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What We Do

Max-Brauer-Award

The Max Brauer Award, endowed with 20,000 euros, has been awarded to personalities and institutions of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg since 1993. It encourages actors who shape the cultural, scientific or intellectual life of Hamburg with their commitment. It is dedicated to the memory of Max Brauer, the last Lord Mayor of Altona before 1933 and First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg after 1946.

An independent board of trustees decides on the award. An application is not possible.

Max Brauer Award Winner 2025:

Hanseatic Help e.V.

Since its founding in 2015, Hanseatic Help has stood for pragmatic emergency aid, active solidarity and civic engagement. What began as a spontaneous initiative to support refugees, the association is now an integral part of Hamburg's social fabric. Hanseatic Help collects and distributes donated clothing and other goods free of charge to over 300 organisations in Hamburg and northern Germany – from homeless shelters and women's refuges to schools and daycare centres – and also provides international assistance in crisis regions.

© Hanseatic Help

© Hanseatic Help

In addition to providing material assistance, Hanseatic Help promotes participation and inclusion: people from very different backgrounds find opportunities here to get involved, gain new perspectives and take on responsibility together. At the same time, the association is committed to sustainability by developing concepts for the reuse, recycling and upcycling of textiles and raising awareness of the global context of the textile industry. All of this is made possible by a large network of volunteers, cooperative partners and supporters. The motto behind the founding of the association, ‘#Einfachmachen’ (Just do it), continues to guide its work to this day.

 

In 2025, Hanseatic Help will celebrate its tenth anniversary. With the slogan ‘Together. Effective. Hand on it, Hamburg!’, the association is using this special year as an opportunity to focus on voluntary commitment and the value of voluntary work.

"The Max Brauer Prize is both a great honour and encouragement for us. It shows that civic engagement and active solidarity are valued in our city and that we can achieve a lot together. On our tenth anniversary, we see the award as further motivation to continue providing pragmatic, sustainable and inclusive assistance – let's do this, Hamburg!" says Niels Rasmussen, board member of Hanseatic Help e.V.

 

The work of the Hanseatic Help association began in 2015 with the opening of a clothing store in Hamburg's exhibition halls. Clothing and hygiene items were donated and distributed to Hamburg's initial reception centres for refugees with the aim of providing help as quickly and easily as possible. Hanseatic Help has upheld this commitment even as the association and its scope of activity have expanded. It now supports refugees and homeless people, low-income families, children's homes, women's shelters and social counselling centres with clothing and hygiene donations, and distributes what is not needed in Hamburg throughout Germany and in various global crisis areas.
Statement by the prize curatorship

The award ceremony will take place on 15 October at 5 p.m. in Hall H of the CCH and is open to the public. You can register until 1 October using this form.

The award winners of the past years

Kontakt

Marina Meyer Assistant to the Chairman of the Board, Office Management, Project Management Max-Brauer-Award

+49 40 33 402 – 10meyer[at]toepfer-stiftung.de