This award honors people who have been outstanding in their work on the protection of hearing and prevention of hearing loss. The winner of this award receives a donation of EUR 10,000.00 towards a project dedicated to the prevention of hearing loss.

The Hear the World Support Award honors famous personalities who have themselves experienced hearing loss or who have been affected by through those close to them, and whose open communication plays a significant role in dispelling the stigma surrounding hearing loss.

The award in the Solutions category is presented to people who have made an outstanding contribution toward improving the quality of life of people with hearing loss on a long-term basis. The winner of this award receives a donation of EUR 10,000.00 towards a project that offers support for people with hearing loss.

Prevention: Prof. Dr. Schulte-Fortkamp
With her Tag gegen Lärm anti-noise day campaign, Prof. Dr. Schulte-Fortkamp, professor at the TU Berlin and winner of the Prevention award, has succeeded in bringing a much-neglected subject, but one that nevertheless affects us all, onto the public agenda. Since 1997, one day every year has been dedicated to all things related to the theme of noise, with campaigns, events and media coverage designed to raise awareness taking place throughout Germany. Thanks to Prof. Dr. Schulte-Fortkamp, the Tag gegen Lärm day has established itself as a firm fixture on the calendar each year and attracts the attention of a wide audience.
» More about the project

Support: Joey McIntyre
The American singer, best known as a member of the band “New Kids on the Block,” broke a taboo in spring 2010 when he spoke openly in the international media about his son’s hearing loss. His youngest son, Rhys Edward, was born in December 2009 with severe congenital hearing loss. By dealing openly with the subject of hearing loss, Joey McIntyre has reassured many parents all over the world who find themselves in a similar situation, thus making a significant contribution toward dispelling the stigma surrounding this topic.

Solutions: Prof. Dr. Annette Leonhardt
Prof. Dr. Annette Leonhardt, has been rewarded for her outstanding work in relation to the integration of children and young people with hearing loss into regular schooling. As the Professor of Education for the Deaf and Hearing-impaired at Munich's Ludwig-Maximilian University, Prof. Leonhardt has spent more than ten years concentrating on the integration of children and young people with hearing loss at school and pre-school levels. One notable result of her work is the most comprehensive study into the integration of schoolchildren with hearing loss across the whole of Germany.
» More about her work