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ZDF Dominates 2026 Grimme Awards as Frank Elstner Receives Special Honor

Speeches urging jury independence signaled a shifting TV landscape.

Overview

  • The gala in Marl, which took place Friday, handed out 16 prizes and three special honors, with ZDF winning ten awards.
  • TV veteran Frank Elstner accepted the DVV special honor in person despite Parkinson’s and urged more funding for research, citing about 450,000 patients in Germany.
  • ZDF correspondent Golineh Atai earned the award for outstanding journalistic achievement for her calm, analytical reporting from the Arab world.
  • The new Frankfurt Tatort duo Melika Foroutan and Edin Hasanovic won for their first case, and Foroutan criticized interference in jury decisions after last year’s withdrawn award controversy.
  • Private channel RTLzwei won in Information & Culture for the first time with “Hass. Hetze. Hoffnung.” and Prime Video productions were honored, pointing to a broader mix of public, private, and streaming winners.