachsen in der alternden Gesellschaft (Kiepenheuer & Witsch)

Franz-Stefan Gady, Die Rückkehr des Krieges. Warum wir wieder lernen müssen, mit Krieg umzugehen (Quadriga)

Ines Geipel, Fabelland. Der Osten, der Westen, der Zorn und das Glück (S. Fischer)

Martina Heßler, Sisyphos im Maschinenraum. Eine Geschichte der Fehlbarkeit von Mensch und Technologie (C.H.Beck)

Walburga Hülk, Victor Hugo. Jahrhundertmensch (Matthes & Seitz Berlin)

Bernhard Kegel, Mit Pflanzen die Welt retten. Grüne Lösungen gegen den Klimawandel (DuMont)

The German Non-Fiction Prize is awarded by the Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels (Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association) in recognition of an outstanding original German-language non-fiction book that inspires social debate.

The Deutsche Bank Stiftung (Deutsche Bank Foundation) is the main supporter of the prize, which is also backed by the City of Hamburg and Frankfurter Buchmesse. The cultural programme “aspekte” on ZDF and Deutschlandfunk Kultur are media partners of the prize.

A press photo of the winner will be available from approx. 8 p.m. at

www.boersenverein.de/pressefotos.

Frankfurt am Main/Hamburg, 17 June 2025