Dr. Jean Paul Picaper studied German and holds a PhD in political science. He has held a chair at Free University Berlin for 12 years and published several books in France and Germany. His latest work, “Les enfants maudits”, was published in April 2004. Jean-Paul Picaper is being honoured for his engagement as a German correspondent for the daily Le Figaro, and for the bilingual “Eurbag Magazine” he brought into being online.

After emigrating from the former East Germany, Caterina Woj read German, journalism and American studies at Free University Berlin. After freelancing for several newspapers and radio stations, she is now exclusively working as a television journalist, mostly reporting from abroad about culture and politics. At just under 6 minutes in length, her film “Vengeance taken on German POWs” scrupulously and poignantly thematizes the problem of the treatment afforded German prisoners of war in World War II.

Emmanuel Laurentin has been working for Radio France since 1986. In 1999, he created “La Fabrique de l’histoire” for France Culture.
He is jointly responsible for this weekly history show with Véronique Lamendour, who has been working for Radio France since 1991. The reportage “Reading Facades in Berlin” is an original stroll through Berlin that introduces the listener to the capital’s architecture, literature, films and history.

The “In the Neighbour’s Garden” issue of Süddeutsche Zeitung’s magazine is being honoured for the very entertaining and simultaneously informative individual contributions by authors such as Sascha Lehnartz, Axel Hacke and Philipp Oehmke illustrating French regions, concerns and conditions.

The author Christiane Baumann has been accompanying a Franco-German primary school class in Berlin since 2001, supported by a number of parents. The development of this class is documented in texts, sound recordings and visual media. The trajectory of the children growing up with two languages can be traced on the website www.boeser-wolf.schule.de. An instructive and simultaneously imaginative guide by children for children and adults.

Marcela Drumm was already actively involved with university radio in Düsseldorf during her degree course in German and media science. She then worked for the press office of Nickelodeon Germany for just under two years. Right now she is a freelance author for the RBB and WDR, amongst others. Her radio reportage “A Crossbreed from Marseille. Jean-Claude Izzo and the City of Contrasts” is an excellently made literary and musical foray through Marseille.