The Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations (FRFG) promotes and awards two biennial prizes, in alternate years: the Demography Prize and the Intergenerational Justice Prize. A total of €10,000 – generously endowed by the Stiftung Apfelbaum – is awarded each year and divided among the winning entrants.
Aim of the Demography Prize
The Demographic prize for young scientists is an important contribution to improving public consciousness on demographic themes. The competition, the announcement of the winners and the eventual publication of the winning entries will all serve to expose people to themes that are important to the FRFG.
The prize will encourage discussions about demographic change, give it a scientific base, and highlight different ways today’s decision-makers could deal with it. The FRFG would like to increase the numbers of dissertations and theses written on this subject by raising awareness of the theme at an early point in time.
1st Demography Prize
In 2007, the FRFG promoted the 1st Demography Prize for Young Scientists, inspired by the Apfelbaum Foundation. The Demography Prize 2006/07 was looking for submissions by young scientists that addressed the decline of the birth rate in Germany. The 1st Demography Prize addressed the topic of Increasing the Birth rate in Germany within the framework of a Liberal Society.
In the coming decades the German population will continue to age and shrink. This demographic change is unstoppable. That is why science is being called upon to name developments and to show politics, economy and society recommendations for action. However, adjusting to the change cannot be the only solution. The twin spirals of aging and shrinking will continue to amplify if their root cause, the decrease of the birth rate, is not addressed. The public debate up to now is characterized by hysteria on the one side and indifference on the other.
Possible research questions included:
To what extent is it possible to increase the total fertility rate in Germany? Up to what extent is it possible to derive specific recommendations for action from other developed countries for the relevant actors in Germany?
Winning submissions
1st prize: Franziska Höring, Jan Lemanski, Stephan Schütze, Christoph Sperfeldt: “Changing Minds and Politics—Appeals for Sustainable Family Policy”
2nd prize: Wolfgang Gründiger “Dare for more Children—For an Active Birth Policy in Germany for a Better Demographic Future” (original: “Mehr Kinder wagen”)
3rd prize was shared by:
Inés Brock: “Lack of Siblings and how Multi-Children Families can be Encouraged” (original: “Geschwisterlosigkeit und wie der Mut zur Mehrkinderfamilie geweckt werden kann”)
Annelene Wengler und Anne-Kristin Kuhnt: “Children, Children, Children—Is a Rise in the Number of Children in Germany Even Possible?” (original: „Kinder, Kinder, Kinder“)
Honrable mention: Susanne Mey: “The Crisis as a Chance for Change” (original: “Die Krise als Chance zur Veränderung”)
The awarded papers were published in issue 3/2007 of the Journal for Intergenerational Justice.
Award ceremony
The awards ceremony took place on November 9th, 2007 as part of the symposium “Ways to More Children in Germany” at the Government Offices of Saxony in Berlin, in cooperation with the Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment and the Inforadio Berlin.