Kim de l'Horizon was awarded the Mülheimer Dramatik Prize 2026 on Saturday evening in Mülheim an der Ruhr for the play «Die kleinen Meerjungfrauen».
The jury of the competition for contemporary German-language drama praised above all the imaginative language and successful wordplay in the play, which premiered in Bern. It tells a story of longing, love and societal pressure to conform and is seen as a plea for queer self-liberation. The play also received the audience prize. De l'Horizon comes from Switzerland and is also known for the debut novel «Blutbuch», which won the Swiss Book Prize and the German Book Prize in 2022. A total of seven plays for adults and five for children were nominated. The prizes will be presented at the start of the Theatertage 2027. Simone Saftig won the competition for children's plays with «Herzkopfüber».