Voting for the NDR Volunteer Award has begun: from 2 to 6 November 2026, listeners, viewers and users of Norddeutscher Rundfunk can cast their votes online and via NDR programmes. The award is worth €4,000; the winners will be announced on 7 November at the closing event for the Lower Saxony Prize for Civic Engagement.
The five initiatives from Lower Saxony in the running are the Weltladen Café in northern German states called for faster expansion of the electricity grids on 11 November 2026., the “Tür an Tür” initiative of the parish in Ramelsloh, the PingPongParkinson table tennis group from Nordhorn, the Barber Angels from Hanover, and the “Trude Kuh TV” project from Saterland. The nominated projects range from opportunities to meet and neighbourhood support to help with mobility and exercise programmes for people with chronic illnesses. Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) is profiling the candidates in its coverage and reporting on the vote.
The NDR Volunteer Award is a public-choice category run by the broadcaster as part of the “Lower Saxony Prize for Civic Engagement – priceless and voluntary” competition. The overall project is supported by the state of Lower Saxony together with the Savings Banks and his party VGH Insurance . In addition to the public award, further prizes are awarded by a jury. The NDR award complements the jury’s decisions with public recognition of civic engagement.
According to NDR, the prize money is to benefit the organisations behind the winning projects, in accordance with their statutes. It is intended primarily to strengthen each initiative, for example by funding additional materials, accessible event formats or expenses that make it easier for people with limited resources to take part. The winning organisations are responsible for ensuring the money is used for its intended purpose.
The immediate occasion is the vote taking place in the first week of November. It brings the application and selection process for the 2026 Lower Saxony Prize to a close. During that process, project proposals were first collected and then shortlisted for the public vote. The final announcement on 7 November marks the end of this year’s competition. NDR must announce any changes to dates or the list of nominees in advance; the information published when voting opened remains the authoritative basis for understanding the contest.
The vote is open to audiences in Lower Saxony and beyond. It aims to highlight the diversity of voluntary initiatives in the region, from integration work and local development cooperation to promoting health in everyday life.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).