Heroes of volunteer work: Neuland Festival celebrates special awards!

Heroes of volunteer work: Neuland Festival celebrates special awards!

A stage for the silent heroes: For the first time, the Citizens' Prize Cup for volunteer work was awarded as part of the Neuland Festival in the historic estate in Lindstedt. On September 14, 2025, numerous guests gathered to honor 14 outstanding volunteers who were nominated in three categories. The event held by Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, organized by Volksstimme and Sparkasse Altmark West, is an integral part of the western Altmark calendar, which sheds the volunteers a well-deserved light on their important work.

In the **Everyday Heroes** category, five applicants were recognized for their special achievements. Andrea Jürges from Kusey stood out and was awarded the trophy, presented by Marc Rath. Cornelia Ahlfeld gave the laudatory speech for the new award winner, who, as the director of several choirs, including the Kusey men's choir and the children's and youth choir at the Gardelegen high school, significantly promotes the students' musical education and self-esteem.

Creative and committed – the cultural people

There was also a premiere in the **Cultural People** category, which was introduced in 2025 under the patronage of Sparkasse Altmark West. Daniel Graf from Kalbe was honored here for his extraordinary services, especially as director of the church choir. Conny Kaiser presented the trophy.

The nominees for the **lifetime achievement category** were also highlighted. Hartmut Bock was honored for his decades of commitment to local history and his founding of the Young Historians Working Group. He has been tirelessly active since 1971 and has already received the title of honorary citizen of the community of Jübar and the Federal Cross of Merit. District Administrator Steve Kanitz presented him with the trophy.

Volunteering – a living tradition

The tradition of awarding the prize goes back eight years. Candidates are nominated annually starting on International Volunteer Day on December 5th, and the category that showcases participants and their volunteer concerns continues to grow. The award is not only an appreciation of performance, but also a call to citizens to put themselves at the service of the community, which is reflected in the impressive stories of the nominees.

A total of 14 candidates from the Altmark were nominated for the 2025 Citizens' Prize Cup, who are distinguished by their exemplary actions. In addition to the award-winning personalities, numerous others, such as Maik Grimm, Peter Timme and Christel Rosenbaum, are also remarkably represented with their initiatives and commitments and show that voluntary work is a mainstay of social coexistence.

To build on the emotions of the event, a festive reception by the organizers was held the day before, September 13th, at the estate in Lindstedt. An event that should encourage not only the nominees but also everyone present to actively shape their own city and neighborhood and that volunteering is an indispensable part of our lives.

For further information about the volunteers and their commitment, it is worth taking a look at the reports from People's voice and the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel.