25th Mainz Book Fair: Presentation of the “Debut of the Year” Literary Award
On Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25, 2026, the 25th Mainz Book Fair will take place at the Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz (Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 2, 55131 Mainz). The Book Fair is an event organized by the Department of Culture of the State Capital of Mainz in cooperation with the Association of Mainz Publishers.
As usual, visitors can look forward to two days of the fair packed with variety: A total of 55 regional and national publishers will be in attendance, along with authors and artists who will read from their latest works. The publishers and institutions will showcase their books, printed materials, and media projects. Debut authors will share the stage with experienced exhibitors, offering graphic novels, children’s and young adult books, travel guides, nonfiction on a wide variety of topics, and poetry.
The book fair serves as an important platform and invites visitors—free of charge—to learn about the publishers’ work and offerings and to engage in personal conversations.
Presentation of the “Debut of the Year” Literary Award
In addition, the 2026 “Debut of the Year” Literary Award will once again be presented as part of the book fair on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in the Kalkhof-Rose Hall. This year, Literaturwerk Rheinland-Pfalz-Saar e. V. is honoring Tobias Heinze.
The children’s book reading with Stefan Gemmel serves as a bridge to the events in the anniversary program, which began back in the spring. In addition, the Muck Family Theater will present “The Frog Prince” as an interactive, audience-participation play—and much, much more…
25th Mainz Book Fair 2026
October 24–25, 2026
Saturday: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.,
Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz
Free admission!
You can find the complete book fair program at: