33. Open Mike – Competition for Young Literature
We are happy to announce that the 33rd Open Mike – Competition for Young Literature will take place from November 7–8, 2025 at silent green. For the current year 2025, the competition has been made possible through a project grant from the German Literature Fund. In addition, the competition is partially funded through the institutional support granted to Haus für Poesie by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion, which is responsible for organizing Open Mike.
The call for entries for this year’s competition has been online since May 2 and runs until June 15, inclusive. Further information can be found at hausfuerpoesie.org.
Due to cuts in Berlin’s cultural budget, it had been unclear since autumn 2024 whether Open Mike could continue. At the 32nd Open Mike – Competition for Young Literature on November 8–9, 2024, numerous voices from the book and publishing industry spoke out in statements and short videos against the planned budget cuts by the Senate, emphasizing the importance of Open Mike for the German literary scene. Among them were the 2025 German Book Prize winner Martina Hefter, the poet Ulrike Draesner, and the Büchner Prize winner Jan Wagner.
Unfortunately, the future of Open Mike beyond 2026 remains uncertain.
The Open Mike – Competition for Young Literature is the most important German-language competition for emerging poets and prose writers. The careers of many prominent voices in German-language literature began with Open Mike, including Karen Duve, Julia Franck, Terézia Mora, Ronya Othmann, and Kathrin Röggla. The competition has been held annually by the Haus für Poesie since 1993.