Tine Hens wins 2026 Nature Book Prize
The jury honoured Archief van mogelijk verlies during a live broadcast of Vroege Vogels.
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The 2026 Nature Book Prize has gone to Archief van mogelijk verlies by Flemish journalist and author Tine Hens. The prize was awarded on Sunday during the live broadcast of Vroege Vogels at Oostbroek estate in De Bilt.
Hens received the prize for a book about plants, animals and natural phenomena that are at risk of disappearing. In Archief van mogelijk verlies, she combines personal memories with reflections on snow, glaciers, lapwings, eels, fireflies and silence, among other subjects.
The jury described the book as both an ode and a requiem. According to the jury, Hens leads her readers through wonder and emotion towards the question of what is lost when the destruction of nature is not followed by restoration and care.
The prize was awarded during a broadcast of BNNVARA programme Vroege Vogels. The ceremony took place at Oostbroek estate, where the Vroege Vogels Festival was subsequently held, featuring lectures, workshops, music and excursions.
Five books took part in the third edition of the prize. Alongside Hens, the nominees were Andrea Kieskamp with In lange rok de koraalriffen op, Dik van der Meulen with Meester in het paradijs, Harold Timans and Henk-Jan van der Kolk with Miniatuurwereld, and Dirk Hilbers and Constant Swinkels with Crossbill Natuurgids Nederland.
The jury prize consists of €5,000 and an original drawing by artist Raoul Deleo. The jury comprised Jean-Pierre Geelen, Jocelyn de Kwant and Merlijn Schneiders. The prize is an initiative of LandschappenNL, de Volkskrant and Vroege Vogels.
The public prize went to Crossbill Natuurgids Nederland parts 1 and 2. The authors Dirk Hilbers and Constant Swinkels will also receive a stay as artists in residence with It Fryske Gea. This gave both literary reflections on nature and practical knowledge of nature their own recognition within the same prize.
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The result, jury, nominees and prizes can be found directly in the official reporting by Vroege Vogels. The substantive description of the book is based on information from the publisher and the jury’s description.
- confirmed Tine Hens won the 2026 Nature Book Prize with Archief van mogelijk verlies. — Reported by Vroege Vogels. source
- confirmed The jury prize consists of €5,000 and a drawing by Raoul Deleo. — Mentioned in Vroege Vogels’ official report. source
- confirmed Crossbill Natuurgids Nederland won the public prize. — Vroege Vogels names the result and the authors. source
- confirmed The prize was awarded at Oostbroek estate in De Bilt. — The location is given in BNNVARA’s reporting. source
Editor's note
The jury prize, public prize, nominees and prize money were confirmed by BNNVARA and landscape organisations. The description of the book was supplemented with information from the publisher.Sources
- Tine Hens wint Natuurboekenprijs 2026 — Vroege Vogels, BNNVARA
- Archief van mogelijk verlies — EPO
- De shortlist van de Natuurboekenprijs 2026 is bekend — Het Drentse Landschap
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „tine hens”
- RTL Nieuws — „tine hens”
- NOS — „tine hens”