This evening, the German Cultural Promotion Award was conferred for the first time for outstanding cultural commitment by companies. The ceremony took place at the Haus der deutschen Wirtschaft.

Hans Werner Kilz, Editor-in-Chief of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, handed over the 1st prize in the category of Small Companies (up to 200 employees) to AXA Art, Cologne, for its project "AXA Art Research Grant". This project involved exemplary cooperation with a number of different museums. It carried out groundbreaking research into new technologies and methods for preserving modern art and extending its lifetime. Dr. Ulrich Guntram, Chairman of the Board of Management of AXA Art, accepted the prize on behalf of the company.

Hotel Wedina received an award for its innovative partnership with the literary institution Literaturhaus Hamburg and the company "Das Telefonbuch Servicegesellschaft mbH", Cologne, for the initiative "Anyone who reads is a winner!".

Dr. Jürgen Zech, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Cultural Foundation, handed over the 1st prize in the category Medium-sized Companies (up to 2,000 employees) to Sylvia von Metzler and Frank-Peter Martin, from Bankhaus Metzler.

Bankhaus B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. KGaA, Frankfurt, was awarded 1st prize for the project "Ear reads too". This project was run - professionally and creatively - in cooperation with the Hessian Broadcasting Corporation and the German Publishers' and Booksellers' Association. It was designed to promote key skills like reading, listening and teamwork among children and young people.

Grenkeleasing AG, Baden-Baden, received an award for the project "Columbus: discovering antiquity" in cooperation with the Festspielhaus theatre, Baden-Baden, and HCI Capital AG, Hamburg, for their project "Children into Museums".

Bernd Ziesemer, Editor-in-Chief of Handelsblatt, awarded 1st prize to Allianz AG, Munich, in the category Large Companies (more than 2,000 employees) for the project "European Borderlands", initiated by the Allianz Cultural Foundation. This project undertakes cultural, non-governmental initiatives in countries in Central and Eastern Europe offering opportunities for cultural exchange across regions. One focus of the initiative is on countries outside the new EU borders. Dr. Werner Zedelius, Member of the Board of Management of Allianz AG, and Michael Thoss, Allianz Cultural Foundation, accepted the award.

BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, also received a prize for the project "Rostropovich & Friends" and Deutsche Bank AG, Frankfurt, was awarded a prize for supporting the project "Zukunft@BPhil.de" with the Berlin Philhamonic Orchestra.

The 1st prize awarded by the special jury for outstanding contribution to culture was awarded by Dr. Arend Oetker, Vice-President of the Federation of German Industries and Chairman of the Visual Arts Board of the Cultural Committee, to Columbus Holding AG, Ravensburg. Columbus Holding AG is providing support at a point where young artists usually fall into a vacuum: the transition between academy and independent activity. Columbus Holding AG is not only supporting the artists by making purchases. The organizers are also making a personal commitment to cooperating with the young artists for several years. The prize was accepted by Gertrud Wagener, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, and Götz-Wolf Wagener, Chairman of the Board.

Der Beck Gmbh, Nuremberg, also received an award for the innovative support provided for a new production of Richard Wagner¹s the "Ring of the Nibelung" at the Stadttheater in Nuremberg, by selling biscuits shaped like rings and to Siemens AG, Munich, for the project "About Baroque" run by the Siemens Arts Program.

The Cultural Committee has created the German Cultural Promotion Award to highlight the wide range of cultural activity carried out by companies throughout Germany - particularly by small and medium-sized companies. The aim is to encourage this activity and stimulate other similar projects. The committee also intends to draw attention to exemplary forms of private cultural promotion in order to make a contribution to developing innovative models of cultural finance. The Cultural Committee will in future award the German Cultural Award every year.

In association with the award ceremony, Handelsblatt and Süddeutsche Zeitung have published a ranking of companies in Germany promoting culture for the first time. The aim is to promote even more commitment, transparency and professionalism through the competition. The first places in the ranking for the categories large, medium-sized and small companies were taken by BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Stadtwerke Görlitz AG, Görlitz and AXA Art AG, Cologne.

You can obtain more information on the German Cultural Foundation and on the other results for the rankings from: