What is behind the Constructive World Award?

"One Purpose, Many Faces" is the motto under which the "Constructive World Award" will be presented for the first time in July 2023. The award, established by the BurdaForward portal Focus Online, is intended to honour the social and journalistic work of those who constructively think and move our world forward.

The new Constructive Award is given to so-called "tandems" of media professionals and actors (individuals or organisations). In this way, Focus Online also gives a stage to those who stand behind the outstanding media contributions with their ideas and projects. At the DLD Conference in January, some of the jury members of the new award, such as Ana-Cristina Grohnert, Chairwoman of the Charta der Vielfalt, and Katja Speck, founder of DigitalMarketExpert, discussed "Constructivity in media and society" with Florian Festl and Linda Hinz (BurdaForward). 

Today, Oliver Eckert, BurdaForward CEO and Co-CEO BurdaVerlag, answers questions about the new Konstruktiv Award:

Oliver Eckert, how did you come up with this award idea at BurdaForward?

Constructive journalism has been changing everyday work at Focus Online for more than five years. As a pioneer in this field, we founded the first explicit constructive team in 2019 and started to optimise our reporting in the direction of solution orientation. Through extensive training, changes in the editorial structure and the introduction of a constructive score based on artificial intelligence, the basic attitude at Focus Online has changed. We name problems, but at the same time shed light on possible solutions. This new perspective has led to inspiring encounters with people who would probably never have come into focus without Constructive Journalism. The Constructive World Award was born out of these experiences.

Why do we need a prize like this?

In times of wars, climate change and conflicts, it is easy to get lost in gloomy visions of the future. But right now it is more important than ever to focus on solutions and to honour those who are working constructively and actively towards a better future. As one of the largest news portals in the country, we take our responsibility to shine a spotlight on these initiatives seriously. With the Constructive World Award, we not only show our appreciation for outstanding journalistic achievements, but also put the spotlight on those people whose commitment contributes to making our world a little better every day.

What do you hope for from the award and the Konstruktiv network?

Constructive journalism focuses on solutions and positive developments instead of bemoaning problems. A network of journalists who specialise in this kind of reporting and our new award aim to strengthen and promote the industry. The award shows that such stories are appreciated and that there is a need for a constructive view of the world. Constructive journalism contributes to a positive, solution-oriented society.

More information about the Constructive World Award, the jury and the application can be found here: www.constructive-world-award.com.