Skip to main navigation Skip to main content Skip to page footer

13.05.2025

News

Winners of the Global Economy Prize 2025 announced

The Winners of the Global Economy Prize 2025 have been announced. The prize, which will be awarded for the 20th time by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy together with its partners, the City of Kiel and the Schleswig-Holstein Chamber of Industry and Commerce, is intended to provide an impetus to tackle the major global economic challenges across borders.

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the City of Kiel and the Schleswig-Holstein Chamber of Industry and Commerce today announced the winners of the Global Economy Prize 2025. The Global Economy Prize is awarded in the categories of politics, business and economics and is not endowed.

Under this year's motto Courage for Change, the following thought leaders who have been particularly successful in promoting a forward-looking, dynamic and open-minded society will be honored: 

  • Gabrielius Landsbergis, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania; Category: Politics.
  • Hélène Huby, Co-Founder and CEO, The Exploration Company, Munich; Category Business.
  • Prof. Dr. Monika Schnitzer, Chairwoman of the German Council of Economic Experts, and Professor at LMU Munich; Category: Economics.

The Global Economy Prize will be awarded during Kiel Week on Monday, June 23, 2025, at the Landeshaus in Kiel. The prize winners are expected to attend in person.

Personalities to be honored are proposed from the Kiel Institute network and finally selected and nominated by the jury of the Global Economy Prize. The jury consists of the President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Prof. Dr. Moritz Schularick, Kiel's Mayor Dr. Ulf Kämpfer and the Vice President of the Schleswig-Holstein Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Knud Hansen. In accordance with their professions, the above-mentioned jury members are the mentors for the award winners in the categories of politics, business and economics.

Commenting on the nomination in the politics category, Kämpfer said: "Gabrielius Landsbergis is an extremely far-sighted foreign policy strategist, an outstanding analyst of geopolitical issues and a convinced European. As Foreign Minister of Lithuania, he was an early advocate of responding proactively to Russia's invasion of Ukraine with a policy of deterrence. Through his foresight and determined analysis, he quickly helped Lithuania to become a respected voice in NATO."

Hansen said of the upcoming winner of the business category: "Hélène Huby is an exceptionally profound connoisseur of the aviation industry, an extremely courageous entrepreneur, and a successful fundraiser. By founding the Exploration Company, she has set herself the ambitious goal of developing European solutions to transport goods and people to space stations and the moon, while democratizing space exploration and making it affordable, sustainable and open."

Schularick justified the nomination in the economics category as follows: "Monika Schnitzer is a pioneer of empirical microeconomics in Germany, an outstanding policy advisor, and an excellent teacher - also in the truest sense of the word. Her research is characterized by innovative ideas and the latest empirical methods. Like few in the profession, she knows how to derive clear, targeted and convincing economic policy recommendations from her scientific findings, which are well received by politicians and the general public."

Further information about the Global Economy Prize and the Nominees can be found here.

Media Contact

More Media Releases

  • News

    12.05.2026

    artillery spotter or military observer launches drone into sky force reconnaissance in enemy territory. drone control panel is in hand of military soldier

    Big spending, little future: Germany is rearming differently from Poland and the UK

    Germany ordered military equipment worth around €85 billion in 2025—more than the United Kingdom (€25 billion) and Poland (€21 billion) combined. At…

  • Statement

    08.05.2026

    Kiel Institute Statements - Nils Jannsen

    Geopolitical tensions weigh on the industry outlook

    Dr. Nils Jannsen, Head of German Economic Outlook at the Kiel Institute, comments on the latest figures released by the Federal Statistical Office…

  • News

    07.05.2026

    Artillery truck in front of the loading door of an Airbus A400M military transport plane on display at the Paris Air Show 2017

    European defense autonomy is technologically feasible, fiscally viable, and politically achievable

    The Sparta 2.0 paper identifies ten strategic capability gaps, prioritizes key programs, and puts the cost of European sovereignty in the security and…