German School Award 2025
These schools have made it to the finals
The German School Award 2025 is entering its final phase: 15 schools from Germany and abroad have made it to the finals. Five have been nominated for the Democracy Education Award.
The excitement is building: a jury of around 50 members from the fields of education, school practice, and education administration has selected 15 schools for the final round of the prestigious German School Award 2025. The finalists come from almost every part of Germany—from Baden-Württemberg to Thuringia—as well as from Tbilisi in Georgia. They can now all hope to win one of the coveted awards.
The award ceremony with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will take place on September 30, 2025, in Berlin. The main prize is endowed with 100,000 euros, and five additional prizes are worth 30,000 euros each. All other finalists will receive recognition awards of 5,000 euros. The event will be broadcast live.
German School Award 2025: The nominees
- Gemeinschaftsschule Gebhard Konstanz, 78467, Baden-Württemberg
- Ernst-Reuter-Gemeinschaftsschule in Karlsruhe, 76139, Baden-Württemberg
- Elisabeth-von-Thadden-Schule in Heidelberg, 69123, Baden-Württemberg
- Maria-Leo-Grundschule, 10407, Berlin
- Grace-Hopper-Gesamtschule in Teltow, 14513, Brandenburg
- Schule An der Burgweide, 21109, Hamburg
- Friedensschule Osnabrück, 49074, Niedersachsen
- Anne-Frank-Gesamtschule in Havixbeck, 48329, Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Green Gesamtschule in Duisburg, 47226, Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Evangelische Gesamtschule Gelsenkirchen-Bismarck, 45889, Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Grundschule Zum Striedt Wemmetsweiler, Merchweiler, 66589, Saarland
- Questenberg-Grundschule Meißen, 01662, Sachsen
- Lyonel-Feininger-Gymnasium Halle, 06108, Sachsen-Anhalt
- Jenaplanschule Weimar - Staatliche Gemeinschaftsschule, 99423, Thüringen
- Deutsche Internationale Schule Tbilissi, Georgien
Focus on democracy education
This year, for the first time, a special prize for democracy education will also be awarded. Applicants were able to apply for this prize independently of the main competition. A separate expert jury selected ten schools for in-depth interviews and nominated five schools that demonstrate a special commitment to democratic values, participation, and responsibility in everyday school life—both in the classroom and in the school community.
Democracy Education Special Prize: The Nominees
- Ernst-Reuter-Gemeinschaftsschule in Karlsruhe, 76139, Baden-Württemberg
- Campus di Monaco in München, 81735, Bayern
- Grundschule Karlsfeld an der Krenmoosstraße, 85757, Bayern
- Schule An der Burgweide, 21109, Hamburg
- Evangelisches Schulzentrum Muldental in Großbardau, 04668, Sachsen
A cycle in which good school practices are reinforced and disseminated
The path to get there was challenging: from over 100 applications, the jury first selected 20 schools, which were then visited and evaluated by jury teams. Based on these visits, the 15 finalists were finally determined. A separate selection process with in-depth interviews was held for the “Democracy Education” thematic award.
The concepts of the winning schools will then be prepared and made available to all interested schools through training courses, publications, and the German School Portal's online platform. All applicant schools also have the opportunity to work intensively on their own teaching development for 15 months in the German School Award forum. Offers such as the observation program are aimed at all teachers in Germany and enable them to observe lessons at the winning schools. It's a cycle that reinforces and spreads good school practices.
The German School Award is considered the most prestigious, demanding, and highly endowed award for good schools in Germany. It has been presented since 2006 by the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH in cooperation with the Heidehof Foundation. The ARD and the ZEIT publishing group are cooperation partners. The competition focuses on the quality of teaching and the question of how schools can best organize teaching and learning for their students.