Stone-Ideas.com

In a separate article, we present the other winners of the 2026 Natural Stone Award.
https://www.stone-ideas.com/123315/22nd-german-natural-stone-award-2026/

Update: In 2025, the British Stone Federation had a student prize for the first time.

The unique feature of the German Natural Stone Prize is not that projects from Germany and abroad (with the participation of German companies) can be submitted. What makes it unique among other natural stone prizes worldwide is the fifth category: it is open to students and their designs. No processing fee is charged for these projects; conversely, the winners share the full prize money (€2,500).

We present the winner and the Special Recognition recipients, each with an abridged description from the jury.
 

Winner in the Student Young Talent Award category (Special Prize): Fichtelgebirge Nature Park Center, Wunsiedel. Natural stone is used here as a load-bearing and identity-defining material. The exoskeleton and the massive core of Epprechtstein granite lend the building a clear structure, anchor it materially in the context of the Fichtel Mountains, and reduce its carbon footprint. The granite columns and beams not only perform structural functions but also create a second layer in front of the thermal envelope. Of particular note is the development of wood-granite composite slabs, which integrate the natural stone into a forward-looking hybrid load-bearing system.
Design: Fabian Haase, Ense
Stone: Epprechtstein granite
 

Special recognition in the category of Student Young Talent Award: a granite structure, Hallstadt. The project addresses a small rear building in Hallstadt near Bamberg, where the challenge was to create as much age-appropriate living space as possible in an ecologically sound manner using local materials. To substantiate her work, the student analyzes load moments, dimensions, and waste from realistic natural stone production, taking into account centuries-old proven joining and construction principles such as the load-bearing arch. Design Design: Sara Ann Stecker, Spessartring 57, 64287 Darmstadt
Stone: Granite
Renderings: Sara Ann Stecker, Darmstadt
 

Special Recognition in the Student Talent Award category: Campus Wunsiedel. The design for the student residence at the European Stonemasonry Competence Center in Wunsiedel is impressive. The massive exterior walls made of Epprechtstein granite form the backbone of the building as an extremely resilient facade, while the open wooden structure creates a welcoming, communicative courtyard. The interior design is characterized by a reinterpretation of traditional construction methods, achieved through natural stone corbels integrated into the interior walls to support the wooden beam ceilings.
Designers: Shona Korn, Lilli Hölker, Tim Mössner, and Marvin Surmann (TU Dortmund, August-Schmidt-Straße 8, 44227 Dortmund)
Stone: Main sandstone, white-gray (façade), Epprechtstein granite, gray (load-bearing structure)
Renderings: Students
 

Special Recognition in the Student Talent Award category: Felseck – Luisenburg Nature Park Center, Wunsiedel. The design develops the nature park center as a monolithic structure, inscribed into the topography of the Luisenburg like another rock formation. The building and its interiors are composed of hexagons constructed from Epprechtstein granite. The project demonstrates how natural stone, as a structural material, can create an architecture that is both archaic and contemporary.
Designers: Julian Schaum, Marlene Kehl, Dorstfelder Hellweg 15, 44149 Dortmund
Collaboration: Robin Becker
Stone: Epprechtstein granite
Renderings: Students
 

Besondere Anerkennung in der Kategorie Studentischer Nachwuchsförderpreis: der Kreuzgang, Wunsiedel. Die prägnante Gebäudekubatur des Schülerwohnheims in Wunsiedel entwickelt sich aus zwei ineinander verschränkten Quadern. Die Architektur verankert Naturstein als primäres Konstruktionsmaterial; sekundäre Konstruktionen sowie Dämmstoffe sind mit Holz und Strohdämmplatten ebenfalls naturbelassen und nachhaltig. Die horizontale Erschließung des Gebäudes findet über die moderne Interpretation eines Kreuzgangs statt, der die Wohnräume miteinander verknüpft.
Design: Manuel Frinken, Mallinckrodtstraße 329, 44147 Dortmund; Mike Christopher Hartwich, Hastener Straße 100, 42855 Remscheid; Leon Scheit, Ottilienstraße 69a, 33332 Gütersloh; Tommy Lee Mann, Ohler Weg 6, 58640 Iserlohn
Stone: Epprechtstein granite
Renderings: Manuel Frinken