25 Jahre Stiftung EVZ: photo competition of the EVZ Foundation

Global crises, wars and digital transformations are changing how historical and political education is practised, and how we remember the injustices of the National Socialist regime. Revisionist interpretations of history are becoming more visible and are attempting to reinterpret our collective memory. Meanwhile, debates about the use of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), demonstrate the urgent need for a responsible and critical approach to images and sources.(see for example the open letter from the Gedenkstättenforum).

With #notimetoforget we are looking for photographic submissions that capture developments, challenges and current best practices in historical and political education work, whether that be on site, in face-to-face encounters or in the digital space. Show us your perspective on why, now more than ever, there is NO TIME TO FORGET, whether it's methodological approaches in action, changing circumstances on the local level, or impressive snapshots. The best photos will be awarded prize money of up to 2,000 euros.

The photo competition is a community project. Through their submissions, projects and individuals over the age of 18 can demonstrate the current changes to remembrance work at a local and on a digital level, and the impact of these changes on memory, encounters, innovation, multi-perspectivity and inclusion.

Winning Photos

“Laurahütte” – Sven Ellerbrock
Siemianowice Śląskie, Polen

“The staircase, almost overtaken by nature and leading to nowhere, is unsettling and raises questions about this building’s history. The image is addressing the theme #notimetoforget by pointing us to a forgotten place … it is sparking curiosity and calling for action.”

At “Arbeitslager Laurahütte”, a sub camp of the concentration camp Auschwitz, mainly male Jews were forced to produce anti-aircraft guns from April 1944 until the liberation of the camp in January 1945.

“War's Note” – Yulia Pidhola
Andriivka-Klevtsove, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine 2025

“A powerful image that was taken in the high-risk-environment of war, with the piano being a recognizable symbol silently accusing the attack on culture in times of conflict.”

Andriivka-Klevtsove in eastern Ukraine, where the photo was taken, has been repeatedly occupied during the Russian invasion. The photo was taken in an high risk environment during the Russian recapturing of the village on April 4th, 2025.

© Yulia Pidhola

„Narben der Besatzung“ – Simone Vona
Borodjanka, Ukraine 2025

“We don’t see all the damage that was done. The new building in the back is contrasted with the statue in the front, the hole in the head being the only visible “scar” of the occupation, showing us the different timelines of destruction, reconstruction, and memory.”