The 17th Siebenpfeiffer Prize of the Siebenpfeiffer Foundation (Homburg/Saar) goes to Jan Lorenzen and Sophia Maier. The 10,000 euro prize is thus awarded to two journalists. The jury, chaired by SR Director General Martin Grasmück, has also decided to award a special prize.
Once again, current political developments in Germany shaped the selection of the prizewinner. In view of the increasing right-wing populist and radical tendencies, the choice fell on journalists who use their work to shed light on the mechanisms of political radicalisation and thus take a stand against the threat to democracy.
Jan Lorenzen's ARD documentary "Wir waren in der AfD - Aussteiger berichten" (MDR/rbb/BR), which has since been broadcast many times, provides disturbing insights into the inner workings of the party, which is celebrating frightening electoral successes not only in the eastern German states.
Sophia Maier also dealt with the same topic. The investigative journalist went undercover for her production "Is our democracy in danger?" (RTL), the investigative journalist infiltrated networks of extreme right-wing activists. She experienced hate campaigns and death threats.
The additional special prize of 1,000 euros goes to Simone Wagenhaus. She created the series "The Dawn of Democracy" for the "Frankfurter Neue Presse". In a 57-part series published on a weekly basis, she describes the background and course of the beginnings of parliamentarianism to mark the 175th anniversary of the "March Revolution" and the constituent National Assembly in St Paul's Church in Frankfurt.
"Unfortunately, it has to be said that it is more important than ever to honour journalistic work that provides fact-based and courageous information," said SR Director General Martin Grasmück on the selection of the award winners. "The work of Sophia Maier and Jan Lorenzen on political radicalisation and, in particular, on the rise of right-wing extremism in Germany is an award-worthy testimony to this. In doing so, they are also making a valuable contribution to preserving the free and democratic basic order in Germany - very much in the spirit of Philipp Jakob Siebenpfeiffer, the champion of freedom and democracy and namesake of the foundation. Our heartfelt congratulations to Sophia Maier, Jan Lorenzen and Simone Wagenhaus!"
District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo, Chairman of the Siebenpfeiffer Foundation, confirms the importance of such commitment and the appropriate award: "The dividers who are on the move in Germany, on the left the BSW, on the right the AfD, who use disinformation, lies and hatred to unsettle and incite people, who want to trivialise Russia's current inhumane actions, possibly even being controlled from there, urgently need to be exposed, because ultimately they want to sell off our democracy, our freedom and all the achievements, including the peace we have had in Europe for over 70 years."
The 17th Siebenpfeiffer Prize will be awarded on Sunday, 16 March 2025, from 11 a.m. in the Parliamentary Wing of the Homburg Forum.
The Siebenpfeiffer Prize was first awarded in 1987. Previous winners have included Franz Alt, Ralph Giordano, Heribert Prantl, Peter Scholl-Latour, Reporters Without Borders, Günther Wallraff, Glenn Greenwald and Can Dündar. The 2022 award went to journalists from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.