Chemnitz Peace Prize awarded

Today, the FUER CHEMNITZ e. V. civic association, in cooperation with Etelka Kobuß, the City of Chemnitz Commissioner for Migration, presented the Chemnitz Peace Prize for the 19th time in the City Council Chamber of Chemnitz Town Hall.

The Chemnitz Peace Prize is a civil society prize awarded by citizens for citizens. The prize is awarded to individuals, organisations, projects and initiatives from Chemnitz that stand up for basic values such as tolerance and democracy, consider the integration of different cultures to be an essential part of our coexistence, take a stand against all forms of exclusion, xenophobia and racism, actively work for peace and promote and support non-violent coexistence.

Once again this year, the award ceremony could not take place in the context of the Chemnitz Peace Day on 5 March due to the pandemic, which commemorates the destruction of Chemnitz on 5 March 1945 as a result of Germany's inhumane, hostile policies at the time and the Second World War that began in Germany.

The award winners

Following project visits and personal discussions between the jury members and the nominees, the award winners were selected from numerous proposed projects, individuals and initiatives by a diverse jury.

1st prize

Lukas Stern e. V. was awarded first prize this year. Seriously ill
people are usually not visible. Founded in 2016, the Lukas Stern e.V. association has set itself the task of fulfilling the heartfelt wishes of seriously ill people. The non-profit and charitable organisation has around ten members, all of whom work on a voluntary basis. The majority of the sick people who receive help from the organisation are children and young people. The fulfilment of their heartfelt wishes is financed exclusively by donations. In this way, people who need help and people who can help come together.
The number of wishes that are brought to the organisation is constantly increasing and so is the work of its members. With great personal commitment, they ensure that suffering people are heard and get a slice of happiness.
For this commitment, Lukas Stern e.V. was honoured with the 1st prize of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2022, together with prize money of 500 euros and the Peace Prize sculpture by sculptor Erik Neukirchner.

2nd prize

The second prize went to Hans Viktor Alexis Fährmann. His themes are mutual understanding, understanding and breaking down prejudices as the basis for peaceful coexistence. He contributes these values to society in many different ways and, as a role model and humanist, radiates far beyond the borders of our city. Probably his biggest project is the establishment of a group of over 4000 open-minded, friendly hosts in Chemnitz, a couchsurfing network. He has travelled to countless countries, speaks many languages and everywhere he goes he campaigns for peace, for people and cultures to live together - and against violence. For this commitment, he was awarded 2nd prize and the corresponding sum of 300 euros.

3rd prize

The third prize was awarded to UNICEF AG Chemnitz. UNICEF is the United Nations Children's Fund. For over 30 years, the UNICEF Chemnitz working group has been committed to the realisation of children's rights worldwide in our region. The focus of its work is the promotion of educational projects, such as the construction of schools, support for the education of children in crisis areas or school education for homeless children in Africa. Through its intensive relationships with schools in Chemnitz and the surrounding area, the group is able to teach children and young people here about the difficult living conditions of their peers in developing countries. The organisation was awarded 3rd prize, worth 200 euros, for its continuous, creative and committed work in raising awareness and fundraising for children in need around the world.

The prize of honour

The 2022 Honorary Award winner is Renate Aris. Born in Dresden in 1936, Renate Aris escaped the suffering of the vast majority of Jewish citizens at the time: deportation to a concentration camp. After the Allied air raid on Dresden, she was able to successfully hide. In 1969, her career took her to Karl-Marx-Stadt, where she became involved in the small Jewish community. She still does to this day. Here she founded the Jewish Women's Association, was active on the community's board and helped to shape the Jewish community when it expanded immensely due to immigration in the early 1990s. Renate Aris has made it her mission to educate people. She visits schools, organises guided tours of the Chemnitz synagogue and answers young people's questions as a contemporary witness. Renate Aris was awarded the Honorary Prize of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2022 for her life's work as a committed citizen for democracy and peaceful coexistence, and in recognition of her services to the Jewish community in Chemnitz, and also received the Peace Prize sculpture by sculptor Erik Neukirchner.

The recipients of the honour in previous years were Hans-Jochen Vogel (2004), Siegmund Rotstein (2006), Justin Sonder (2008), Dr. Sadik Al-Biladi (2009), Stephan Brenner (2012), Pedro Martin Montero Pérez (2013), Christina and Wolfgang Lehmann (2014), the Kästel-Sasse family (2016), Liane Günther (2017), Iris Tätzel-Machute (2019), Dr Hans Brenner (2020), Enrico Hilbert (2021).

Children and youth prize

The Children and Youth Prize goes to Jakob Dost. In 2021, high school student Jakob Dost began to explore the history of the Jewish community in Chemnitz and made the film "Wir bleiben da - 135 Jahre jüdische Geschichte Chemnitz". He immerses himself in the development of the religious community, which he conveys with a wealth of facts and images. In several interviews, he also captures the current challenges facing the community.
Jakob Dost was awarded the Children and Youth Prize of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2022 for this outstanding and important film.

Award ceremony

Lord Mayor Sven Schulze opened the festive award ceremony with a greeting from the city. After a welcome address by Sabine Kühnrich, Heike Steege remembered Petra Zais, a long-standing jury member who passed away on 7 October 2021.

The laudatory speeches were given by Etelka Kobuß and Almut Patt for the first prize, Hartwig Albiro for the second prize and Nancy Gibson for the third prize. The laudatory speech for the honourable mention winner was held by
Egmont Elschner and Julia Bombien for the children's and youth prize. The "Blue Boys" trio from the Chemnitz Municipal Music School provided the musical accompaniment to the ceremony.
There was a small reception afterwards.

Announcement of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2023

The Chemnitz Peace Prize 2023 was announced during the ceremony. The prize will be awarded for the 20th time next year. Applications and proposals are now being accepted. The application deadline is 16 January 2023.

Please send proposals to: Bürgerverein FUER CHEMNITZ e.V., Straße der Nationen 45, 09111 Chemnitz, e-mail: bv-fuer-chemnitz(at)gmx.de

If you have any questions, please contact

Egmont Elschner,
Spokesman of the jury of the Chemnitz Peace Prize
Phone: 0172 3711363
E-mail: elschner(at)hanka-kliese.de

Sabine Kühnrich,
Bürgerverein FUER CHEMNITZ e.V. and member of the jury
Phone: 0177 2231335
E-mail: sabine.kuehnrich(at)gmx.de

Etelka Kobuß,
Migration Officer of the City of Chemnitz
Phone: 0371 488 5047
E-mail: migrationsbeauftragte(at)stadt-chemnitz.de