“It is August 1924, and Johannes, known as “Johnny” Jaeger, is about to celebrate his 30th birthday next month. Three years ago, he ties the knot with “Mariechen”. The couple already has two offspring, Hans and Elisabeth, and daughter Maria is due to be born in August 1924. Seven more children are to follow. Johnny is a simple farmer, but he has a feel for what is feasible. In view of his simple standard of living, he seeks a radical change: together with his brother Herrmann, he founds a start-up for narrow fabrics, a ribbon weaving mill. From field to manufacturer – the company “Gebrüder Jaeger” is born. Founded in 1924, destroyed in the hail of bombs in Ronsdorf in 1943, but rebuilt without pause. Resilient, determined and always moving forward …”
Why are we telling you this? Not to glorify the tough start-up years or to pat ourselves on the back for a solid foundation for growth, but:
- Because we believe in the power of “just doing it”, without overthinking, with courage and a focus on opportunities. Our founder passed this on to us.
- Because we believe in people’s ability to further their education, strengthen their strengths and develop a drive for their own playing field.
- Because we want start-ups to be founded in the future that support and train young people in particular and challenge them to develop continuously.
To support this, Jaeger is awarding the “Johannes-Jaeger-Prize” to mark its 100th anniversary. The prize is endowed with a total of 25,000 euros and is divided into 15,000 euros for the main prize and 10,000 euros for the second prize.
Who can take part? Start-ups, organizations and associations within a 50 km radius of our company headquarters that have made a special contribution to the training, further education, promotion, integration and reintegration of young people into working life, preferably in medium-sized companies, in the last 2 – 3 years.
What is required? A brief description describing the organization, its purpose and achievements in the years 2022 – 2024. Also a justification of why you believe you deserve the award. Submissions are welcome by June 30, 2024 by e-mail to: johannes-jaeger-preis-2024@jaeger-ttc.com.
Our jury will award the prizes at the end of July 2024. The prizes will be presented on September 5, 2024 at Jaeger in Wuppertal. Participants agree to corresponding press publications. Legal recourse is excluded.
Take the chance and become a prize winner – just do it!
