Achternbusch was awarded the German international literary Petrarca-Preis in 1977, but he declined the honor. He burned the prize check after accepting it and left the event. He won the Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis in 1986 and 1994. In 1996, Achternbusch refused to personally receive the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Film Award in Bielefeld. In 2010, he was awarded the Kassel Literary Prize.
