Reinhard Mohn Prize awarded to Kofi Annan

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan receives the 2013 Reinhard Mohn Prize. With the award, the Bertelsmann Stiftung is honoring Annan's exemplary efforts to promote sustainable development around the world. Thanks to his work, many political, economic and social initiatives are now underway globally, nationally and locally to promote sustainable and inter-generationally just development.


"Chancenspiegel" (Opportunity Report)

The "Chancenspiegel" is a joint project of the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Institute for School Development Research. The project's aim is to increase transparency on educational opportunity. The "Chancenspiegel" examines how social background and migration-related inequality affect educational outcomes, now and in the years ahead. The analyses and findings are made available to the general public in an annual report, the "Chancenspiegel." The project seeks to stimulate discussion and support reform efforts aimed at improving the quality of education and equal opportunity within the educational system.


2013 NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition

In all, 1,428 young opera talents applied to participate in the Bertelsmann Stiftung's 15th NEUE STIMMEN International Singing Competition. Of the four male finalists, 24-year-old tenor Myong-Hyun Lee of South Korea, who recently completed his Master's Degree in Voice in Seoul, wins first place and a EUR  15,000 prize, followed by bass Oleg Tibulco of Moldavia (2nd place, EUR 10,000) and baritone Oleksandr Kyreiev of Ukraine (3rd place, EUR 5,000). The decision among the five female finalists proves more difficult. The jury awards two EUR 15,000 first-place prizes. One goes to Nadine of the United States, who completed her studies in New York and already performed in Florida, San Francisco, Boston and Naples. The other goes to Australian singer Nicole Car, who switched from jazz to opera after hearing a performance of Tosca. She studied at the University of Melbourne and made her debut as Donna Anna at the Victorian Opera in 2009. The third place prize of EUR 5,000 goes to soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan of Russia.