Submission details · timetable

The competition is hosted by newspaper designer Norbert Küpper since its foundation in 1998. In the media, the competition is also referred to as the “Oscar of the newspaper industry”.

All submissions are made online via the Upload Centre.

Entries must have been published between 1 November 2025 and 15 November 2026.

Deadlines, timetable
– Start of the submission phase: 1 October
– Early Bird submissions until 31 October, entry fee: €290.00
– Regular submission deadline is 15 November, entry fee: €390.00
– Late submissions are possible until 15 December, Entry fee: €490.00
– Notification of award winners: early February 2027, by email to the respective contact person.

Main prizes

The main prize will be awarded in four categories
– local newspaper
– regional newspaper
– national newspaper
– weekly newspaper
The main prize is awarded for concept and design. The interaction of print and online plays an increasing role. It is possible that the jury will also award main prizes for online-only or AI projects.

Two complete newspapers
The jury requires two complete newspapers as pdf from the following period:

Daily newspapers: Saturday, 26.9.2026 and Wednesday, 30.9.2026
Special editions, anniversary editions are not allowed here! If your newspaper does not appear on Saturday, send a Friday edition.

Weekly newspapers: Two different copies. The two newspapers must have been published between 1 November 2025 and 15 November 2026.
Special editions, anniversary editions are not allowed here!

Online submissions only: We do not need PDFs of newspapers.

Awards of Excellence

– 4 entries are allowed in each category and sub-category. These are, for example, 4 front pages, 4 photo reports, 4 infographics, 4 cross-media projects, 4 data journalism projects, etc.
– Awards of Excellence are given in different categories for print, online, cross-media, and AI.
– Submissions must have been published between 1 November 2025 and 15 November 2026.
– Entries must be submitted in pdf format. The captioning must be done according to the categories.