Maxi Pongratz wins the executioner's hatchet: an evening full of cabaret magic!

Maxi Pongratz wins the executioner's hatchet: an evening full of cabaret magic!

On Wednesday evening, December 4th, 2025, the ceremonial awarding of the Executioner's Prize took place in Passau. The event attracted numerous cabaret fans to the Passau Executioner's House, where exceptional cabaret talents have been honored every year since 1983. This year the talented Max Pongratz managed to win the big ax and beat four competitors. The Oberammergau native, who previously worked as a gardener and baker, is now known as the singer and lyricist of the disbanded band Kofelgschroa. His music is a successful mixture of folk music, Dada and melancholy. This was reported by the South German newspaper.

Maxi Pongratz expressed his gratitude with a powerful performance that included three songs that dealt with topics such as insomnia and the small challenges of everyday life. His presentation was particularly highlighted by the jury; Matthias Egersdörfer, who himself was awarded the hatchet in 2007, praised Pongratz as “highly musical with poetic depth”. This evening showed once again that good cabaret art is strong when it finds a balance between seriousness and play Bavarian Radio supplemented.

The other award winners

Second place went to Annphie Fritz, who lives in Berlin and impressed with her intelligent, feminist approach. Her stage performance “Shanti Schatzi” addressed controversial topics such as menstruation and catcalling and offered an astute commentary on today's society. The middle hatchet awarded for this place represents a valuable recognition of their work.

The Burloni duo, consisting of Valter Rado and Tim Schaller, received the smallest axe. They knew how to delight the audience with their clownish and grotesque stories, including a parody of mountain sports. Even though the other participants, Mario Sacher and Niko Nagl, were not placed in the top three, their performances contributed to the successful event. Sacher, known for his down-to-earth nature, and Nagl, a Viennese with a wide range of studies, each offered fresh perspectives on cabaret.

A look into the future

Walter Landshuter, co-founder of the executioner's house, expressed his wish for the future: he hopes for a stronger presence of political topics in the cabaret. However, the response to the current award ceremony already shows that the Executioner Prize will continue to succeed in providing platforms for new voices and perspectives that both stimulate thought and entertain.

This evening it became clear once again: cabaret has not lost its importance, at least not in Passau, where it always manages to touch people and make them laugh. An all-round successful evening that shows that the artists are very popular when they tackle topics that affect and concern us all with a good touch.