Criteria for the Diversity Award
The jury will consider the following criteria. Please consider them when nominating someone or applying for the Diversity Award. General criteria
- Members and affiliates of the University of Göttingen are eligible for the award.
- The person/project/group contributes to the implementation of the University's diversity strategy.
- Special consideration is given to activities and projects that could potentially be be transferred to other areas, faculties or institutes within the University.
The award recognises counsellors or counselling services at the University of Göttingen that make a special contribution to promoting diversity and equal opportunities. This can be shown, for example, by the following characteristics:
- Diversity reflexivity and sensitivity to discrimination: The counselling/advisory service shows a high degree of sensitivity and reflection with regard to the needs and experiences of people of varying backgrounds and life situations, such as migration history, gender, sexual orientation, disability or social origin, and to the needs of people who experience or have experienced discrimination. Counsellors show an attitude of acceptance and appreciation towards those seeking advice.
- Target group orientation: The counselling/advisory service is explicitly (also) aimed at people who are disadvantaged due to their social, cultural or economic situation or who are affected by discrimination and exclusion in multiple (intersectional) ways (e.g. feminist, queer and anti-racist approaches, empowerment, peer counselling).
- Language: Counselling is offered in several languages or in a language other than German. It is orientated towards the languages and forms of expression of those seeking advice.
- Accessibility: The counselling/advisory service is easy to reach and accessible, including for people with limited mobility and members of disadvantaged groups. It offers low-threshold, flexible and open settings that meet different needs and life situations, such as online counselling, group counselling or individual counselling. It enables temporal and spatial diversity.
Examples: Recipient of the 2026 Diversity Award
The award recognises people who perform leadership tasks at the University of Göttingen, whether in the academic or research-supporting field, and who are particularly committed to diversity as part of their leadership. This can relate, for example, to leadership style, communication within the team, work organisation, working conditions and active protection against discrimination. The following characteristics are examples:
- Implementation of the Guidelines for a Management Culture Geared to the Compatibility of Work, Family and Private Life
- Diversity measures that are transparent within the team and/or visible externally; e.g. developing/publishing a code of conduct; team diversity trainings; diversity strategies for the institute/project/team or specific areas of activity;
- Promotion and explicit organisation of diversity in the team, diversity-reflective recruitment, diversity-oriented infrastructure;
- Individual support for employees, in particular support for the career paths of people who belong to underrepresented groups in their discipline/area and/or who experience (or have experienced) disadvantages due to their background and life situation;
- Professional response to incidents of discrimination, in accordance with the regulations and procedures in force at the University (Anti-Discrimination Directive, Guideline on the Prevention of and Protection against Sexualised Harassment and Violence);
- A flexible work organisation appropriate to the duties.
Nominations for the Leadership category of the Diversity Award must make clear that diversity-oriented leadership is structurally embedded and does not apply only to certain employees. Please illustrate this with concrete examples. The nomination should also include information on the nature of the nominee's leadership responsibility and a short description of the team (e.g., team size, staus groups).
Please note: It is not necessary to fulfil all the points listed above. Nominations and applications will not be assessed on how many aspects they implement, but rather on whether they meet the specified requirements to a particularly high and exemplary standard. In addition, the jury will take the nominee's career stage into consideration.
The award recognises persons and activities that are committed to a diversity-conscious organisational culture and a diverse campus life, and/or that promote plurality and democracy. Examples are:
- Establishment of structures, co-operations, initiatives by members and/or affiliates of the University that promote e.g. participation, co-determination and knowledge transfer
- Initiatives that transcend status groups and disciplines
- Campaigns, event series and exchange formats as well as self-help groups
- Activities against discrimination and in favour of respectful interaction with one another
In this category, individuals and projects can be nominated. This explicitly includes student initiatives.
Examples:
- Recipients of the 2026 Diversity Award
- Campaign for respect for diversity; campaign for democracy and against right-wing extremism; information campaign on a dimension of diversity
- Founding a self-help group for neurodivergent students
- Founding a network of lecturers who face racist discrimination
- Awareness work at a festival on campus
- Cross-status-group initiative to decolonize the university
- etc.