Civil Courage Award 2025: Everyday heroes honored in Hildesheim!

Civil Courage Award 2025: Everyday heroes honored in Hildesheim!

A special day for the Hildesheim district: On June 13, 2025, the Civil Courage Prize was awarded for the tenth time. The celebrations took place in the KSM training workshop in Hildesheim and once again honored those people who have distinguished themselves through courageous actions and a strong commitment to their fellow human beings. District Administrator Bernd Lynack did not miss the opportunity to praise the award winners for their remarkable efforts.

The award, dedicated to courageous commitments, consists of a unique aluminum sculpture cast from aluminum heated to 760 degrees. An impressive symbol for the Civil Courage Prize, which not only has a material value, but also underlines the immense importance of civil courage. The jury, consisting of representatives from the police, district administrator and artist Enrico Garbelmann, once again honored outstanding achievements this year after the award ceremony had to be paused in the last two years due to the corona pandemic.

The winners of the Civil Courage Award

This year, a total of five outstanding people were awarded the Civil Courage Prize:

• Kerstin Blank aus Hanau: Sie versuchte im Juli 2024, gemeinsam mit ihren Kindern Lola und Emil, einen ertrinkenden Mann im Hildesheimer Hohnsensee zu retten.
• Volkan Irtegün aus Hameln und Lino Tristan Lau aus Elze: Diese beiden zeigten Zivilcourage, indem sie einen auffällig fahrenden Verkehrsteilnehmer bei der Polizei meldeten, der am gleichen Tag zwei Herzinfarkte erlitt.
• Simone Hauptmann aus Hildesheim: Sie verhinderte einen Enkeltrick bei einer älteren Kundin.
• Uta Zänger aus Wesseln: Sie alarmierte die Polizei und warnte eine ältere Nachbarin vor Einbrechern.
• Jakob Stoller aus Gronau: Gemeinsam mit einem Freund vereitelte er eine Körperverletzung (war nicht anwesend bei der Verleihung).

All award winners received an individual award that shows a human handprint made of a special aluminum alloy. Artist Enrico Garbelmann, who designed this award, emphasized the symbolism of the handprint as a symbol of civil courage and thus a connection to helping hands in society.

Commitment that inspires

The Civil Courage Prize honors people who courageously stand up for others - a cause that is of great importance in today's society. As District Administrator Bernd Lynack and Martin Kaufmann, managing director of the district housing company kwg, emphasized once again, promoting civil courage and the courage to help is something that is very important in the community. In this sense, the kwg donates the prize money, which means that the prize has not only a symbolic but also a practical value.

The event, which was organized together with KSM Castings Group GmbH, shows how important it is to recognize and make visible civil society commitment. The Civil Courage Award is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of civil courage and at the same time encourage others to act as well. After all, each of us can find ourselves in a situation where moral courage is required.

For anyone who would like to find out more about the awards and the winners, the websites Leinetal24, KSM Castings and Zivilcourage für Alle detailed information.