Today, the Chemnitz Peace Prize was awarded for the 22nd time in the City Council Chamber of Chemnitz City Hall.
The civil society prize is awarded annually on the occasion of the Chemnitz Peace Day - the anniversary of the bombing of Chemnitz on 5 March 1945 - by the citizens' association FUER CHEMNITZ e. V. and the City of Chemnitz's migration commissioner, Etelka Kobuß. The diverse jury honours individuals, organisations, projects and initiatives from Chemnitz who stand up for fundamental values such as tolerance, equality and democracy and whose activities promote peace across generations.
The 2025 award winners
The following award winners were selected from numerous proposed projects, individuals and initiatives following project visits and personal discussions with the nominees:
1st prize
The "Kältebus Chemnitz " initiative has been awarded 1st prize in the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2025 for its voluntary commitment to helping homeless and homeless people, along with prize money of 500 euros and the Peace Prize sculpture by sculptor Erik Neukirchner.
Several times a week, volunteers travel around Chemnitz in a bus, distributing donations in kind (such as clothing, sleeping mats, sleeping bags and toiletries), hot tea and food and are there to talk to people who need help on an equal footing.
Sabine Kühnrich, musician, long-standing member of the Chemnitz Peace Prize jury and member of the Chemnitz Peace Day working group, formulated the words of honour for the first prize.
2nd prize
Mittel-Punkt e. V. was awarded the 2nd prize of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2025 and the corresponding sum of 300 euros for its sustained and extraordinary commitment.
Mittel-Punkt e.V. has set itself the task of focussing on people in need of help and/or assistance and supporting them in difficult situations in their lives, among other things. This support is very diverse: individual support to fulfil the wishes of a seriously ill child, time out for a family whose father has successfully beaten cancer, financial support for therapies, but also donations in kind for clinics in the form of "hero boxes" - for example with Tonieboxes and matching audio plays.
The laudatory speech for the second prize was given by Heike Steege, a long-standing member of the Chemnitz Peace Prize jury.
3rd prize
The non-partisan civil society initiative "Omas und Opas gegen Rechts " (Grannies and Grandpas against the Right ) - supported by older women and men, also known as OMAS and OPAS - courageously uses symbolism and political activity to campaign for the preservation of parliamentary democracy, the safeguarding of social standards and equal rights for all people living in Germany.
The initiative is being honoured for its commitment to protecting our democracy and for its courageous, tireless, undaunted stand against all forms of racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia and exclusion with the third prize of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2025, endowed with a sum of 200 euros.
Melanie Hartwig and Dorothee Lücke gave the laudatory speech for the third prize.
Children and youth prize
This year, the "Democracy Group of the Lower Luisen School" was honoured with the Children and Youth Prize. The children and young people in the democracy group develop their activities and projects independently. They are an example of how young people can also do something and campaign against marginalisation and discrimination, against violence and for peace.
The laudatory speech for the children and youth prize was held by Julia Bombien, Chairwoman of the FUER CHEMNITZ e. V. citizens' association.
Honour award
Dr Thomas Schuler (historian, Director of the Schloßbergmuseum Chemnitz from 1992 to 2004) was awarded the Honorary Prize of the Chemnitz Peace Prize 2025 for his decades of tireless and multifaceted commitment.
The words of honour were spoken by Ronald Langhoff, a long-standing member of the jury.
The award ceremony
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze opened the festive award ceremony with a greeting from the city. Julia Bombien and Heike Steege remembered the co-founder of the Chemnitz Peace Prize, Hartwig Albiro, who died on 31 December 2024.
Ronja Liebich (oboe) and Henrike Hermann (clarinet) - both young talents from the Chemnitz Municipal Music School - performed the musical part of the ceremony.
The award ceremony was followed by a small reception.
The following contact persons are available to answer any questions:
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 and member of the jury
Phone: 0371 488 5047
E-mail: migrationsbeauftragte(at)stadt-chemnitz.de
Further information: