Manfred Schukowski Award
We are pleased to inform you that the management board of the Observatory Greifswald e.V. could win the best selling author of astronomy books and the expert on monumental medieval astronomical large clocks, Herr Prof. Dr. s.c. paed. Manfred Schukowski from Rostock, as the patron for the newly established Manfred Schukowski Pupil's Award for Astronomy.
Prof. Schukowski was born on January 16, 1928 in Stralsund and thanks to him we still have a didactically valuable syllabus for astronomy lessons today which are mandatory in the schools of German Federal Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV for short), close to Denmark, Sweden and Poland. This huge success is based on his experience of decades as an author of the GDR Astronomy Book (since 1962), his 30 years of being a member in the renowned draft / editing committee of "Astronomy in School" and "Astronomy + Aerospace in Class" from 1964-1994 as well as many other boards related to astronomy in schools.
Especially in the years after the German reunion, he deployed his influence in the former "Society for Astronomical Education MV" to keep the existing observatories and the astronomical institutions open as well as to promote the foundation of associations promoting astronomy in the new federal länder. As an example, Greifswald followed his lead under Prof. Dr. Holger Kersten in 1992 by founding this association.
Quote by Prof. Schukowski
on the news of the Manfred Schukowski Pupil's Award for Astronomy to be established:
"I believe that a general education without astronomical knowledge is incomplete. The vision of a person gets wide and seasoned only if the view on the [our] cosmic existence and the development of cosmic objects is included. Astronomy is the only subject in school in which we examine, beyond biological developments on Earth, the developments in outer space. Astronomical views and knowledge can help to view and understand the Earth as a cosmic object. The astronomical [world] views can also help to make important and necessary decisions for instance towards our responsibility for our environment - in a fundamental and effective way.
In the meantime, I'm standing in my 10th living decade, my life tends towards the end, and I'm very happy that I can still do a few useful things here and there. It is a great pleasure for me to know that possibly one day pupils will be honoured with an astronomy prize wearing my name, provided they achieved something good."
In the long-term, the financing of the Manfred Schukowski Pupil's Award for Astronomy could be taken over by the Astronomy Foundation Greifswald which is currently in the process of being established and which shall promote astronomy in the Baltic. The assocation's annual meeting on January 21, 2023 has recommended the public offering of the Manfred Schukowski Pupil's Award.
Herr Prof. Dr. Manfred Schukowski is highly pleased with this special kind of high recognition of his lifetime achievements and has kindly and thankfully offered to donate the first prize money (year 2020). President Dr. Tobias Röwf was the second to donate a prize money. Are there any other interested parties available? Those parties can be astronomical institutions, foundations or ethical enterprises. If applicable, please, send a note to the management board under: sternwarte-greifswald at web.de or simply donate your amount of choice into the account mentioned below.
Provided professional and personal qualifications exist, prizes can be awarded only once - Prize awards can be omitted where applicable. Applicants must demonstrate how they contributed outstanding services to the goodwill of all mankind and nature, to towards international understanding and / or to peace on Earth. Recourse to legal processes are excluded, i.e. the jury decisions are final.
Greifswald, Good Friday, April 19, 2019 (Updated March, 2023).
PS: The total distributed prize money for all Astronomy Awards of Greifswald has already reached an amount of € 5,165 (updated on Jan 20, 2024). We want to thank all our members as well as friends & sponsors like the Volksbank Greifswald, the Travel agent "Reisebüro Go Atlantis" as well as the Peter Warschow Foundation Greifswald for their amazing financial support.
Your Donations are Welcome
Your donations towards the base capital
for the Manfred Schukowski Award and its prize money (€ 300),
are heartily welcome.
Our bank details: Greifswalder Sternwarte e.V.
IBAN: DE33 1309 1054 0014 8025 78
BIC: GENO DEF1 HST
at Volksbank Vorpommern e.G., Greifswald, Germany.
Designated use: "Your name + Address" ... in order to enable us to send you the contribution receipts automatically at the beginning of the new year. In case you want to be mentioned publicly as a donor then please add: "Yes - publish". Please, indicate any earmarked donations. Your regular bank statements will be sufficient as a simplified proof towards EU fiscal authorities, up to an amount of € 300.
Intended use of your donations
We are using all your donations, entrance and membership fees
for purposes as stated in the associations articles
which will be regularly checked for charitable status by the Finanzamt Greifswald (tax and revenue office).
Charitable status was confirmed for the last time, on March 18, 2021. We are looking back on a very successful tradition, since the inauguration of our association over 25 years ago, on July 29, 1992. We are getting legal tax advice from a renowned tax accountant of office in Greifswald. Additionally, we have two internal account auditors who are independent of the management board and they were elected by the association's annual meeting.
Administrating an association by the management board is under the strict terms of Vereinsregister [Register of associations] at Amtsgericht Stralsund [until May 30, 2018 at Amtsgericht Greifswald - Changes ex officio].
Further Astronomy Awards from Greifswald, Germany
"Towards New Horizons in Astronomy & Aerospace" - Sponsoring award (€ 2,000 - 2nd Generation).
- Addresses adults interested in astronomy, students, PhD students and Postdocs.
- In memoriam of Prof. Johannes Conrads (1934-2005, longterm member of association,
Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon for his ground-laying and reviving works in Greifswald - 2001).
- Current call until October 31, 2023 - For works that have been generated after January 01, 2022.
- Well-respected international jury from the Baltic Sea area.
- Awarding of the winner is typically scheduled for the association's annual meeting in January of the following year.
"Remarkable Lifetime Achievements in Astronomy" (€ 555 - 3rd Generation)
- Highest award of the association Observatory Greifswald e.V..
- Honors the founders of astronomy in Greifswald over 250 years ago, i.e. Mayer & Röhl.
- Substantial proposals can always be submitted to the management board.
- Awarding of the winner is typically scheduled for the Autumn annual meeting of the astronomical institutions of German Federal Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Provided professional and personal qualifications exist, prizes can be awarded only once - Prize awards can be omitted where applicable. Applicants must demonstrate how they contributed outstanding services to the goodwill of all mankind and nature, to towards international understanding and / or to peace on Earth. Recourse to legal processes are excluded, i.e. the jury decisions are final.