Bielefeld Comedy Award

Bielefeld Comedy Award — the newcomer award from Ostwestfalen

If you're starting young in the German comedy circuit, competitions are the most important stages for visibility. The Bielefeld Comedy Award is one of Germany's established newcomer awards and has presented its main prize annually since the late 1990s. With the 29th edition in 2026, the competition marks almost three decades of supporting comedy and cabaret in Ostwestfalen — a constant in the German newcomer scene between Munich (Passauer Scharfrichterpreis), Stuttgart (St. Ingberter Pfanne), and Berlin.

Date and Format 2026

The 29th edition will take place on Friday, February 20 (preliminary round) and Saturday, February 21, 2026 (final) — each starting at 8:00 PM. The competition format:

• Friday Preliminary Round: Six nominated emerging artists each present 15 minutes of their program. The audience then votes — the three most popular acts advance to the final.
• Saturday Final: The three finalists each perform for 30 minutes. A panel of experts decides — with audience participation — on the rankings. Total prize money €2,500.

Zweischlingen — the Venue

The venue is Zweischlingen, a traditional Bielefeld inn with a stage on the city border with Bad Salzuflen (33649 Bielefeld). For decades, Zweischlingen has been Bielefeld's most important stage for cabaret, comedy, and stand-up — the right setting for a newcomer award that deliberately focuses on stage intimacy rather than city theater grandeur.

The Pudding — the Iconic Prize Symbol

What distinguishes the Bielefeld Comedy Award from other competitions is its famous trophy symbol: the 'nailed-on pudding'. In addition to the prize money, the winner receives this ironic plastic trophy — a nod to the German proverb 'jemandem den Pudding an die Wand nageln' (= to get a clear position from someone who is unwilling to commit). For comedians, whose profession is to nail down social issues, it's the perfect ironic symbol.

The Winner 2026 — Ana Lucia

In the 2026 edition, Ana Lucia prevailed over Abbas Alwakeel and Emil Bach to win first place. Like all previous Bielefeld Comedy Award winners, she will now gain visibility in the German comedy scene — several former winners are now established in TV shows such as 'Mitternachtsspitzen', 'Nuhr im Ersten', or at the Lübecker Nashörner. The Bielefeld Comedy Award has thus helped launch careers.

A Competition from Bielefeld for Germany

The competition is organized by the Bielefelder Kabarettpreis e.V. association. The selection of the six nominees is made annually by a selection committee from applications by young comedians and cabaret artists from all German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The pre-selection filters out the six stage acts from around 100 applications — even being nominated is considered an honor.

Bielefeld and its Comedy Heritage

Bielefeld has its own comedy history: the city was home to the legendary Bielefelder Pumpenhaus, one of the most important West German cabaret stages of the 1980s and 1990s. The Bielefeld Comedy Award continues this tradition and positions Bielefeld on the map of German emerging comedy to this day.