The Hansel-Mieth-Prize 2025 goes to Frauke Hunfeld and Alexander Kauschanski (text) as well as Max Avdeev (photos) for their reportage „Das Lager,“ published in Spiegel.
The report describes the conditions in Germany's largest refugee accommodation in Berlin-Tegel, where thousands of people live in catastrophic conditions – while numerous companies are doing good business with these conditions.
The jury's reasoning: „Outstandingly written and photographed – based on exemplary, in-depth research. Research that makes you experience what life in such a camp feels like as you read. Research that doesn't get blinded by first impressions and vividly brings to light the figures behind such a huge, long-term makeshift situation. It's impressive what access the photographer and the team of authors gained to the residents of the refugee camp. The closeness that this made possible makes this reportage something special.“
The following features have also been honored. They will be published together with the winning entry in the anthology „Hansel-Mieth-Preis 2025“ (Schwoerer Verlag); also included are the feature that was funded by last year's Gabriel-Grüner Scholarship, as well as the winning story of this year's Gabriel-Grüner Junior Prize. This anthology will be sent as a documentation to the participants and supporters of the prizes and the scholarship.
What does „normal“ even mean? Diana Laarz, Photos: Roman Pawlowski, Geo
They ate toothpaste and sand. (Text: Andreas Holzapfel, Photos: Christian Bobst), Republik.ch
• May I go out?„ Julia Kopatzki, Photos: Aliona Kardash, The Mirror
Station 67 (Text: Nico Schnurr, Dominik Stawski, Photos: Patrick Slesiona), Strict
Mr. Has indebted his books (Text: Leonie Feuerbach, Photos: Hannes Jung), Frankfurter Allgemeine Magazine
The petting visitor Helena Weise, Photos: Fabian Zapatka, Geo
How far is Buchenwald? Malte Henk, Photos: Marian Lenhard, The time
She is studying for her life. Cathrin Schmiegel, Photos: Tina Hsu, The time
The Old Man (Text: Nadine Ahr, Photos: Marian Lenhard), The time
The reporter collective Zeitenspiegel Reportagen, with the prize which will be awarded for the 27th time in 2025, commemorates its honorary member Johanna „Hansel“ Mieth, who died in 1998. She was a photojournalist for the American magazine Life dedicated to social issues. The prize honors outstanding committed reports. Text and photos are evaluated equally.
This year, 134 applications were submitted for the Hansel Mieth Prize. It is endowed with 6,000 euros.
The jury of the Hansel-Mieth Prize
Erdmann Wingert (Zeitenspiegel Reportagen, Reporter and Jury Chairman), Christoph Borgans (freelance reporter), Cornelia Fuchs (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Strict), Gesa Gottschalk (Geo-Author), Anton Hunger (Publicist and Author), Georg Mair (Editor-in-Chief of ff – The South Tyrolean Weekly Magazine), Jonas Wresch (freelance photographer)
Awards ceremony
The Hansel-Mieth Prize 2025 will be awarded on June 25, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Fellbach Town Hall (near Stuttgart).