Large gala in Hamburg: The best Low German stories honored!

Large gala in Hamburg: The best Low German stories honored!

On June 22, 2025, a very special occasion will be celebrated in Hamburg: the large gala for the award of the best stories of the Low German writing competition "Verell". Under the motto "Mit’nanner" (together), talented authors gather from 11 a.m. to present their works. The event is moderated by Yared Dibaba, musician and entertainer, as well as the Low German editor Ilka Brüggemann. The band Aalkreih with its country and rock’n’roll sounds on Platt provides musical entertainment. There is also a special program note for the audience at home: NDR 1 Welle Nord sends a summary of the award on the same day at 8:10 p.m.

"Vertell" is not just a simple writing competition, but a tradition that has been carried out by NDR, Radio Bremen and the Hamburg Ohnsorg Theater since 1988. In recent years, more than 44,000 short stories have accumulated, which are archived in the Schleswig-Holstein State Library. The best submissions are distributed in publications; Since 2018 at Husum Verlag. Each story can be a maximum of 1.5 DIN A4 pages long and must be submitted unpublished.

a traditional competition

The historical participants range from "Wiehnachten Tohuus" in 1989 to this year's "Mit’nanner". In 1994 the competition was awarded the Low German literary award of the city of Kappeln and has been very popular since then. The competition promotes the Low German language and culture in our region and offers a platform for countless creative minds.

This year 25 authors take part in the final round, and the winning stories are endowed with a total of 5,400 euros. If you want to see the first-class stories, you should look forward to the new "Vertell", in which the 25 final works are published. Interested young writing enthusiasts are also not forgotten: As part of the competition, a special price for participants under the age of 18 is awarded.

A look at the future

After the gala, the next submission periods have already been determined. From January 28 to March 15, 2024, stories can be submitted for the “Ünner de Sünn” competition topic (under the sun). Bestselling author Dörte Hansen acts as an ambassador and encourages everyone to share her individual stories in Low German. Participation is possible both by email and by post.

The competition is not only a way to be creative and tell stories, but also makes a valuable contribution to the preservation of our culture. Whether old or young, everyone can participate and let their voice be heard in the Low German community. So "Vertell" remains an integral part of the north German literary landscape, which will continue to inspire many storytellers in the future.

For more information about the competition participated and the upcoming event, visit the pages of ndr , wikipedia and Radio Bremen .