Friedrich Gennheimer Prize

A prize for excellent theses

Key data

In memory of Friedrich Gennheimer, the Haniel Foundation, together with the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society and the Wine Campus Neustadt, awards the Friedrich Gennheimer Prize for Marketing and the Friedrich Gennheimer Prize for Viticulture, Enology and Wine Marketing.

Funding amount: 2000.00 euros for a Bachelor's thesis / 3000.00 euros for a Master's thesis
Frequency: annually
Donor: Haniel Foundation
Awarding institution: HWG Ludwigshafen
Announcement: HWG Ludwigshafen and Wine Campus Neustadt
Wine Campus contact: Prof. Dr. Laura Ehm

Focus on social responsibility

Application

Today more than ever, companies are faced with the task of combining economic activity with ecological and social responsibility. Expectations of sustainability, transparency and fairness as well as the desire for value-oriented management have increased. Consumers are also increasingly honoring values. Issues such as inclusive communication, diversity and fair working conditions have become success factors that determine credibility and competitiveness. Social aspects are also gaining in importance in the wine industry: certifications, transparency and social commitment are coming more into focus.

Against this backdrop, the Friedrich Gennheimer Prize 2025 honors work that examines social sustainability, social responsibility and value-oriented corporate management in marketing, viticulture, Enology and wine marketing.

Prizes will be awarded to works that deal with sustainability aspects and in particular highlight the role of marketing as a driver of social responsibility, social justice and sustainability. Outstanding Bachelor's and Master's theses from the degree programs of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society and the Wine Campus Neustadt can be submitted. Practical work is just as welcome as theoretical papers.

cloudscape with blue sky and sun for backgrounds

Award ceremony 2025

Outlook

On October 23, 2025, prizes will be awarded for the third time in the name of Friedrich Gennheimer by the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society at the Wine Campus Neustadt. You can register for the event via the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences calendar of events.

Nina Elva Laut received a marketing prize for her bachelor's thesis entitled "Sustainability in development cooperation - A comparison of development projects in Cambodia by Japan and the People's Republic of China"

and Noah Laufer for his Bachelor's thesis entitled "Stock market dynamics and political information"

The prize for viticulture, Enology and wine marketing was awarded to Samantha Schäfer for her Bachelor's thesis entitled "Sustainability transformation: end consumer analysis of returnable wine in food retail".

Friedrich Wilhelm Gennheimer

About the person

Friedrich Wilhelm Gennheimer was born in 1930 in Neustadt an der Weinstraße as part of the Gennheimer Brothers sparkling wine cellars. His professional career began with a degree in business administration. In 1970, he was offered a teaching position for general business administration at the vocational schools in Speyer. This teaching position was accompanied by an appointment as a civil servant for life. In 1971, he was transferred to the Staatliche Höhere Wirtschaftsfachschule in Ludwigshafen. There, Gennheimer accepted an employment contract, also for business administration. Just one year later, he was appointed "Professor at the University of Applied Sciences" and moved to the Ludwigshafen department of the Rhineland-Palatinate University of Applied Sciences. Gennheimer taught in the fields of marketing, human resources and training. From 1979 to 1987, he also headed the Ludwigshafen department as dean and was responsible for founding the Worms department (now an independent university) and the later East Asia Institute in Ludwigshafen. Gennheimer retired in February 1996, although in the two years that followed he continued to teach the subject of communication and contracting policy at the East Asia Institute in the Department of Business Administration II.

Friedrich Gennheimer died in 2022 and left a will, which is now being administered by Prof. Dr. Siegfried Englert. Englert was one of the co-founders of the Wine Campus Neustadt and a former professor at the East Asia Institute of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society. In memory of Gennheimer, the Friedrich Gennheimer Prize was established in spring 2023 together with the Haniel Foundation as the awarding institution.

Photo: private

Working with values

The prize donor

The Haniel Foundation was established in 1988 as a non-profit foundation under private law by Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH. In line with the self-image of the Haniel family and the Haniel company, the Haniel Foundation pursues its objectives and its mission "Working with values" in two main areas:

Enkelfähiges Unternehmertum: The Haniel Foundation promotes young entrepreneurial talent. Future leaders in our society and economy. Talented people who drive change. With ideas. With attitude. With the cross-generational understanding of the values of the honorable businessman. We provide these talents with top scholarships. Access to our community. A broad spectrum of excellent opportunities.
Education as an opportunity: children and young people in a challenging environment deserve fair opportunities. Education opens doors. We undertake support initiatives. Effective programs. Joining forces with partners. And help young people graduate from school and enter the world of work. In responsibility for our home, the Ruhr region.

In trusting cooperation with the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society

The Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, together with the East Asia Institute and the Haniel Foundation, has enjoyed a stable cooperation for more than 25 years. The Haniel Foundation has supported German students' stays abroad in China and Japan through the annual awarding of the Haniel Prize at the East Asia Institute. In addition, the Haniel Foundation has sponsored over 70 Chinese scholarship holders in two consecutive scholarship programs who were pursuing a career in the management of an international company and studying at the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences and the East Asia Institute.

It was not least due to this long-standing, trusting partnership that Professor Gennheimer decided to establish the newly created Friedrich Gennheimer Prize together with the Haniel Foundation at his former place of work.

