Music, literature and theater: This year’s Goethe Medal winners work in different fields but share a belief that culture can foster understanding and connections.
Jury chair Thomas Oberender said their lives and work provide interpretations of migration, displacement and social change that have shaped Europe in the 20th and 21st centuries, offering new language and deeper insight into our present.
Arvo Pärt: In search of his musical language
Born in Estonia in 1935, Arvo Pärt is one of the most frequently performed living contemporary composers. In the 1970s he developed the “tintinnabuli” technique, a distinctive, minimalist and deeply spiritual musical language. Pärt’s compositions reach wide audiences, appearing in concert halls as well as in film and theater. Under the Soviet regime the religious character of his music brought censorship and professional restrictions. He left Estonia in 1980 with his family, living in Vienna and then Berlin for nearly 30 years. After Estonia regained independence in 1991, Pärt renewed ties with his homeland and returned permanently in 2010.
Anita Raja: Cultural education as dedication
For decades the translator Anita Raja introduced German-language literature to Italian readers. Her translations include works by Christa Wolf, Franz Kafka, Ingeborg Bachmann and Georg Büchner. Beyond translating, Raja has shaped German–Italian cultural exchange as a librarian and publicist. From 2005 she was the founding director of the Biblioteca Europea in Rome, serving for almost a decade; the institution is seen as a model for Europe-focused cultural dialogue. The jury noted her long-standing commitment to making libraries inclusive meeting places for people of all backgrounds.
Prodromos Tsinikoris: Documentary theater bridging cultures
Born in Wuppertal in 1981 to parents who came to Germany as migrant workers, Prodromos Tsinikoris is a theater director, dramaturge and actor and a leading voice in contemporary Greek and European theater. His documentary productions probe migration, social inequality and historical perspectives. From 2015 to 2020 he led the Experimental Stage at the National Theater in Athens. He is now co-curator of the International Forest Festival in Thessaloniki and teaches at the National Theater’s directing school. The jury described Tsinikoris as an exceptional talent who views documentary theater not just as a mirror of reality but as an artistic space that resonates with society’s fault lines.
The Goethe Medal is one of Germany’s most prestigious awards for international cultural work. It will be officially presented on August 28, 2026, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s birthday, in Weimar.
This article was originally written in German.