In 2015, Winkler received a scholarship from the "Workshop for Young Literature" in Graz, where he won the Retzhof Prize of the Literaturhaus Graz for excerpts from his debut novel Hool.
2015 war Winkler Stipendiat der „Werkstatt für junge Literatur“ in Graz und gewann dort für Auszüge aus seinem Debütroman Hool den Retzhof-Preis des Literaturhauses Graz.