Neiman, McLaughlin, and Nachum were honored for the comprehensive processing and publication of the literary estate of Margaret Brentano, who was the executive vice president of Freie Universität from 1970 to 1972. Their work made this material available to the public for the first time. Since the late 1990s Neiman and McLaughlin, former students of Margherita von Brentano, have been working intensively on organizing the literary estate of the philosopher and student of Heidegger. They were assisted by Nachum. The project is a significant contribution to the history of German culture and the humanities and to the history of Freie Universität Berlin.

Hahn, winner of the year 2010, was selected for her achievements in reconstructing the history of female intellectuality and reclaiming works by women working in the humanities. She dedicated decades of her scholarly work to thinkers such as Hannah Arendt and Rahel Varnhagen. Her work on Varnhagen’s literary estate is a milestone in the history of German literature. As part of her research projects, Hahn has promoted the support of women junior researchers. This commitment has also contributed to developing the international network of Freie Universität Berlin, in particular in the field of literature.

Freie Universität has been conferring the Margherita von Brentano Prize since 1995. It recognizes personal work or excellent projects in women’s and gender studies. It is one of the highest monetary awards of its kind. The prize was conferred by a vice president of Freie Universität, Prof. Dr. Christine Keitel-Kreidt. The citations for the award winners were given by Prof. Dr. Irmela von der Lühe of the Institute of German and Dutch Language and Literature at Freie Universität.