Overview
- Organisers confirmed at the opening that the main Ingeborg‑Bachmann‑Preis has been raised from €25,000 to €30,000 and that the Literaturkurs for young authors, cancelled last year, has been reinstated.
- The festival began with live televised events and public jury deliberations that place aesthetic judgments before a broad audience and were presented by organisers as a move to stabilise the competition’s future.
- Helga Schubert delivered the shortened opening 'Rede zur Literatur', drawing on her GDR biography and 2020 Bachmann win to frame the festival’s literary and political stakes.
- After the first reading day on June 25, Jovana Reisinger emerged as the early public favourite while Kinga Tóth won strong praise from the jury, signalling divergent audience and juror responses.
- Jury chair Klaus Kastberger described the funding restorations as a ‘wunder’ and confirmed he will step down, leaving the jury to conclude the three‑day reading marathon and announce winners on Sunday.