Chemnitz Peace Prize awarded

Today, the Citizens' Association FUER CHEMNITZ e. V., in cooperation with the City of Chemnitz's Migration Officer, Etelka Kobuß, presented the Chemnitz Peace Prize for the 18th time at the State Museum of Archaeology Chemnitz (smac).

The Peace Prize is a civil society award, by citizens for citizens. Mayor Ralph Burghart thanked the award winners: "They are all facing up to their responsibility for dealing with the past as well as the present. They are people, campaigns and initiatives that stand up for tolerance, democracy, interculturality and against racism. They are all characterised by solidarity, compassion, help and sympathy."

The award winners

After numerous project visits and personal interviews, the winners were selected from more than 20 proposed projects, individuals and initiatives by a diverse jury.

1st prize
Arba Manillah was honoured with the first prize this year. He comes from Tanzania and has lived in Chemnitz since 2003. The drummer, singer and dancer organises workshops, the monthly "Respect Jam Session" and projects with children, migrants, disabled people and many more. He has organised music festivals both in his native Africa and in Chemnitz, where musicians from different continents come together. Wherever he goes, he connects people. He says of himself: "The world is my home. I could live anywhere."
For his tireless commitment to promoting peaceful coexistence in our city through music, encounters, exchange and dialogue, Arba Manillah was awarded the 1st prize of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2021, together with prize money of 500 euros and the Peace Prize sculpture by sculptor Erik Neukirchner.

2nd prize
The second prize went to Adel Matar. The Palestinian fled from Syria and has lived in Chemnitz for around seven years. He was the only Arab to get involved in the Chemnitz Welcome Service, which welcomed refugees at night at the main railway station in 2015/2016 and accompanied them to the initial reception centre in Ebersdorf. When this commitment was no longer necessary, he felt the need to give something back to the people of Chemnitz for the help that refugees received and continue to receive in this city. He founded the "2 Days for Chemnitz" initiative. Together with around 40 other refugees, he provides neighbourly help wherever he is needed. For this selfless commitment, he received the sum of 300 euros, which is part of the 2nd prize.

3rd prize
The third prize was awarded to Brückenbauer Chemnitz e.V.. The organisation builds bridges between refugees, migrants and locals in order to break down barriers and prejudices. It runs the "Chemnitzer Brücke" meeting centre near the initial reception centre. The members of the association offer hospitality and practical help, mediate relationships between locals and migrants and break down language barriers. The association was awarded 3rd prize, worth 200 euros, for its many years of voluntary and determined commitment for and with refugees.

The prize of honour
The 2021 honorary award winner is Enrico Hilbert. Since 1993, Enrico Hilbert has been committed to making the victims of German fascism visible, especially in Chemnitz. He brings history into the present day by carrying out meticulous research, providing information on tours, guiding school classes through the Buchenwald Memorial and co-initiating the Chemnitz "Stumbling Stones". He has worked on historical publications and exhibitions that have attracted attention at the Chemnitz Peace Day in recent years. The memorial stele at the Chemnitz branch of the Flossenbürg concentration camp at Jagdschänkenstraße 52 - exactly where a forced labour camp for Auto Union Siegmar was located in 1944 - also attracted attention. Enrico Hilbert is chairman of the Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime - League of Anti-Fascists Chemnitz. Enrico Hilbert was awarded the 2021 Prize of Honour for his continuous and long-standing commitment in and for Chemnitz and also received the Peace Prize sculpture by sculptor Erik Neukirchner.

The previous years' recipients were Pastor 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) and Iris Tätzel-Machute (2019) and Dr Hans Brenner (2020).

Children and youth prize
The Children and Youth Prize goes to Janice Schmelzer. She started feeding her piggy bank "Rosalie" at the age of 13. Janice Schmelzer uses what comes out of the piggy bank exclusively to help the homeless in Chemnitz.
Janice Schmelzer was honoured with the 2021 Chemnitz Peace Prize Youth Award for her selfless help and humanity.

Announcement of the 2022 Peace Prize

The award ceremony was used to announce the next Peace Prize 2022. Applications and proposals will be accepted until 17 January 2022.
Submissions to: Bürgerverein FUER CHEMNITZ e.V., Straße der Nationen 45, 09111 Chemnitz, bvfuer-chemnitz(at)gmx.de