Wolfgang-Heilmann-Preis
Projects honoured with the Wolfgang Heilmann Award
all award years (PDF)
The award sought projects using artificial intelligence to make participation easier and strengthen democratic involvement. The focus was on accessible, understandable and transparent participation, including for people who have previously found it difficult to take part.
Prize money: €10,000
VoteRookie makes democratic participation accessible to young people. Its digital voting and participation platform combines approachable participation formats with civic education. AI-supported approaches aim to analyse participation data and tailor opportunities to different groups.
Democracy Intelligence is developing an AI-supported guide to political debate. A “Trust Score” aims to make the quality of political arguments easier to assess and distinguish facts, judgements and rhetorical devices, supporting a more transparent public discourse.
FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik
Prize money: €500
DisCoBoard combines explainable AI with media education. Working with young people and teachers, the research project is developing a dashboard to help identify disinformation and encourage critical engagement with digital content. The project is led by Dr Jonas Fegert.
Martin Lengefeld · Little Helper Verlag
EasyLearner uses short, recurring quizzes to reinforce knowledge. The approach nominated for the award applies this principle to civic education: AI helps prepare content, while a playful knowledge checker aims to spark curiosity and make participation topics understandable.
Four selected projects presented their approaches and discussed them with the jury in Tübingen on 18 April 2026. Frank Schönthaler opened the event. Patron Anna Christmann hosted the afternoon award ceremony. VoteRookie received the main award of €10,000.
The award recognised AI and IT applications enabling or supporting lifelong learning. It sought solutions that address individual learning needs, remove barriers and support learners regardless of age or educational background.
Prof. Dr. Klaus Giebermann · Hochschule Ruhr West
Prize money: €7,500
Klaus Giebermann develops digital tools for learning and working with mathematical formulas. A grid makes handwritten symbols easier to recognise and correct. His digital Paper & Pencil exercises also aim to help students develop their own solutions and lines of reasoning.
Vera Scholvin
Prize money: €7,500
The language-learning application sylby combines AI and linguistics. Individual feedback helps learners improve their pronunciation. Dr Paras Mehta and Yamile Vargas presented the project at the event; the award certificate names Vera Scholvin.
Prof. Dr. Maria Wirzberger · Universität Stuttgart
Maria Wirzberger presented the mental fitness training project focUs and received a recognition award.
Prof. Dr. Claudia de Witt · Michael Hanses · Heike Karolyi · Lars van Rijn
The team from the University of Hagen received a recognition award for the IMPACT project.
Andreas Kambach · Area9 Lyceum GmbH
Andreas Kambach presented Area9 Rhapsode and received a recognition award.
Five projects were presented at Westspitze in Tübingen on 20 April 2024. The jury shared the main prize between Klaus Giebermann and Vera Scholvin for sylby. Three further projects received recognition awards. Frank Schönthaler honoured the contributions in his laudatory address.
How does artificial intelligence change leadership in companies and organisations? The award sought work that shapes collaboration between people and intelligent systems while keeping human responsibility and needs at its centre.
Antoinette Weibel · Simon Schafheitle
Prize money: €5,000 jointly
Antoinette Weibel and Simon Schafheitle examine the relationship between increasingly capable HR technology and human-centred leadership. Their work focuses on trust, participation and the respective roles and limits of technology and human leadership.
Dr. Ksenia Keplinger · Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme, Stuttgart
Prize money: €5,000
The Reflection Chatbot aims to support leadership development through systematic reflection. The project seeks to improve leadership skills, strengthen positive social interactions and promote inclusion and belonging within teams.
Sebastian Herbst · Christin Selzer · Roth Institut, Bremen
The Leadership Toolbox provides practical digital tools to support leaders. It aims to bring insights from leadership development and neuroscience into everyday leadership practice.
Dr. Sylke Piéch · Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz, Berlin
Sylke Piéch was recognised for her work on AI in leadership, work and education. This includes developing leadership skills for digital change and putting knowledge about AI into practice.
The four selected contributions were presented at the Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg on 17 September 2022. A public award ceremony followed the jury meeting. The two main awards carried €5,000 each; two further contributions received recognition awards.