Berlin, Bremen, Göttingen, May 11, 2026. The Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group submitted a minor interpellation to the Federal Government regarding the bookstore prize scandal. The response has now been received – and it raises new questions for the lawyers representing the affected bookstores…
Keyword: German Bookstore Prize
Berlin Administrative Court: Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media may not describe Berlin bookstore as "political extremists"
Berlin, Bremen, Göttingen, April 30, 2026. By order of the Berlin Administrative Court, the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) was ordered to refrain from describing the operators of the "Bookstore of the Wavering Globe" as "political extremists." The case concerned a corresponding statement by…
PM: Following interview statements: Minister of State for Culture Dr. Weimer refuses to issue a cease-and-desist declaration / Urgent application filed with the Berlin Administrative Court
Berlin, Bremen, Göttingen, March 24, 2026. The authorized representative of the bookstore "Zur schwankenden Weltkugel" (To the Wavering Globe), attorney Dr. Jasper Prigge, filed an urgent application yesterday evening with the Berlin Administrative Court. He seeks to prohibit the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media from publicly naming the bookstore and its operators…
PM: Warning against BKM: Bookstore takes legal action against interview statements by the Minister of State for Culture and a Freedom of Information Act request has been filed regarding internal official procedures
Berlin, Bremen, Göttingen, March 19, 2026. The statement by Minister of State for Culture Weimer in Die Zeit on March 18, 2026, that the three bookstores excluded from the German Bookstore Prize were "political extremists," has now had legal consequences. The bookstore "Zur Schwankenden Weltkugel" from Berlin…
Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media lied to bookstores – Two of the excluded bookstores were slated for a special prize – Lawsuits have been filed – Fundraising campaign launched for the bookstores
Berlin, Bremen, Göttingen, March 11, 2026. The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) actively misled the three bookstores excluded from the German Bookstore Prize. An email sent by the BKM to the bookstores on February 10, 2026, states: “Unfortunately, I must inform you…”
The jury of the bookstore prize distances itself from the decision of the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media
The jury of the German Bookstore Prize distances itself from the exclusion of the three bookstores, which was beyond its control. Bookstores, as "places of opinion formation and lived freedom of expression," should be highlighted in their diversity and breadth through the prize. https://www.boersenblatt.net/news/stellungnahme-der-jury-zum-buchhandlungspreis-ausschluss-414213
Fundraising campaign for bookstores launched
A fundraising campaign has been launched for the bookstores Golden Shop (Bremen), Rote Straße (Göttingen) and Zur schwankenden Weltkugel (Berlin), which were affected by the removal of the jury from the list of nominees for the German Bookstore Prize: https://lesen-hilft.org/
Bookstores announce legal action against the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Berlin, Bremen, Göttingen, March 5, 2026. The German Bookstore Prize is awarded annually to over one hundred bookstores. A jury of experts from the book industry, which changes annually, decides which bookstore will be honored with the prize after reviewing the application materials. The signing off on the list of nominees…
