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The Ludwig-Börne-Preis is a literary award that is awarded annually by the Frankfurt-based Ludwig-Börne-Stiftung. It is one of the most important of its kind in German-speaking countries.
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Objective and methods
In 1993 the banker and publicist Michael Gotthelf established a foundation that annually awards the Ludwig-Börne-Preis to a German-speaking author, acknowledging his or her outstanding performances in the fields of essays, reviews and reportage. Thus, the foundation celebrates the memory of the Frankfurt author, revolutionary democrat and political journalist Ludwig Börne (1786-1837) and his works.
A judge is nominated by the foundation board, for the sole responsibility of deciding who will win this award. This judge, moreover, makes a speech in the winner’s honor. The prize is worth 20.000 euros and its presentation takes place in St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt.
In 2010 the foundation for the first time awarded a Börne-medal to Marcel Reich-Ranicki for his life work.
Foundation board
Founder and chairman of Ludwig-Börne-Stiftung is Michael A. Gotthelf. The foundation board is made up of Salomon Korn (chairman of the Jewish community in Frankfurt), Peter Feldmann (Lord Mayor of the city of Frankfurt), Felix Semmelroth (Frankfurts head of the culture department), Klaus-Peter Müller (supervisory board chairman of Commerzbank), Hubert Burda (Hubert Burda Media) and Thomas Bellut (ZDF director general).