True Story Festival and Award 2026
The nominees for the 2026 True Story Award have been announced: 36 outstanding reports have been selected – and it is precisely these stories that form the core content of the True Story Festival in Bern. The jury nominated 36 reports from 959 submissions from 103 countries in 22 languages.
What you can expect
The nominated texts (published between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025) offer a fascinating review of our recent past:
- The war in Ukraine and the Israel-Palestine conflict are examined from different perspectives.
- Further research leads to topics such as terrorism (using the example of Boko Haram), raw material extraction in the Amazon, dead migrants on Europe's coasts, the bombing of Iran's nuclear program, and the global consequences of fast fashion.
- And yes, there is also room for news that offers hope in a peculiar way—such as a love story between teenagers separated by war, the boom in seawater desalination plants in the Arabian Gulf, and the emergence of a new language among Bedouins.
Highlight: Award ceremony on Friday evening – open to the public for the first time
The festival will open on Friday evening with the award ceremony – and this year, for the first time, it will be open to the public. The main jury will select three winning texts in the categories of Storytelling Excellence, Impact & Relevance, and Research Intensity.
From June 5 to 7, 2026, the nominees will be invited to Bern, where their work will be presented at an event.
Tickets and detailled program will be published in April.