Success with robots and stumbling blocks
05/19/2026The Lower Franconian secondary school prize was awarded in Haßfurt on 28 April 2026. The University of Würzburg was responsible for awarding two special prizes through the "Teachers as Changemakers" project.
It is the "Oscar", so to speak, for the 46 secondary schools in Lower Franconia: the Lower Franconian Secondary School Award. Every two years, the office of the ministerial representative for secondary schools in Lower Franconia honours exceptional commitment and special talents for activities that go beyond the normal curriculum. The selection is made by a high-calibre jury.
Two special prizes were awarded this year via the Teachers as Changemakers (TaC) project - a joint project between the universities of Würzburg and Bamberg. The award and the prize money of 500 euros each were presented by Dr Matthias Erhardt, Managing Director of the Professional School of Education at the University of Würzburg.
Award winners from Marktheidenfeld and Würzburg
One of the two prize winners is the robotics group from Marktheidenfeld secondary school. The team impressed with an innovative cleaning robot for solar systems. The "Saubär" project, as the pupils called the cleaning robot, "combines innovation, sustainability and practical research. At the same time, it impressively demonstrates how pupils analyse technical problems, develop solutions and implement them in practice," said Matthias Erhardt in his laudatory speech.
The second prize winner is the Stolperstein-AG from the David-Schuster-Realschule in Würzburg. It was awarded the special prize because it "participates in a lively culture of remembrance that does not just remain in the classroom through numerous activities, such as reading out the names of deported Würzburg citizens at the Jewish cemetery on Remembrance Day", as Erhardt emphasised.
More than 100 applications
Dr Korinna Thiem coordinates the "Teachers as Changemakers" project at the University of Würzburg and was a member of the jury in this role. Together with the other members, she had to select the best concepts from more than 100 applications. "The range of award-winning projects was impressive, ranging from the environment and versatility, technology, social issues and history to art and sport," she says. According to Thiem, all of the projects had "a high degree of innovative strength and social relevance and reach" in common.
The projects were honoured at a gala ceremony in front of around 200 guests, including Ministerial Director Dr Christine Modesto, Head of the Secondary School Department at the Bavarian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, Wilhelm Schneider, District Administrator of the Haßberge district until 30 April 2026, and District President Dr Susanne Weizendörfer.
The school orchestra from Gerolzhofen, the band from Jakob-Stoll-Schule Würzburg and soloist Richard Ullmann provided the musical backdrop to the ceremony. Ministerial representative Marcus Ramsteiner emphasised with obvious pride at the end of the ceremony: "These pupils show commitment that has an impact on society far beyond the red carpet."
Further information
More information on the Realschulpreis can be found here.
"Teachers as Changemakers (TaC)" pursues the goal of bringing entrepreneurial thinking and action to schools through teachers and student teachers as multipliers and thus changing the world of tomorrow in a sustainable way. Further information can be found here.
Contact
Dr Matthias Erhardt, T +49 931 31-83533, and Dr Korinna Thiem, tac@uni-wuerzburg.de
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