Adolf and Dr. Eberhard Fraund Prize

"Dr. Eberhard Fraund, former publisher and association of the specialist publishing house Dr. Fraund * † 9. Juli 2014 (...). Despite significant health impairments, he mastered his life and career in an exemplary manner. His father, Adolf Freund, co-founded the publishing house in 1946. They received a license from the French military government for the specialist journal ‘Der Weinbau’ (today ‘das deutsche weinmagazin’) July that same year, followed by a license for the weekly agricultural paper ‘Der Landbote’ in August. In December 1959, Dr. Eberhard Fraund was taken on as a new associate, which required him to leave his position as director of Wiesbadener Tagblatt GmbH. Following various changes in the shareholder structure and the departure of Mainzer Verlagsanstalt und Druckerei Will & Roth KG, the company was renamed Fachverlag Dr. Fraund GmbH in 1979.

Fachverlag Dr. Fraund was a traditional family business until 1987, when Landwirtschaftsverlag Hessen GmbH joined as a co-partner. This development led to Dr. Eberhard Fraund stepping back as the director of the publishing house, before health reasons prompted him to retire in 1987 at the age of 59. Nonetheless, he remained an associate and the chair of the administrative board for the publishing house. Dr. Eberhard Fraund followed the business' developments closely and maintained contact up until his death. Social engagement was also important to Dr. Fraund. He found joy and relaxation in listening to classical music and during his stays in the Engadin."

Source: Fachverlag Dr. Fraund

• Recipient of the Grand Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Recipient of the Gutenberg Plaque of the City of Mainz
• Recipient of the Goethe Plaque of the State of Hesse

"At the end of WWII, at hour zero for the Germans and their press, he was tenacious and determined in his work. The rubble around him did not cause him to despair. Rather, they inspired him to new deeds. In 1945, when everything was over, he rebuilt the 100-year old Mainz publishing house from the ruins of the city, which had been almost completely destroyed in the devastating air raids of the last months of the war, and revived its daily newspaper. This is the achievement of a man who died shortly before his 87th birthday in Wiesbaden – the former publisher and managing partner of this company, Adolf Fraund.

It is characteristic of this man, who was as significant in his former position (from which he retired at the “age limit” at the end of 1961) as he was modest in his personal demeanor, that he departed, in the truest sense of the word, quietly. (...)"

Source: Adolf Fraund – Documents and Memories, Verlag H. Schmidt, 1986

An annual award for graduates in the following fields:

• Viticulture (Hochschule Geisenheim University, Hesse)
• Agriculture/Special Crops (Hochschule Geisenheim University, Hesse)
• Agriculture/Farming (Bingen Technical University of Applied Sciences, Rhineland-Palatinate)

Each of the three fields of study is allocated €6,000 per year for the award. The prize can be divided among a maximum of three winners. The prize will be awarded for a period of at least 10 years from the date of the announcement.

The donor transfers the total prize money of €180,000 to the Hochschule Geisenheim University trust (Communication and University Relations Department). At the end of each year, the tax office Beate Schütz (Wiesbaden) receives a receipt confirming the proper use of the funds.

The winners are selected by a small board of trustees:

• President of the university
• Vice-President of Student & Academic Affairs, or Dean
• Vice-President of Research
• President of the Alumni Association

The donor or their delegated representation is notified of the selected awardees in advance and has the resounding right to nominate and veto decisions. 

To qualify for the prize, awardees must demonstrate:

• a high level of achievement
• a high level of social engagement. 

Important: entry via adult education will be favored!

Bachelor's, master's, or PhD candidates are nominated by the Communications and University Relations Department using transparent, software-based procedures (similar to the Deutschland-Stipendium).

You can send a speculative application via our applications portal:

https://mein-netzwerk.hs-geisenheim.de/formulare/fraund2025/ 

The award ceremony takes place annually as a small, formal celebration, organized with the support of Geisenheim Alumni Association e.V., Hochschule Geisenheim University, and Bingen Technical University of Applied Sciences. 

The award sponsor Sibylle Fraund (right) with her tax advisor Beate Schütz (left) and the award winners in attendance (from left to right: Felix Grass, Jana Walther, Simon Lönarz, Katharina Becker, and Torben Kock)