Prizes and Honors 2026

DAAD Prize for outstanding achievements of international students studying at German universities

This prize is sponsored by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (Geman Academic Exchange Office) and the highest honours that are awarded to international students by Potsdam University. The students who receive it have shown exceptional academic achievements and remarkable social – especially intercultural – engagement. For them this distinction is a special acknowledgement of their achievements by Germany’s most prestigious funding organisation. At the same time the DAAD Prize emphasises the academic and cultural enrichment international students bring to a university community. With the annually awarded prize students receive 1000€.

Universitätsgesellschaft Potsdam e. V. Prize for an Outstanding Dissertation

With the graduation ceremony Universitätsgesellschaft Potsdam e.V. annually awards a prize to support young scientists: a prize for the most outstanding dissertation of the previous year. The prize is endowed with 2.500 €. Universitätsgesellschaft acknowledges special achievements that combine scientific excellence with broad relevance like societal implications, or potential for innovation in the dissertation. The prize creates a platform for courageous young research.

Absolventenpreis

The yearly Graduate Award of Potsdam University honors a graduating master's student (or first state examination in law) who shows a high scientific potential and is especially suited to further academic education. The prize supports the next generation of talented researchers and contributes to opening them the way into scientific research. It is endowed with 1.000 Euro and donated by Universitätsgesellschaft Potsdam e. V.
The five Nominees this year were Pauline Buchholz (Human Science Faculty), Jessica Michelle Dierking (Digital Engineering Fakultät), Maisa Mattila (Arts Faculty), Jan Thewes (Economics and Social-Sciences Faculty) and Remo Ziemke (Mathematics and Natural Sciences Faculty).    

Read Jessica Michelle Dierking's Graduation Speech in English here.

Jessica Michelle Dierking
Abdullatif Ghajar
Hendrik Christian Higl 
Johanna Josefin Gasse
Nikolas Rieger    
    Finn Schöllkopf
Paul Eric Sievers    
Flora Rädiker 
 

Jonas Max Bense   
Florian Börst   
Lena Katharina Krausmann  
Johan Konrad Liebmann    
Nina Jantine Lucht    
Theresa Sophie Frantz
Sophie Marlen Frohnauer
Ron Cedric Straßburg    
Oskar Arnold Wernitz    
Ilias Zander