Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst - Wandel durch Austausch

Germany 2051 - What will it be like?

A big THANK YOU goes to everybody who participated in this year's competition "Germany 2051"

Imagine Germany a generation on. What will it be like? Is it still making cars? Is Berlin still a hub of creative activity? Is Angela Merkel remembered fondly? What else has changed or remained the same? Does the UK feature in any of this? These were some of the questions the 30 participants of "Germany 2051" tried to answer this year.

Our students' vision of Germany 2051 ranged from a Germany whose former capital Berlin has turned into a ghost city following the creation of a self-sufficient solar settlement, now the captial, to a Germany personnified by a middle-aged pragmatic woman, who talks about her love affair with France over a cup of tea in her 70s kitchen.

Some submissions were more serious than others, and some were more controversial than others.  All submissions were very thought-provoking, inspiring and of high standard. 

Guest speaker Micha Glenny, whose series "The Invention of Germany" was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November, added his vision of Germany after the award ceremony by stressing Germany's duty to lead Europe in times of insecurity and quoting the Polish foreign minister Sikorsky who recently said at a speech in Berlin "I fear Germany's power less than her inactivity."  With Britain's EU treaty veto 2 days away, his speech could not have been more topical. The evening was rounded up with a reception, which gave competition participants and further guests the opportunity to exchange their views on Germany's/Europe's future.

Competition Participants 2011

In alphabetical order, main prizes (work placements and university summer courses) went to:

Amelia Barker, Alex Bate, Chris Brown, Tom Bryant, Rhiann Clarke, Kristian Hewitt, Tom Macpherson, Elisabeth Moseley, Alice Puritz

In alphabetical order, further prizes  (books and DVDs on Germany) went to:

Rosie Bourgoin, Catherine Chen, Jamie Hoy, Andrew Jones, Chrstina Katsianis, Matt Lawson, Semu Sauli Mwakyanjala, Raddiyah Rifath, Ho-Kan Tsui

CONGRATULATIONS!

Misha Glenny in conversation with Dr Andreas Hoeschen, Director DAAD London

Competition participants listening to Glenny's views on Germany's future

The UCA Epsom group

Some of the prize winners

To find out what the competition brief was all about please read on.

Please send us your vision on Germany 2051. Whether you write a story, draw a picture, take a photo, produce a film …it’s entirely up to you.

Please limit written contributions to 1,000 words (in English or German) and audio/visual material to 5 minutes 100x100cm.

Awards: Placements at Cultural and Art Institutions in Berlin and at the Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin during summer 2012; Summer Course Grants at German Universities in 2012; BBC Berlin DVDs written and presented by Matt Frei

Deadline: 18 November 2011

Eligibility: All undergraduate and postgraduate students registered for a Bachelors/Masters/PhD degree at a UK university, except German nationals.

How to take part: Once you have completed your work, please fill in our online registration form. You may either upload your work or send it in by post to the address below. Please also ensure you have your CV ready to upload. It is needed in case you are awarded a placement. 

If you have any queries please email Cécile Reese

Good luck!