Sven Kockelmann wins Sonja Barend Award for Dick Schoof interview
Sven Kockelmann has received the Sonja Barend Award for his interview with outgoing Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof. A jury of more than 50 professionals chose it as the best interview of the past television season.
Review information is loading.
Sven Kockelmann has won the 2026 Sonja Barend Award for his interview with outgoing Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof, broadcast in a special edition of *Café Kockelmann* on NPO 2.
A jury of more than 50 television professionals selected Kockelmann from a longlist of nine interviews. It praised the human way he questioned Schoof about his premiership. The award is the first for the 56-year-old presenter.
Coen Verbraak, last year’s winner, came second for his interview with journalist Frits Abrahams about Abrahams’s wife, who has dementia. Eva Jinek placed third for her interview with SGP leader Chris Stoffer about his party’s anti-abortion position.
Kockelmann received the award on Sunday on NPO 1’s *Pauw & De Wit*. The prize, an initiative of *VARAgids*, was presented for the 18th time. It was the first ceremony held without its namesake, Sonja Barend, who died in April aged 86.
Sign in to give this article a thumbs up or down.
About this discussion and AI questions
Private test discussion. Comments are readers’ views and are not yet automatically fact-checked. Editing is available for 60 seconds after posting.
Sign in with a confirmed reader account and choose a username to read comments and participate.
Sorting applies to top-level comments; replies remain oldest first. New comments and likes can change the order. Refresh for the current ranking.
Loading comments…