This year's $7,000 (DM 15,000) Studio Hamburg Newcomer Prize for Best Film was awarded to Hannes Stoehr's Berlin Is In Germany, making him the fifth graduate in a row from Berlin's German Film & Television Academy (dffb) to receive this top honour since the founding of the prize in 1997.

Previous prize-winners from the dffb were Hendrik Handloegten (Paul is dead, 2000), Klaus Kraemer (Drei Chinesen Mit Dem Kontrabass, 1999) ,Lars Kraume (Dunckel, 1998) and Connie Walther (Das Erste Mal, 1997).

The second Newcomer Prize, with a cash award of $4,700 (DM 10,000), went to writer-director Tim Trageser, a graduate of Munich's Academy for Television & Film (HFF), for his film Clowns, starring Frank Giering and Anna Thalbach, while a third prize of $2,400 (DM 5,000) each was presented ex aequo to HFF graduate Thomas Kronthaler for his Alpine comedy Die Scheinheiligen and Martin Gypkens of the Babelsberg Academy for Film & Television for his romantic comedy Schluss Mit Lustig!

A total of 42 graduation films from 10 German film schools were submitted, and the jury made its final decision from 14 nominations including Achim von Borries' England!, Hans Weingartner's Das Weisse Rauschen, Benjamin Quabeck's Nichts Bereuen, and Juliane Hohl's Rohat.

The Newcomer Prize ceremony also provided the venue for the presentation of the Guenter Strack Television Prize for promising new talent, with the prize in the category of Best Newcomer Actress going to Julia Hummer for her performance in Miguel Alexandre's TV movie Die Kleine Zeugin, while Antonio Wannek was named Best Newcomer Actor for his role in the ARD TV play Herzrasen.