Corzilius Wins Inaugural Krefelder Preis für Fantastische Literatur

A new German SFF award has been given for the first time, the Krefelder Preis für Fantastische Literatur (Krefeld Prize for Fantastic Literature). The inaugural winner is Diebe der Nacht (Thieves of the Night) by Thilo Corzilius.

The winner will receive a trophy that is a replica of the pentagondodecaheder, a mysterious Bronze Age artifact found near the city of Krefeld, as well as 10,000 Euro.

The awards ceremony will take place in May, when it is hoped the current lockdown in Germany has ended.

The winner was selected from among 157 entries, mostly from Germany, but also from Austria, Switzerland and Norway. These included self-published works, works from specialized small publishers and titles from major publishing houses.

A five-member jury decided on the winner: Krefeld’s mayor and cultural director Frank Meyer, the city’s cultural commissioner Dr. Gabriele König, the director of the Museum Burg Linn, Dr. Jennifer Morscheiser, the writer and board member of PAN (Phantastische Autoren Netzwerk [Fantastic Authors Network]), Fabienne Siegmund, and the renowned editor Dr. Helmut W. Pesch.

[Thanks to Cora Buhlert for the story.]

These five titles made it onto the shortlist.