Heinrich-Hertz-Prize
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The Heinrich Hertz Prize is an award presented by the EnBW Foundation in collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The prize, which comes with a cash award of 10,000 euros, is named after the physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894) and is awarded every 2–3 years for outstanding scientific or technical achievements in the field of the generation, distribution, and application of electrical energy. |
History |
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The Heinrich Hertz Prize was awarded for the first time in 1975 to mark the 150th anniversary of the University of Karlsruhe (TH), the predecessor institution of KIT. Heinrich Hertz, the famous German physicist after whom the Heinrich Hertz Prize is named, was a professor here when, in 1887–88, he was able to demonstrate the long-range effects of electromagnetic waves through a series of extensive experiments—laying the foundation for radio, telecommunications, and television. |
Current Prize Winners |
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Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek (Justus Liebig University Giessen) was awarded the 2025 Heinrich Hertz Prize. The award ceremony took place on June 25, 2025, as part of the 2025 International Energy Symposium at KIT. The EnBW Foundation and KIT are thereby honoring his outstanding research contributions to the understanding and improvement of electrochemical energy storage, particularly his work on innovative battery materials and solid-state batteries. Janek also heads the Battery and Electrochemistry Laboratory (BELLA) at KIT in cooperation with BASF. |
Past Award Winners
| Award Ceremony | Year of Award | Heinrich Hertz Prize Winners | Appreciation |
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| 17th Awards Ceremony | 2025 | Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek (Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen) | Award for his outstanding contributions to research in electrochemical energy storage, particularly in the development of innovative battery materials and solid-state batteries. |
| 16th Awards Ceremony | 2022 | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jutta Hanson (TU Darmstadt) | Recognition of outstanding research contributions to the implementation of the Energy transition in Germany in the fields of distribution network planning, transmission technologies, grid operations and stability, as well as grid connection and system services provided by power plants. |
| 15th Awards Ceremony | 2018 | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Albert Moser (RWTH Aachen) | Award for outstanding achievements in the field of energy management and revolutionary thinking in the creation of new network structures for future energy supply |
| 2018 | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Schulenberg (KIT) | Lifetime Achievement Award – in particular for pioneering work in setting up programs to increase the efficiency and environmental friendliness of gas turbines and combined cycle power plants | |
| 14th Awards Ceremony | 2016 | Prof. Dr. Hartmut Schmeck (KIT) | Award for his contributions to the development and use of innovative information and communication technologies in intelligent energy management systems |
| 13th Awards Ceremony | 2012 | Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Manfred Thumm (KIT) |
Award for his contributions in the field of generation, transport and conversion of high and very high microwave power for nuclear fusion |
| 12th Awards Ceremony | 2007 | Prof. Dr. Peter Komarek (FZK) | Award for his contributions to the construction, application and pioneering development of superconducting coils for high magnetic fields |
| 11th Awards Ceremony | 2004 | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerd Balzer (Darmstadt) | Award for his contributions to designing reliable energy distribution in the future |
| 2004 | Prof. Dr. rer.nat. Günter Weimann (Freiburg) | Award for his contributions to the application and trend-setting further development of III-V semiconductor structures for optoelectronics | |
| 10th Awards Ceremony | 2002 | Dr.-Ing. Heinz-Peter Feldle (Senden) | Award for contributions to electronically steerable antenna arrays for aerospace |
| 9th Awards Ceremony | 2000 | Prof. Dr. Gerd Schön (KIT) Priv.Doz. Dr. Herbert Schoeller Prof. Dr. Jan von Delft |
Award for contributions to the theoretical description and modeling of the electronic properties of metallic nanostructures |
| 8th Awards Ceremony | 1998 | Prof. Dr. Ingo Wolff (Duisburg) | Award for pioneering work in the field of electromagnetic field theory, especially in the field of numerical calculation of electromagnetic fields and waves and their industrial application |
| 7th Awards Ceremony | 1995 | Dr. Erich Erdle (Immenstaad) | Award for leading the Hot Elly project (superheated steam electrolysis with high-temperature electrochemical conversion) |
| 6th Awards Ceremony | 1992 | Dipl.-Ing. Dieter Ludwig (Karlsruhe) | Award for the introduction of the two-system city car and the implementation of its use for the expansion of the tramway into the Karlsruhe region |
| 5th Awards Ceremony | 1990 | Nikolas Moussiopoulos (Griechenland) | Award for his achievements in the field of mathematical modelling, propagation and chemical conversion of pollutants in the atmosphere. |
| Muzaffer Canay (Schweiz) | Award for excellence in the field of large electrical machines, in particular the modeling and calculation of their performance in interaction with the grid | ||
| 4th Awards Ceremony | 1987 | Prof. Dr.-Ing. M. Depenbrock (Bochum) | Award for his research in the field of power electronics, circuit technology with power semiconductor components |
| Prof. Dr. Kurtze/Dr. Riedlinger (Karlsruhe) | Award for the development of technical prerequisites for painless crushing of kidney stones without X-ray exposure, anesthesia and anesthesia | ||
| 3rd Awards Ceremony | 1982 | Prof. Dr. Erwin Willy Becker (Karlsruhe) | Award for the development of a process for uranium isotope separation using the separating nozzle process |
| 2nd Awards Ceremony | 1978 | Prof. Dr. phil. Dr.-Ing. h.c. Heinrich Welker (Erlangen) |
Award for the development of fundamental principles of modern semiconductor electronics |
| 1st Awards Ceremony | 1975 | Dr. Alwin M. Weinberg (USA) | Honored as a pioneer, promoter and critic of the peaceful uses of atomic energy |