Kaiserslautern – September 03, 2026 -- Public broadcaster SWR handed out its 2026 "Ehrensache" awards live from Stiftsplatz in Kaiserslautern, honoring volunteers from Rhineland-Palatinate during the regional Volunteer Day on August 30. The ceremony aired live on SWR television starting at 6:15 p.m. as the centerpiece of the day's events.
Viewers picked Karina Peters as the public favorite
Karina Peters from Bleialf won the audience-voted prize for her work supporting the Alftal Blasorchester, a youth-heavy brass band in the Bitburg-Prüm district. Viewers of SWR Landesschau Rheinland-Pfalz and SWR4 radio listeners chose her from a field of ten candidates in an online vote.
A teenager's legacy funds cancer support for families
Annas Verein, based in Burgen near Bernkastel-Kues, has spent 26 years supporting facilities that treat chronically ill and cancer-stricken children and their families. Through its "Papillon" project in Trier, the group provides psychological support to children whose parents have cancer. Founder Anna Becker died of cancer in 2003 at age 17; her parents, Hermann and Heidelinde Becker, continue running the organization alongside its board.
Volunteers clean up Speyer's streets and green spaces
Thomas Sieberling coordinates the "Umweltpaten" citizens' initiative in Speyer-Römerberg, founded in 2020. Of its 35 registered volunteers, 16 actively take part in cleanups of public squares, parks, streets and recreation areas, participating in events like Dreck-weg-Tag, the Rhine CleanUp and World CleanUp Day.
An animal shelter board keeps rescues running in Zweibrücken
Nadine Bender represents the volunteer board of the Zweibrücken Stadt und Land animal welfare association, which holds legal, financial and organizational responsibility for the local shelter. The shelter cares for stray, lost and surrendered animals in and around Zweibrücken, placing particular emphasis on temperament assessments before adoptions, especially for dogs.
A regional doctors' network earned a special prize
Dr. Jonas Hofmann-Eifler received the "Sonderpreis zum Tag des Ehrenamts" from Minister President Gordon Schnieder on behalf of SüdpfalzDOCs, a network linking physicians across Kandel, Rheinzabern and the Südpfalz region. The organization strengthens outpatient care and ranks among the largest regional doctors' networks in Germany.
A three-person jury selected the winners: Gabriela Fürstin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, "Tatort" actress Ulrike Folkerts, and singer Loi. Martin Seidler hosted the broadcast, and Loi performed as a musical guest to thank the state's volunteers.