Kim de l'Horizon receives Mülheim Drama Prize for "Die kleinen Meerjungraun"

Award and Jury Statement

Kim de l'Horizon caused a great stir with the debut novel "Blutbuch." The book won, among other awards, the German and Swiss Book Prizes in 2022 and has since been translated into 17 languages. In Mülheim, Kim de l'Horizon was represented for the first time. The author, who works under a pseudonym, writes poetry, prose, and theatre texts.

In the competition of the Mülheim Theatre Days this year, seven new plays from contemporary German-language theatre for adults and five for children were nominated. All nominated works were performed during the festival. Both competitions – the one for adults and the one for children – are endowed with 15,000 euros each.

Background: The Competition

In addition to the jury's main prize, "Die kleinen Meerjungraun" also received the audience prize of the competition, which is endowed with 5,000 euros. Kim de l'Horizon was thus able to celebrate a double success in Mülheim an der Ruhr. The festival is considered one of the most important platforms for contemporary drama in the German-speaking world.

The children's play competition, endowed with 15,000 euros, was won this year by the Düsseldorf-based author Simone Saftig with "herzkopfüber." Her play is about a mother who is ill with cancer and about dealing with the illness. With this, the jury's attention was directed toward two very different thematic fields: queer self-liberation on the one hand, and familial coping with illness on the other.

Significance for Contemporary Drama

The 51st Mülheim Theatre Days took place in Mülheim an der Ruhr. The award ceremony marked the conclusion of the festival. According to the organizers, the prizes are to be presented at the beginning of the next Theatre Days in 2027.

With the award for "Die kleinen Meerjungraun," the festival once again sends a signal for the diversity of contemporary drama. The close interweaving of the jury and audience vote underscores the dual support the play found in Mülheim. For Kim de l'Horizon, who had previously been known primarily as a novelist, the prize also marks an establishment as an independent voice in theatre.