Learn more

The award winners

Jessica Krauß (2024)

Master's thesis: "CO2 reduction management in the chemical industry: analysis and conceptual design of a target system for the operationalization of strategic goals" in cooperation with BASF SE

Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
Faculty III - Services and Consulting
Degree program: MBA Digital Finance, Strategy & Accounting

First reviewer: Prof. Dr. Gösta Jamin
Second reviewer: Prof. Dr. Stefanie Hehn-Ginsbach
Supervisors in the company: Janine Möller and Dr. Guido Harms

Jessica Krauß grew up in Schifferstadt. She became aware of the nearby chemical company BASF in Ludwigshafen at an early age. She completed a student internship there in the 9th grade and was determined to gain a foothold in the company after graduating from high school. She persistently pursued this goal and began a dual study program in International Business Administration at BASF, which gave her a wide range of insights into business administration, including a four-month practical phase in Hong Kong.

In her Bachelor's thesis, Jessica dealt with corporate management - at that time in the field of global supply chain management. Her interest in these topics led her to operational controlling in the Industrial Petrochemicals division, where she gained several years of valuable experience. During the challenges of the corona pandemic, she decided to start the MBA program Digital Finance, Strategy & Accounting at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society in order to further deepen her professional and interdisciplinary skills. For her Master's thesis, it was important to Jessica to shed light on a highly relevant topic for BASF in order to create added value for the company with the results. She came across the topic of sustainability controlling and so, as part of her Master's thesis, she dealt intensively with the reduction control of CO2 emissions in the chemical industry.

The positive response led to her working in sustainability controlling today. In this role, she can apply her knowledge of corporate management in a targeted manner and contribute to the development of sustainable strategies. Jessica is convinced that sustainable practices are not only important for companies to assume social responsibility, but also to remain competitive in the long term.

Abstract Jessica Krauß

Leonie Wagner (2024)

Master's thesis: "The influence of different summer plantings on drought stress and the grape and must quality of the Pinot Noir grape variety"

Wine Campus Neustadt
Degree program: Dual German-French degree program in Viticulture and Enology

First reviewer: Prof. Dr. Jochen Bogs, Bingen Technical University of Applied Sciences
Second reviewer: Sebastian Hörsch, Rural Area Service Center (DLR) Rhenish Palatinate, Institute of Viticulture and Oenology
In cooperation with: Jülg Winery, Schweigen-Rechtenbach

Growing up near Germany's northernmost quality wine-growing region, the vineyards in Leonie Wagner's childhood and youth were primarily a local recreation area for her. It was only later that Leonie Wagner's love of nature led her to develop a deeper interest in viticulture and wine. After leaving school, Leonie Wagner studied biology in her home town of Leipzig. During her studies, she discovered the beauty of botany and became increasingly enthusiastic about nature conservation. In her bachelor's thesis, Wagner investigated special plant characteristics of herbaceous plants and their ability to adapt to climatic influences, which she observed in the botanical garden at Leipzig University. After successfully completing her bachelor's degree, she spent a year in New Zealand, where Wagner began working in viticulture by chance. She enjoyed the work and fulfilled her desire to work close to nature. Back in Germany, she decided to study for a Master's degree in Viticulture and Oenology at the Wine Campus Neustadt. She was attracted to the course not only by the possibility of specializing in nature conservation and sustainability in viticulture, but also by the opportunity to spend time abroad in France. For her Master's thesis, Wagner carried out research into summer greening at a vineyard on the German-French border. The aim of the work was to examine the influence of summer greening from both a viticultural and an economic perspective. The aim was to compare both effective nature conservation and the practicability of various summer greening methods and thus test alternatives to standard practice. Wagner particularly enjoyed this application-oriented type of investigation under real conditions. She hopes that winegrowers will be able to benefit from the results in the future.

Abstract Leonie Wagner

Pauline Baumberger-Brand (2023)

Master's thesis: Development of an interactive workshop format for sustainability development in the wine industry based on a multi-case analysis

The Friedrich Gennheimer Prize was awarded for the first time in October 2023. This year's prize was awarded to works that dealt with the sustainable transformation of our economy . The transformation of the entire economy towards greater sustainability is central to meeting the challenges of climate change and making an overall contribution to a "liveable" future. Ecological sustainability in particular is often at the center of companies' activities, but it also presents them with major challenges. The Friedrich Gennheimer Prize for Marketing 2023 was awarded to Pauline Baumberger-Brand, MBA Wine, Sustainability & Sales.

Baumberger-Brand works at her parents' winery in Mandel on the Nahe. Her main focus at the company is on marketing and sales of the wines. She has also achieved great success, including internationally, with her Glow Glow natural wines since 2021. She says of her studies at the Wine Campus: "The MBA program combines all the areas in which I want to expand and deepen my knowledge: Wine, sustainability and sales. The program at the Wine Campus Neustadt builds on my current knowledge, shows me new perspectives and teaches me strategic thinking and methods that enable me to rethink situations in the family business, check for sustainability and make well-founded decisions."

Abstract Baumberger-Brand

Martin Ladach (2023)

Master's thesis: Possibilities of mash fermentation for white wines from new robust grape varieties (PIWIs)

The Friedrich Gennheimer Prize was awarded for the first time in October 2023. This year's prize was awarded for work that dealt with the sustainable transformation of our economy . The transformation of the entire economy towards greater sustainability is central to meeting the challenges of climate change and making an overall contribution to a "liveable" future. Ecological sustainability in particular is often at the center of companies' activities, but it also presents them with major challenges. The Friedrich Gennheimer Prize for Viticulture, Enology and Wine Marketing 2023 was awarded to Martin Ladach from the German-French Master's degree program in Viticulture & Enology.

He says the following about studying at the Wine Campus: "The numerous advantages and career prospects of a cross-border, intercultural course of study in the domain of viticulture led me to enrol on the FAVO Master's degree program."

Abstract Ladach

Profile Ladach