Sven Regener, born in Bremen in 1961, founded the band Element of Crime in Berlin in 1985. As the band’s singer, trumpeter, and guitarist, he has released 13 studio albums to date and performed over 1,000 concerts. His first novel, *Herr Lehmann*, was published in 2001 and quickly became a bestseller, as did his subsequent novels. Together with Leander Haußmann, he created the films "Herr Lehmann" and "Hai-Alarm am Müggelsee" as well as the play "Die Danksager/Bunter Abend." Most recently, his essay "Between Depression and Compulsive Joking: Humor in Literature" (2024) and his novel "Glitterschnitter" (2022) were published. Early on, Sven Regener was committed to copyright issues. He is a co-founder of PEN Berlin. Together with other artists and intellectuals, he appeared in 2023 at the event “Gegen das Schweigen/Gegen Antisemitismus” (Against Silence/Against Anti-Semitism), initiated by Igor Levit, at the Berliner Ensemble.

Sven Regener has received numerous awards, including the Carl Zuckmayer Medal (2016), the Brothers Grimm Visiting Professorship at the University of Kassel (2016), and the Jonathan Swift Prize 2022. The Mainz City Writer’s Literature Prize has been awarded annually since 1985.

The prestigious literary prize, awarded jointly by ZDF and 3sat in collaboration with the city of Mainz, comes with a cash prize of 12,500 euros. The winner is granted the right to live for one year in the City Writer’s Residence, located in the heart of Mainz’s Old Town, as well as the opportunity to produce a film on a topic of their choice in collaboration with ZDF and 3sat.

The jury for the 2026 Mainz City Writer Literature Prize includes: Dr. Dörte Hansen, Julia Schoch, Peter Stamm, Feridun Zaimoglu, ZDF Program Director Dr. Nadine Bilke, ZDF Head of Culture Anne Reidt, 3sat Station Director Natalie Müller-Elmau, “Kulturzeit” Director Anja Fix (3sat), ZDF Culture Editor Dr. Susanne Becker (jury chair), Mainz’s Head of Cultural Affairs Marianne Grosse, and the current City Writer Annett Gröschner.