German Jazz Prize 2025

[GA Russell]

GERMAN JAZZ PRIZE 2025  Introducing the Expert and Special Jury – Award Ceremony on June 13 in Cologne   ● 30 high-profile professionals on the expert and special jury ● Awards in 22 categories ● Award ceremony at the E-Werk in Cologne

Preparations for the German Jazz Prize 2025 are well underway. Organized by the Initiative Musik, this prestigious award, now in its fifth edition, honors outstanding achievements in jazz and improvised music. The award ceremony will take place on June 13, 2025, at the E-Werk in Cologne.   25 High-Profile Members of the Expert Jury and Five More on the Special Jury   The 25-member expert jury, consisting of renowned figures from the jazz and improvised music scene, is responsible for selecting the nominees from more than 1,000 submissions. This independent jury represents the broad spectrum of the genre, bringing together artists and experts from the fields labels/publishing, venues/festivals, artist management/agencies, and media/journalism. Their collective expertise ensures that the diversity of jazz is well represented, and outstanding artistic achievements are recognized.   This year, for the first time, a five-member special jury will select the four nominees as well as the prize winner in the category Composition/ Arrangement.   "It was an honor to serve as a jury member in this category. It was a truly fascinating process, discovering new and interesting arrangements, compositions, and artistic expressions. The diversity, variety, and broad spectrum of innovative approaches showcased how jazz can be seen through different lenses. It was also inspiring to witness the dedication, passion, and care each jury member brought to the process of analyzing the applications." Diego Piñera, Member of the Special Jury   The 21 winners in the other categories will be selected by the 17-member main jury, which will be announced at a later date.   Awards in 22 Categories   The German Jazz Prize, which awards a minimum of €10,000 to each winner, recognizes a total of 22 categories, including artists, recording/production, live, composition/arrangement, and three special prizes. The prize highlights the importance of achievements in jazz as a whole and aims to recognize and promote the genre alongside improvised music in all its forms.   Award Ceremony at the E-Werk in Cologne on June 13   The highlight of the German Jazz Prize 2025 is the award ceremony at the E-Werk in Cologne. Outstanding musicians and artists from the jazz scene gather on June 13 to celebrate the diversity and innovative power of the genre. Further information can be found at  www.deutscher-jazzpreis.de

Expert Jury of the German Jazz Prize 2025:    ● Anja Illmaier – Intakt Records, Director of Taktlos Festival, Association Friends of Irène Schweizer ● Daniela Siemon – PR Consultant, Owner of the Agency der Promotor ● Dennis Wiesch – Dramaturgy and Project Development at Monheimer Kulturwerke GmbH ● Dhanesh Jayaselan – Creative Director, Producer & Cultural Curator ● Isumi Rögner – Cultural Manager, Dramaturg, Translator, Jazz Advisor at Goethe-Institute Head Office ● Janis Burley Wilson – President of August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Founder/Director of Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival ● Judyth Babin – Artist Manager, Tour Agent, Label ● Karen Kennedy – Artist Manager, President and Founder 24 Seven Artist Development  ● Kevin le Gendre – Journalist and Broadcaster ● Marie Blobel – Curator jazzwerkstatt Peitz & jazzexzess ● Marieke Meischke – Writer, Artistic Director Jazz Maastricht/Music Meeting Festival, Advisor Dutch Performing Arts Fund, Confidential Counsellor ●Martin Brugger – Musician and Producer, Co-Founder of Squama Recordings  ● Max von Pretz – Co-Artistic Director of the Südtirol Jazzfestival Alto Adige and Artistic Director of the Jazz Program at Dekadenz Brixen ● Maxi Broecking – Journalist, Author (ZEIT, Tagesspiegel, Taz, Jazzthing), Lecturer (Columbia University, HCA), Curator, Publicist ● Michaela Drnek Bóková – Label Manager, Producer, Vocalist ● Natalie Greffel – Musician and Curator for XJAZZ! Festival ● Olga Reznichenko – Pianist, Educator ● Sebastian Hecht – Managing Director of XJAZZ! Festival ● Shannon Barnett – Musician, Composer, Educator ● Silvan Strauss – Drummer and Producer ● Sophie Emilie Beha – Music Journalist, Curator, Author, Presenter  ● Tony Lakatos – Saxophonist, Composer, Producer ● Vincent Bababoutilabo – Musician, Author ● Werner Aldinger – Label Owner (enja & yellowbird records)  ● Wolf Kampmann – Music Journalist, Author, University Lecturer

Special Jury of the German Jazz Prize 2025:   ● Charlotte Greve – Saxophonist & Composer ● Diego Piñera – Drummer, Composer, Arranger  ● Django Bates – Pianist, Eb Horn Player, Composer, Educator and Professor of Jazz at Bern University of the Arts ● Gebhard Ullmann – Musician (Woodwind Instruments) and Composer ● Sylvaine Hélary – Flutist, Composer and Artistic Director of Orchestre National de Jazz

GERMAN JAZZ PRIZE  Since 2021, the German Jazz Prize has been honoring outstanding artistic achievements in the national and international jazz scenes. Main sponsor of the prize is Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The fifth edition takes place on June 13 at the E-Werk in Cologne, in cooperation with the city of Cologne and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.