The SozialMarie 2021 goes to...
05/02/21
SozialMarie Award
The winners of the SozialMarie - Prize for Social Innovation have now been announced! The Prize was awarded by an international jury to 15 outstanding projects from Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Warm congratulations to the 15 winners of the award! This year we are once again thrilled by the number of outstanding socially innovative projects.
Online - but still festive: On May 1st, we announced the winners in front of a virtual audience. Our moderator, radio presenter and DJ Stuart Freeman, and the Croatian band Saffron ensured a great atmosphere for the virtual celebration.
Click here to watch the video of the award ceremony.
Main prizes:
1st prize (€15,000): Labour dispute and care (Austria)
There are currently 60.000 live-in caregivers working in Austria, the majority of whom come from Eastern Europe. They are usually entirely dependent on the agencies that arrange their contracts, as well as on the people they care for. They are not protected by labour law, they are excluded from most social services and they are often forced to accept intolerable working conditions. The first prize of the SozialMarie goes to the grassroot organization of migrant live-in caregivers. They take the problem into their own hands and fight for their rights! The project “Labour dispute and care” has already reached 11.000 live-in care workers.
2nd prize (€10,000): Pandemic legal aid (Hungary)
A group of engaged lawyers found an easy way to provide legal aid to homeless people and help them to make use of their social and human rights. Before the pandemic, they set up regularly in the public squares of Budapest and gave legal advice to the homeless and people in difficult living conditions. They now provide legal advice by phone and email to those in need. The growing unemployment and housing crisis caused by the pandemic underscores the importance of the legal services provided by the Streetlawyers Association.
3rd prize (€5,000): MADE IN: Crafts and Design Narratives (Croatia, Austria, Slovenia)
The mass production of goods not only affects the environment, but also contributes to the disappearance of hand-crafted goods and the knowhow of craft production. At the same time, making local products is an important part of cultural identity. The MADE IN platform brings together designers, manufacturers, researchers and curators to participate in a creative process. They research, document, develop ideas: the MADE IN platform creates an Industry 4.0 for crafted products: “Craft 4.0”.
Another 12 prizes, each worth €2,000, were awarded to projects from Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.
Intercultural work in the municipality
Mental health care program for high school students
Partnership for education during the pandemic
Zukunftslaut - the voice of the youth
For more information on the winning and nominated projects, check out our brochure.