On 14 March 2025, the prize was awarded at a ceremony in Berlin's Rotes Rathaus - honouring three outstanding initiatives that are highly committed to respect, tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
First place went to the Neukölln Peer Helper Network, which promotes social commitment and personal responsibility among young people who support their peers as peer helpers - particularly in the area of social integration.
Second place went to the ‘Let's argue properly!’ project, an educational school programme to promote non-violent communication and sustainable conflict resolution.
Third place went to the ‘World Journey of Tolerance’, a creative, intercultural project in which children and young people discover the cultural diversity of their classmates and experience it together.
The initiative was launched by the Bürgerstiftung Berlin together with Dr Andrea Grebe, M. san. and is supported by the Klaus and Lydia Riedel Family Fund, which was founded in 2012 by Prof Klaus Riedel and his wife Lydia. The fund specifically supports peace education projects with the aim of sensitising young people to respectful and non-violent coexistence.
Die Auswahl der Preisträger übernimmt eine unabhängige Jury mit Fachleuten aus Bildung, Kultur, Sport und Medien: Kaweh Niroowand (Jurysprecher), Karen Giese, Gernot Goldenbaum, Dr. Diana Marossek, Jan-Eric Peters, Beate Stefanescu und Hannelore Weimar.
Ein besonderer Dank gilt Staatssekretärin Christina Henke für ihre Unterstützung sowie der Beatbox-Gruppe The Razzzones, die mit ihrer mitreißenden Performance für einen musikalischen Höhepunkt der Veranstaltung sorgten.
Mit Buddies for Peace setzen wir ein starkes Zeichen für Verständigung, gegenseitigen Respekt und friedliches Zusammenleben – in Berlin und weit darüber hinaus.