The sewing and handicrafts brand Burda Style is now launching the DIY Christmas campaign “mit Liebe genäht (English: "Sewn With Love") together with Burda's neighbourhood platform Nebenan.de.
"Neighbors can be true treasures. They bring us together in daily life, lend a helping hand, and remind us that we are not alone," said Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus as she opened the eighth German Neighbourhood Award ("Deutscher Nachbarschaftspreis") ceremony before an audience of around 350 guests. On Thursday, November 14, the Nebenan.de Foundation honoured 22 projects for outstanding local commitment in Berlin.
Five special awards were presented in the categories of Generations, Culture & Sport, Sustainability, Public Space, and Diversity. These projects, which were selected from over 950 entries and received €5,000 each in prize money, showcase the power and creativity of local initiatives: from a youth centre that visits retirement homes to an opera project that unites an entire village, to a community shop that has become the heart and meeting place of the neighbourhood. An additional prize for Innovation & Strong Networking was awarded to an association promoting integration and inclusion, bridging divides between various social groups.
Alongside the five main awards, 16 state-level winners also received recognition and grants of €2,000 each, supporting efforts from community gardens and creative cultural centres to spaces fostering intergenerational connection and combatting loneliness.
Since 2017, the Nebenan.de Foundation has fostered unity and diversity within German neighbourhoods and communities through the Neighbourhood Award:
"At the Nebenan.de Foundation, we encourage neighbours across Germany to support each other and strengthen local social bonds. We highlight how neighbourhood solidarity helps address social challenges."
Katharina Roth, Managing Director of the Nebenan.de Foundation
The Nebenan.de Foundation is a branch of Good Hood GmbH, a Berlin-based social enterprise that runs the Nebenan.de neighbourhood platform. Burda has held a stake in the platform since 2016, taking a majority share in August 2020. In addition to the German Neighbourhood Award and the Neighbours' Day event ("Tag der Nachbarn"), the foundation launched the Climate Protection Next Door ideas competition ("Klimaschutz nebenan") in 2022.
Further information and details on all winning projects are available here.
