Birch Prize 2025: Jens Bartsch and Lars Seide honored for their commitment!

Birch Prize 2025: Jens Bartsch and Lars Seide honored for their commitment!

On Thursday evening, November 7th, 2025, the Birkenpreis 2025 was awarded in the council chamber of the Birkenwerder town hall. This year the award for outstanding volunteer work went to Jens Bartsch and Lars Seide. Mayor Stephan Zimniok and jury chairwoman Christine Trost proudly presented the prizes.

Jens Bartsch received the honor for his impressive garbage collection campaign, in which he actively works with students from the Regine Hildebrandt Comprehensive School. Thanks to his initiative, the amount of waste in the region's forests has significantly reduced - a commitment that now takes place once or twice a year. Lars Seide, on the other hand, works tirelessly for people in need. Whether shopping for seniors or as a contact person when dealing with authorities, his support is appreciated by many.

Special recognition for the commitment

In her speech, Christine Trost emphasized that the two award winners often work in the background without seeking the attention that their valuable commitment deserves. This year the jury decided on two winners because, according to the vote, Bartsch and Seide were separated by only two votes. The third-place finisher, however, had a significantly larger points gap.

Both winners were very happy about the award. In addition to Bartsch and Seide, other nominees such as Lena Doil (food sharing), Brigitte Rahim (commitment) and Martina Wagner (nature conservation) were also presented with a bouquet of flowers. In total, the two prize winners received prize money of 250 euros, which makes a total of 500 euros.

Roots of Birch Price

The Birch Prize has been awarded since 2010 and has established itself as a valuable award for voluntary commitment in various areas. The spectrum ranges from environmental work, culture and sport to neighborhood help as well as senior, child and youth work. The nominees do not necessarily have to live in Birkenwerder; Suggestions are always welcome and can be submitted via email.

In 2024, for example, the initiators of the Repaircafé in Birkenwerder were honored for their voluntary work. This initiative offers free advice and repairs for household appliances and similar items, which has been very popular since it was founded in 2022.

The list of previous award winners is long and diverse, and shows the great commitment of the citizens of Birkenwerder. Among others, the former operator of “Birkes Nähkästchen”, Vera Paulick, and the “Nordbahngemeinden mit Courage” association were honored for their passionate work.

The Birkenpreis 2025 is therefore not just an award for Jens Bartsch and Lars Seide, but a sign of how important voluntary commitment is and how strong cohesion in the community is. Cheers to everyone who puts their heart and soul into helping others!