In his work, German historian Karl Schlögel combines empirical historiography with personal experiences and warns against Vladimir Putin's aggressive expansionist policy. On 19 October 2025, he will be awarded the Peace Prize in Frankfurt's Paulskirche – live on ZDF from 11 a.m.

Numerous Peace Prize winners, laudators and other people associated with the Peace Prize have joined an appeal by Perlentaucher, Merlin Verlag and the Börsenverein to show their solidarity with Boualem Sansal. You too can sign the appeal!

Anne Applebaum, Polish-American historian and journalist, analyses the structures of autocratic systems and shows how fragile our democracies are. She will receive the Peace Prize for her work on Sunday, 20 October 2024 in Frankfurt's Paulskirche.

On Sunday, 22 October 2023, Salman Rushdie received the 2023 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. The laudatory speech was held by Daniel Kehlmann.

On Sunday, 23 October 2022, the Ukrainian writer Serhiy Zhadan received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2022 for his artistic and humanitarian work. The laudatory speech was held by Sasha Marianna Salzmann.

In her novels and films, Tsitsi Dangarembga reflects the difficult relationship between tradition and modernity by using the experiences of the people of Zimbabwe. On Sunday, 24 October, she will receive the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2021 for her creative work and social engagement. The laudation will be given by Auma Obama.

The Brazilian Peace Prize winner of 2019, Sebastião Salgado: A visual artist who calls for social justice and peace with his photographs and gives urgency to the worldwide debate on nature and climate protection.

Max Tau was forced to flee Germany in 1938. But in his Norwegian exile he stands up for reconciliation and peace, also with the idea to found a peace library. He was the first to receive the Peace Prize in 1950.

In front of the ruins of the Frankfurt Römer: Albert Schweitzer, 1951 award winner and living in Lambarene (Africa), has always refused to be ingratiated with the Nazis. After the war, in the hope that humanity would create a world-affirming culture, he advocates a unilateral disarmament of the West.