Winners of the 2026 POPLÄND Award Have Been Announced

For the second time, the state is presenting the POPLÄND Award. The honorees are the German-Turkish indie rock band ENGIN from Mannheim, the Kulturladen Konstanz, the beatmaker and producer NMD-Beats from Rosengarten, and the LIVEKultur Baden-Württemberg association.

An independent panel of experts selected the winners in four categories:

• Live Act: ENGIN
• Live Music Venue: Kulturladen Konstanz
• Producing: NMD-Beats
• Impact: LIVEKultur Baden-Württemberg

The prizes in the Live Act, Live Music Venue, and Producing categories are each worth 10,000 euros. In the Impäct category, which will be awarded for the first time in 2026, the prize money is 5,000 euros. The awards ceremony will take place on November 19, 2026, at the Alte Feuerwache in Mannheim.

State Secretary Neşe Erikli said: “ENGIN, KULA Konstanz, NMD-Beats, and LIVEKultur Baden-Württemberg demonstrate just how creative and dedicated the pop culture scene in Baden-Württemberg is. It brings people together, creates spaces for exchange and participation, and enriches cultural life in our state. That is precisely what makes it such an important part of our vibrant democracy.”

The chair of the independent expert jury, Derek von Krogh, director and managing director of the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg, said: “Even in its second year, the decision was not an easy one given the impressive diversity and quality of the longlist. The selection process was correspondingly exciting: the newly composed jury brought fresh perspectives to the table. The new “Impäct” category, in particular, demonstrates the passion and dedication with which numerous projects champion pop culture—often with limited financial resources.”

The 2026 jury included Timo Kumpf (live music promoter, including the Zeltfestival Rhein-Neckar and Maifeld Derby), Annabelle “Nikra” Müller (alternative rock band NIKRA, 2025 POPLÄND Award winner), Felix Neumann (hip-hop band Zweierpasch), Siri Thiermann (composer and producer), Sonja Urmann (A&R associate at Concord Music GmbH), Benedikt Wiehle (music editor at SWR3), and jury chair Derek von Krogh.

2026 Award Winners

ENGIN (Live Act Category)
The Mannheim-based band ENGIN blends German indie pop with Turkish folk, psychedelic, and Anatolian rock. They switch effortlessly between German and Turkish. Their songs revolve around identity, belonging, love, longing, and growing up amid diverse cultural influences. For ENGIN, connecting directly with the audience is paramount. With their genre-blending sound and high-energy live shows, ENGIN brings together a diverse audience that spans generations, genders, and cultural backgrounds. Over the past three years, the band has played more than 150 concerts in Germany, Turkey, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In 2026, ENGIN performed the title track of their new album, “Sag mir Almanya,” on Jan Böhmermann’s ZDF Magazin Royale, among other shows.

Kulturladen Konstanz (Category: Live Music Venue)
Kulturladen Konstanz (KULA for short) has been one of the most important concert venues in southern Baden-Württemberg for over four decades. With nearly 100 live music events per year and the three-day, free-admission Open See Festival in Konstanz’s Stadtgarten, KULA is known for its diverse, cross-genre live program. KULA brings together national and international acts with artists from the regional scene, introducing both established names and fresh musical talent to the Lake Constance region. A key focus is on promoting young and up-and-coming acts. Through initiatives like the Open See Contest, KULA specifically creates performance opportunities for emerging musicians and helps them take important first steps in the professional live music scene.

POPLÄND Award Baden-Württemberg
The state award for pop culture is the result of the 2023–2024 Popdialog and was launched in 2025 as part of the ministry’s POPLÄND initiative. It is presented annually in the three categories “Live Act,” “Live Music Venue,” and “Producing,” and, starting in 2026, additionally in the “Impact” category. The award honors outstanding artistic achievement, ambitious live music venues, as well as socially impactful initiatives and forward-looking projects that strengthen Baden-Württemberg’s position as a hub for pop culture. The award is based on the recommendation of an independent expert jury, which selects winners from a longlist of nominees submitted by knowledgeable industry representatives.

More information is available on the ministry’s website.