Smart Hero Award

With the Smart Hero Award , the Digital Opportunities Foundation and Facebook recognize organizations and projects that successfully implement their voluntary and social commitment in and with social media . Smart stands for the wise use of S ocial M edia for A RECOGNITION, R espect and T oleranz. The award was launched in 2014.

rating

The evaluation of the competition entries is carried out in a multi-stage process by the team of the Digital Opportunities Foundation as well as a committee of experts and a jury. A standardized catalog of criteria is used as a basis, which was developed on the basis of measurable factors and many years of experience in assessing social engagement and media usage behavior. The wise use of social media is assessed on the basis of criteria for the idea and concept , target group addressing , effectiveness , creativity and sustainability of the initiatives and projects. The conformity of the activities with applicable law is a prerequisite for participation and a possible award.

Excellent projects and categories

The Smart Hero Award is presented once a year in different categories. In addition, there is an audience award, which is voted on via online voting. Every year since 2017, the competition has had one main theme.

2014

"Civic participation" category : Hellersdorf helps asylum seekers
Category "Social togetherness" : single parent
Category “Voluntary Commitment” : Wheelmap.org
Audience award : part-time blogger

2015

Civic and political participation category : Cucula - Refugees Company for Crafts and Design
Category "Social cooperation and voluntary commitment" : Foodsharing.de
Category "Youth Prize, Engagement by Young People (Under 21 Years)" : Youth Against Aids eV (JGA)
Category “Senior Prize, Engagement by Senior Citizens (from 60 years of age)” : We are silvering the network
Audience award : Alliance Dresden Nazi-free

2016

Refugee aid category : Refugees welcome
Category “Courageous Political Engagement” : Show your face! For a cosmopolitan Germany eV
Category “Living with Illness” the project: Nana - Recover your smile eV
Category “Acceptance in Society” : queerblick tv
Audience award : Hooligans against sentence structure

2017

Main topic of the competition: "Social cohesion"

Category "For an open and pluralistic society - Against exclusion" : Date perpetrators
Category “Be strong, in spite of…” : Wohn: Sinn
Category " Commitment to the rights of ..." : One Warm Winter - #BringSocialBackToMedia

“ Cross- generational togetherness” category : CULTURISTS HOCH2

Audience award : Your star child

2018

Main topic of the competition: "Strengthening the community"

"Fair togetherness"
category
- 1st place: @maedelsabende
- 2nd place: CHAMPIONS ohne GRENZEN eV
- 3rd place: Pinkstinks Germany - Not Heidis Girl

Category "Strong together with ..."
- 1st place: On a pilgrimage together - together against cancer
- 2nd place: Friends for life e. V.
- 3rd place: The wishing dare - dare last wishes

Category "Commitment to a Living Democracy"
- 1st place: ichbinhier eV
- 2nd place: # HassHilft - the involuntary online donation campaign
- 3rd place: Germany3000

Category "Creating opportunities together"
- 1st place: Sea-Eye eV - Mission Humanity
- 2nd place: @schafzwitschern & # SchäfereiRetten
- 3rd place: Vegetable farming
Audience Award : The Wishing Dare - Dare Last Wishes

2019

Main topic of the competition: "A democratic society"

This year the Smart Hero Award was presented in three categories. In addition, an audience award was awarded again, and in 2019, for the first time, a jury award endowed with 10,000 euros “for special commitment to democratic values”. For the first time in 2019, an additional special prize was awarded by the jury, endowed with 7,500 euros and honoring the particularly successful digital collaboration of three projects that campaign for the integration of people with Down syndrome.

In the “Diversity and Equal Opportunities” category, awards were given to projects and initiatives that advocate equal opportunities for all and a pluralistic society.
- 1st place: Handbook Germany
- 2nd place: Refugee magazine, Migrant Mama, News-WG
In the “Environment and Health” category, awards were given to projects and (self-help) initiatives that stand up for sick and disabled people or are committed to sustainability and environmental protection.
- 1st place: Cleanup Network e. V.
- 2nd place: Goldeimer gGmbH
- 3rd place: Valentina Foundation
In the “Community and Cohesion” category, awards were given to projects and initiatives that shape social coexistence and promote togetherness.
- 1st place: Start with a friend eV
- 2nd place: StrassenBLUES eV
- 3rd place: Hanseatic Help
Audience award : News-WG
Jury's Democracy Prize : Sea-Watch e. V.

Special prize of the jury : Ohrenkuss / Touchdown 21 , Down Syndrom is cool !, #notjustdown

patronage

2014: No patronage. The prizes were presented by Ralf Kleindiek , State Secretary in the Family Ministry and Carsten Brosda, Media Representative for the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
2015 and 2016: Federal Minister for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth Manuela Schwesig .
2017: Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Brigitte Zypries (SPD)
2018 and 2019: Minister of State for Digitization Dorothee Bär

Doping

The award is endowed with prize money of 2,500 euros per award. In 2018, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Smart Hero Awards, the prize money was increased to 17,500 euros per category. Of this, 10,000 euros go to first place, 5,000 euros to second and 2,500 euros to third place. In addition, an audience award worth 5,000 euros will be awarded.