On Friday, July 10, 2026, as part of the opening of the 28th Annual Show at the Offenbach University of Art and Design (HfG), the Annual Show Awards were presented to students in the Art and Design departments. Ursula Grünenwald served as an independent juror in the selection process for the Awareness and Empowerment Award. The jury, consisting of Maria Sitte (art historian, curator) and Kira Bernauer (designer, HfG alumna), honored works that engage with the theme of equality and diversity in terms of content, structure, form, theory, aesthetics, and/or politics.
The prize, endowed with 2,500 euros, was awarded in equal parts to Nelli Gomez Baumert (Department of Art) for “Trabajar para vivir” and Emelie Trenkler (Department of Design) for “Haltung hinterfragen.” Both works impressed the jury with their close collaboration with social actors.
The three-member jury honored Nelli Gomez Baumert’s short film about the migration stories of four Spanish women because it paints a nuanced picture of their experiences in German society. According to the jury, several months of context-sensitive research resulted in a work that impresses with its (post-)migrant, class-based, and historical scope. The film interweaves interview scenes with documentary and private footage and succeeds in giving its protagonists a voice that – both witty and moving – tells stories of empowerment and solidarity.
Emelie Trenkler also developed her contribution in the field of product design – aimed at creating a healthy and inspiring learning environment in elementary schools – through a dialogic process. The jury praised her seating design “Ali” for transforming the classic wooden chair into an ergonomic and pedagogically innovative alternative. Trenkler developed her new type of furniture, which offers options for sitting, lying down, standing, and hanging, based on extensive research and with the courage to rethink conventions of learning.
Honorable mentions went to the works “Kapwa” by Denise Go Siong and “Gaze Warning” by Rosa Viktoria Ahlers. Denise Go Siong combines carpet-making with community activities, intertwining material and social sustainability. In her comic “Gaze Warning,” Rosa Viktoria Ahlers addresses the depiction of sexualized violence in museum contexts and raises awareness about how to deal with depictions that glorify violence.
Traditionally, the HfG Offenbach opens its doors for three days at the end of the summer semester, giving visitors a glimpse into the work of students in the departments of art and design. The Annual Show Award for Awareness and Empowerment was presented this year for the eighth consecutive time.