2026 YOUNG COLLECTOR AWARD:  TWO WINNERS HONORED

Two exceptional concepts impressed the jury of the 2026 Young Collector Award. This year, the Association of German Antiquarians is honoring two winners—selected pieces will be presented in September at RARE BOOKS BERLIN in the Kronprinzenpalais. Berlin, September 18, 2026 – The 2026 Young Collectors’ Prize goes to two winners this year:
This year’s Young Collectors’ Award 2026 goes to two winners:

First Prize to Adam Darkow (23) – for the collection “Memory” – mementos made of paper and cardboard, from family albums and letters.

Second Prize goes to Miriam Stenger (29) for her collection of manga and comics, with a particular focus on German-language, self-published works.

With this award, the Association of German Antiquarian Booksellers aims to demonstrate that collecting books and works on paper is by no means a matter of having a large budget or being of a certain age. Young collectors, in particular, develop very personal and often surprising collection concepts and pursue their interests with great passion over the years.
The submissions for this year’s award demonstrated just how broad the spectrum is today: manga, fantasy, and dark romance; film programs; myths; Art Nouveau; Tolkien; Harry Potter; Yiddish literature; queer themes; and even electrical engineering were represented, as were highly personal collection concepts in which books become a “safe space.”
An expert jury—comprising Dr. Stephanie Jacobs, director of the German Book and Writing Museum at the German National Library in Leipzig, Roger Sonnewald from the J. J. Heckenhauer Antiquarian Bookshop in Tübingen, Prof. Dr. Achim Bonte, Director General of the Berlin State Library, and Dr. Björn Biester, editor-in-chief of the journal “Aus dem Antiquariat.”
The prizes are endowed with 1,000 and 500 euros, respectively. In addition, the award-winning collections will be showcased at RARE BOOKS BERLIN, and the winners will receive a one-year membership in the Pirckheimer Society.
Selections from both award-winning collections will be presented from September 18 to 20, 2026, at RARE BOOKS BERLIN – INTERNATIONAL FAIR FOR BOOKS & PRINTS at the Kronprinzenpalais, Unter den Linden 3, Berlin.

Visitors will thus have the opportunity to experience both collection concepts and selected items from them firsthand.
The award ceremony for the 2026 Young Collectors’ Prize will take place on Sunday, September 20, at 3:30 p.m., at RARE BOOKS BERLIN in the Kronprinzenpalais.
www.rarebookweek.berlin

Press contact:
Angelika Elstner
elstner@antiquare.de