Our award winners
2026
Award winner 2026: "The Town Musicians of Bremen" - Erfreuliches Theater Erfurt
The children's jury prize for 2026 went to the play "The Bremen Town Musicians" by Erfreuliches Theater Erfurt. The children were particularly fascinated by the fact that the characters were created directly on stage from everyday objects: A jumper became a donkey, a pipe wrench became a cockerel - nothing was ready-made, everything was developed together.
Many children told us how surprising it was that they often had no idea what would happen next. A new place was created again and again with just a few resources. The two players were so convincing that some children thought at the beginning that the man wasn't a puppeteer at all, but just happened to be passing by. They also loved the songs.
Katrin Heinke and Ronald Mernitz were delighted with the prize and expressed their sincere thanks. At the same time, they emphasised that this prize was actually due to all the puppeteers at the weekend - because they had all put on wonderful productions on a wide variety of stages. Only together can the festival be so colourful and eventful.
2025
Prize winner 2025: "Tigerwild" - Theatre con Cuore
The children's jury prize for 2025 went to the play "Tigerwild" by Theater con Cuore from Schlitz. The children were particularly impressed by the way the characters acted - especially the fact that the puppets seemed so alive and could even move their mouths. They were also touched by the message of the play: that there is still a small child in every adult and how difficult it sometimes is to manage everything at the same time.
The imaginative stage transformations and of course the tiger himself, who was funny and looked great, also made a great impression.
Virginia and Stefan Maatz were delighted with the award. They emphasised how important it is to them - precisely because it comes directly from the children. For them, they said, this award is more important than any other, because they make theatre for the children.