Free, independent, solidarity – Local Heroes has been discovering the young musicians of tomorrow for 35 years. The story of a project that became bigger than expected.
The year is 1989: The Wall is coming down and Germany is facing a new challenge – the cultural connection between East and West. Enter Dieter Herker, who until then had lived a grassroots democratic understanding of culture in Wendland on the inner-German border, influenced by the Platenlaase cultural association and the anti-nuclear power plant movement around Gorleben. While the Scorpions reach number one in the German annual charts on the radio with “Wind of Change,” Herker listens to Krautrock and the bands from the Schneeball label at home – music that doesn’t surrender itself to any industry. He wants to face the new task with a proven means of cultural understanding: music. This is how the idea of Local Heroes came about – as simple as it is ingenious.
From 1991 onwards, the first preliminary rounds took place in Salzwedel, Uelzen and Lüchow-Dannenberg – three places along a border that officially no longer exists. Do you still know Devilish? No? Then perhaps under its current name: Tokio Hotel. Over the years, many interesting bands have found their way onto the stages of Local Heroes. Madsen, Guano Apes, Fehlki and today’s world producer Zedd are just a small selection of the participation list.
From the East-West project to the national newcomer prize
Local Heroes is developing from a connecting East-West element into a showcase of the German newcomer scene. The non-profit association, together with Aktion Musik, is restructuring itself into a fixed newcomer prize – with an annual federal final at Hundisburg Castle in the Magdeburg area and preliminary decisions in 13 federal states. Over the years, thousands of young musicians have applied: without a participation fee, without a major label connection. All popular music styles are supported, from indie to hip-hop to electronic.
But the newcomer prize is only the most visible tip. A support network has developed over the years that accompanies bands and acts far beyond the competition: coaching, mentoring, booking arrangements, press work, studio recordings and showcases at festivals.
Finalists in August, workshops in September, awards ceremony in November
What this looks like in concrete terms can be seen in the current program for 2026. Preliminaries and state finals are currently taking place in the federal states – for example through concerts in rural areas with more established acts like Van Holzen. This year’s federal finalists will be announced in August.
From September 3rd to 6th there will be a workshop weekend at Hundisburg Castle near Magdeburg: four days with individual artist coaching, video productions and interviews. The music videos and songs created there will be released on November 19th before the awards ceremony takes place in Magdeburg on November 28th.
35 years of local heroes
Now Local Heroes is celebrating a 35-year history with many highlights and realized visions: from the invitation to Expo 2000 in Hanover to collaborations and sponsorships with Udo Lindenberg, Silly and Smudo, to the handover of the baton to Julia in 2015 Sassewho has led the project ever since.
Herker himself remains on board in an advisory capacity. Looking back at 35 years of positive things for the German music scene gives hope that Local Heroes will last forever – so that many new artists can be promoted and discovered.
