Reinhard Mohn Prize

The Reinhard Mohn Prize has been awarded by the Bertelsmann Stiftung since 2011.[1] It recognizes internationally renowned individuals for their forward-looking solutions to social and political challenges.[2] Given in memory of Reinhard Mohn, who died in 2009, it succeeds the Carl Bertelsmann Prize, which was awarded from 1988 to 2008.[3][4] The Reinhard Mohn Prize is one of the main responsibilities of Liz Mohn,[5] honorary member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung's board of trustees.[6]

Recipients of the prize include former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan (2013),[7] German President Joachim Gauck (2018),[8] and President of Moldova Maia Sandu (2025).[9]

History

Reinhard Mohn initiated the Carl Bertelsmann Prize in 1988.[10][11] At the time, he was chairman of the Bertelsmann Stiftung management board and chairman of the Bertelsmann supervisory board.[4] As laid out in its founding statutes, the prize was meant to identify solutions to socio-political challenges in Germany and beyond.[12] International initiatives and projects played an important role in achieving that goal.[13][14] As Mohn explained, the Carl Bertelsmann Prize was intended to "stimulate thought processes and promote opportunities for creative people to develop."[15]

Criticism

The awarding of the 1994 Carl Bertelsmann Prize to two private television stations (the Channel 4 of the UK and Seven Network of Australia) was linked to criticism of the regulations governing the German broadcasting system. The German daily newspaper Die Tageszeitung, for example, saw this as an unacceptable conflict of interest, since the Bertelsmann group itself holds an interest in broadcaster RTL.[38] Independently of this, the 1998 Carl Bertelsmann Prize was again used to call for a reorganization of Germany's media oversight authority. The declared goals included "more self-control and user skills."[39]

In 2010, author and journalist Thomas Schuler criticized the awarding of the 2002 Carl Bertelsmann Prize to Transparency International. He accused the Bertelsmann Stiftung of using the award to publicly advocate for greater transparency while not being sufficiently transparent itself.[40]

External links

• Reinhard Mohn Prize official website