The FAZIT Foundation’s ‘Joseph Prize’ goes to Slovenia.
On 29 January 2026, this year’s winners of the ‘Jugend schreibt’ (Youth Writes) project were honoured at the FAZ Tower, the headquarters of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung/FAZ in Frankfurt/Main. A ‘Joseph Prize’ was awarded to Urh Štrakl and Blaž Klinar from Gimnazija Celje Center ‘for their outstanding article “Many Fates Share One Destiny,”’ which was published in the FAZ on 5 May 2025. In it, the two authors unfold the story of Robert Waltl, director of the Mini Theatre and Jewish Cultural Centre in Ljubljana, researching and describing Jewish life in the past and present.
Andreas Barner and Simon Haug spoke on behalf of the FAZIT Foundation at the award ceremony, while Gerald Braunberger spoke as editor of the FAZ. Simon Strauß spoke about the history and significance of the ‘Joseph Prize’, how he once got to know the Berlin Holocaust survivor Rolf Joseph through many encounters with a group of students, became friends with him and later founded the ‘Joseph Prize’ with them as the ‘Joseph Group’ in memory and remembrance. Ursel Sikora, Rolf Joseph’s widow, also attended the award ceremony and expressed her special thanks to Urh Štrakl ‘for his moving speech, which I will never forget for the rest of my life!’ The German ambassador to Slovenia, Sylvia Groneick, sent a letter of congratulations on the award.
Dr. Gerald Hühner, project manager of ‘Jugend schreibt’ in Slovenia at the INSTITUT DISCIMUS LAB, spoke on behalf of the mentors in Frankfurt. The ‘Joseph Prize 2026’ is already the second award for the Slovenian project within the framework of ‘Jugend schreibt’; in 2023, a group prize had already been awarded for the publications from Slovenia in the 2022/23 project year.
Once again, congratulations to Urh and Blaž for their dedicated and impressive work. But also a big thank you to all participants, sponsors and supporters of the Slovenian ‘Jugend schreibt’ [Youth Writes] project, which has so far resulted in more than 50 reports from Slovenia being published in the FAZ: In particular, the FAZ with Ursula Kals and the IZOP Institute Aachen with Titus Maria Horstschäfer: for their administrative and always prompt editorial support. And in Slovenia, especially the Municipality of Celje as patron and the Slovenian Tourist Board/STO, which supported the trip to the award ceremony and planning meetings, among other things.
Photos ©: INSTITUT DISCIMUS LAB
