Bamberg Cultural Promotion Prize 2025: Jochen Neurath inspires the jury!

Bamberg Cultural Promotion Prize 2025: Jochen Neurath inspires the jury!

On November 11, 2025, an important prize was awarded in Bamberg: The 2025 Cultural Promotion Prize went to the innovative composer and cultural networker Jochen Neurath. The city is honoring an artist who knows how to combine sound, space and performance in an extraordinary way. Neurath often uses everyday noises instead of classical instruments, which gives his work a very special touch. With his association “nonoise” he brings new music to unusual places and thus opens cultural doors for a wide audience. This is a step that the jury particularly praises: Neurath's interdisciplinary projects are not only innovative, but also site-specific and socially relevant, as Radio Bamberg reports. The prize is endowed with 6,000 euros and is awarded alternately with the E.T.A. Hoffmann Prize.

But it wasn't just the cultural support award that caused a stir in Bamberg. On the same day, the voter group “Bamberg’s Independent Citizens” presented its list of candidates for the 2026 city council election. Karin Einwag was unanimously elected as the top candidate. With the motto “Bamberg can do more”, the BuB is striving for a policy change towards a middle-class majority in the town hall. This makes it clear that the political landscape in Bamberg is looking for movement and new ideas are being demanded.

Carnival and literature festival are coming up

The urban culture remains alive, because the carnival season began in the Bamberg district on November 11th. District Administrator Johann Kalb symbolically handed over the key to the carnival clubs. This year, citizens can look forward to numerous events and festivals. Representatives of various carnival clubs and groups were present and started the crazy time with enthusiasm.

The 11th Bamberg Literature Festival will also take place next year, which will delight the city and district from mid-January 2026. In the past ten years, more than 70,000 people have taken part in this cultural highlight. At the program presentation, District Administrator Kalb was proud of the high number of visitors and thus expressed his connection to the culture in the region.

But while culture is developing in Bamberg, things are also turbulent in other parts of the world. Democrats in the US are still struggling with the longest shutdown in the country's history, which has now exceeded 40 days. This situation is not only a political issue, but also puts the everyday lives of many federal employees in distress. The issues surrounding health care and the effects of politics are of central importance. As New Yorker reports, the political situation remains tense and it remains to be seen how the situation will continue.

In the world of stars, Magda Szubanski, the 64-year-old actress, has hit the headlines after revealing that she is seriously ill with mantle cell lymphoma. Chemotherapy is a big challenge for her. Despite her difficult situation, she remains optimistic and shares posts that support her fans. Szubanski emphasizes the importance of health testing and has even received positive feedback from young fans. Fans like 10-year-old Annabella Willis have encouraged her by dressing up as her iconic character. These human stories make the events more exciting and touching, as Now to Love reports.

The colorful life in Bamberg and beyond is reflected in this combination of cultural commitment, political changes and personal challenges. It will be exciting to see how developments unfold and what changes the coming months will bring.