DAAD Prize
The University of Greifswald awards the DAAD Prize to exceptional international students or doctoral students, who have distinguished themselves through excellent academic achievements and notable social work or intercultural activities.
The DAAD Prize has been awarded for over ten years now and comes with prize money of €1,000 per university. The aim is to give faces to the many international students at German universities and link them with their stories. This illustrates that each international student takes a piece of Germany back to their homeland when they return and also leaves something of themselves in Germany – thus enriching both sides.
Requirements
- You are a foreign student and enrolled at the University of Greifswald and have obtained good or very good marks
- Your primary residence is in Germany
- You are at an advanced stage of your bachelor’s degree course (at least 2nd or 3rd year of study) or master’s degree course (at least 2nd semester).
- You take part in community work
- Furthermore, former students, who have recently graduated (i.e. graduation is usually no more than 3 months ago), and doctoral students can also apply
Current DAAD Prize Winner: Yaiza Otero
The University of Greifswald has awarded this year’s DAAD Prize for the excellent achievements of an international student to Yaiza Otero, a master's student in German Literary Studies. With this prize, the University honours not only her excellent academic achievements, but also her impressive social and intercultural engagement on campus and beyond.
Since she arrived in Greifswald, Ms. Otero has helped to shape the university and the town far beyond her studies. In her application for the prize, she emphasises that she not only sees Greifswald as an academic location, but as a second home - a place she brings life to. Her work as a graduate assistant at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Baltic Sea Region Research (IFZO) and her activities at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies (IZfG) bear witness to her commitment to research, science communication and interdisciplinary exchange. Her tasks at the IFZO include organising international conferences and looking after the Centre’s social media channels – an important contribution to the visibility of the research performed at the University and in the surrounding region.
Her involvement at the IZfG also reflects her academic maturity and her commitment towards gender equality and diversity. She has co-organised workshops, taken part in international events and is currently preparing a talk on the topic of “Feminist Cringe Comedy” that she will hold at the conference “UEBER CRINGE. Ambivalent Affects and Everyday Aesthetics” at the University of Heidelberg in summer.
Her master’s dissertation approaches the depiction of abortion and narrated silence in German contemporary literature – a topic that is yet to have seen much research and to which she brings new insights through her perspective.
In addition to her academic success, Ms. Otero is an active networker and someone who helps to shape the university community. Her voluntary work as a “Local Buddy” at the International Office underlines how important intercultural exchange is to her and is an expression of her desire to help other international students settle in in Greifswald. As the organiser of a Stammtisch (regulars’ table) for master's students in literary studies, she has created a space for exchange and mutual support, where she is also able to bring in her own experience from her previous participation in the mentoring programme “Graduates Interested in Doing a Doctorate” - for example with regard to networking in academic settings. Furthermore, she plays an active role in the forum “Feminism and Pop Culture” at IZfG, where current topics from the realms of film, literature and social media are discussed. Her contributions enrich the discussions from intercultural and literary studies perspectives.
Ms. Otero is also strongly dedicated to the community outside of the university: as an active member of Greifswald’s Animal Welfare Association, she helps animals in need on a weekly basis – a commitment that impressively demonstrates her solidarity with the town and her social environment.
By awarding the DAAD Prize 2025 to Ms. Yaiza Otero, the University of Greifswald honours a young woman who embodies interculturalism, academic excellence and social responsibility. Ms. Otero’s academic background and her broad commitment make her an outstanding ambassador for the University and a promising candidate for a future doctorate in the field of literary studies and gender research.
