Portrait
Mover wanted! USable Transatlantic Idea Competition
The Körber Foundation's USable Transatlantic Idea Competition encourages civic engagement in Germany. For over 10 years it has summoned a call from across the Atlantic to receive inspiration from the citizens of America.
In the U.S. and Canada, civic initiatives and the active participation of citizens feature heavily in the solving of society's problems. More and more people in Germany are engaged in this spirit. This competition wants to encourage these movers!
As the name of the competition suggests, the initiatives sought, rewarded and promoted by the USable Transatlantic Idea Competition should be useful and practical. Every two years the competition is dedicated to a focused theme.
Since the first call for submissions in 1998, the Körber Foundation has assisted numerous prizewinners in the local, citywide, regional or nationwide implementation of their ideas imported from North America. Mentoring for children and teenagers, community organizing and readings - the list goes on of excellent ideas, projects and methods resulting from the competition. All of the contest's prized initiatives are borne from the spirit of American civil society. Many of the initiatives are inspired by a concrete example from the U.S.
For the 2009/2010 competition, the Körber Foundation has set aside a total of €120,000 in prize money. A jury of German and North American experts determine the winners in a two-step process. The first round consists of the nomination of 20 initiatives. The nominated participants automatically become part of the USable Prizewinners Network.
In the second round, the jury awards three nominated initiatives €20,000 each. All prizewinners are introduced to the wider public at a festive awards ceremony in June, 2010.
The Körber Foundation places particular emphasis on the sustained sponsorship of the prizewinners and nominated participants; the concept thus serves as a basis for capacity building: through targeted workshops, the members of the USable Prizewinners Network are able to gain skills, efficiency and professionalism for the coordination of their nonprofit initiatives. In addition, the Körber Foundation works in cooperation with renowned partner organizations such as the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt.
What is the Koerber Foundation?
A forum for impulses
