Concept
There is a special place in the Ruhr region where the global crises and conflicts of this world take on a frighteningly real presence: the Peace Village in Oberhausen. Here, the consequences of war and violence manifest themselves in faces – marked by burn scars, injuries and pain. They are the faces of children who are not yet teenagers and yet have already lived through the worst.
But this place is not one of resignation, but one of new beginnings. Through medical care and the commitment of volunteer doctors, the children not only receive physical healing, but also a perspective – a moment of carefree laughter, a step back into life.
Vita
Maximilian Mann, born in 1992, is a German photographer with a Master’s degree in Photography from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Dortmund. Specializing in documentary and portrait photography, he focuses on stories that explore social and environmental change, as well as broader societal issues. He is a recipient of the World Press Photo Award 2020.
Max is a founding member of DOCKS collective, represented by LAIF Agency and an appointed member of the DGPh.
Jury Statement
More than 473 million children – more than one in six children worldwide – live in conflict zones today. The proportion of children living in conflict zones worldwide has doubled – from about ten percent in the 1990s to almost 19 percent today. This is the result of a shocking UNICEF analysis from December 2024. The children are exposed to physical injuries, mutilation, malnutrition, lack of medical care and lack of access to education. The psychological stress is hardly measurable and the effects extrapolated to generations are not foreseeable. Unicef therefore calls on all parties to the conflict to take urgent action to end the suffering of children, ensure that their rights are respected and comply with international humanitarian law.
Against this background, the jury awards the German Peace Prize for Photography 2025 to MAXIMILIAN MANN for his touching photo reportage Letzte Rettung Oberhausen! In Friedensdorf International, a German aid organization founded in 1967, around 300 disabled children from international war and crisis zones are medically treated, cared for and sometimes prepared for months for their return to their homeland. MAXIMILIAN MANN depicts the mostly voluntary commitment and the daily life of the children in the Friedensdorf in Oberhausen in impressive pictures. He shows us frighteningly clearly – especially in the portraits of the children – the horror and the effects of war – all wars. But at the same time and above all – and this aspect was particularly important to us during the judging – his photographs speak the language of humanity, empathy – and hope!