The Janusz Korczak School in Chemnitz is one of the main winners of the 2025/2026 Hob Prize. Playmobil’s Children’s Support Foundation awards this prize to schools and educational programmes that provide children with fair educational opportunities.
The Chemnitz special school, which focuses on intellectual development, was recognised for its personalised approach to the lower years. This approach is tailored to the school’s approximately 100 pupils and relies on individual learning plans, reliable structures and recurring rituals in everyday school life.
The aim of the programme is to support each child according to their abilities, to strengthen their participation and to open up the best possible opportunities for development. The award comes with prize money of 25,000 euros.
At the award ceremony, guests were presented with a ‘Schmunzelstein’ (smile stone) as a small memento. It symbolises the idea that a good education can not only nurture but also bring joy.
With a total of 250,000 euros in prize money, the Hob Prize is one of Germany’s largest school competitions.
