Ulli Lust wins German Non-Fiction Prize for an impressive comic!

Ulli Lust wins German Non-Fiction Prize for an impressive comic!

The Austrian comic artist Ulli Lust was awarded the German Non-Fiction Prize on June 17, 2025. She received this honor for her work “Woman as a Human. At the Beginning of History,” which was published by Reprodukt Verlag. At a celebratory award ceremony that took place in the impressive Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, she was presented with prize money of 25,000 euros. The jury particularly praised the innovative portrayal of the role of women in human history.

Lust's non-fiction comic focuses on the beginnings of humanity and highlights the influence of women in the age of hunters and gatherers. It thus provides a critical examination of the predominant male view of humanity, combining insights from archaeology, anthropology and art history. Lust illustrates her arguments through everyday experiences that expand the genre of non-fiction through the combination of images and words.

Jury and nominations

Ulli Lust was selected from a total of 234 submitted titles, which were viewed by a seven-member jury. The jury members include experts from various fields, including Michael Hagner from ETH Zurich and the science journalist Manuela Lenzen. The nomination list also included other notable titles such as “Digital Colonialism” by Ingo Dachwitz & Sven Hilbig and “The Return of War” by Franz-Stefan Gady, which also deal with socially relevant topics. Each of the other nominations was awarded 2,500 euros.

The German Non-Fiction Prize is awarded by the Book Culture and Reading Promotion Foundation of the German Book Trade Association and aims to honor outstanding non-fiction books in the original German language edition. The award ceremony receives support from the Deutsche Bank Foundation as well as the city of Hamburg and the Frankfurt Book Fair. Media partners such as the ZDF cultural report “aspekte” and Deutschlandfunk Kultur accompany the event.

Relevance of the work

Ulli Lust's "Woman as a Human" not only offers historical insights, but also draws parallels to current discussions about gender roles and patriarchal structures. The graphic novel proves that women must have played a larger role in the hunter-gatherer era than is recognized in traditional historiography. This leads to a new appreciation of women in history and contributes to an expanded understanding of humanity.

The award ceremony day will be in the public eye with a large number of media reports, and those interested can find current press photos of the award winner on the Börsenverein's website on the evening of June 17, 2025.

Further details about the awards ceremony and nominations can be found in the reports from Vienna.at, Press portal as well as Süddeutsche.de to read.