The Elisabeth Selbert Prize has been awarded by the Hessian state government since 1983 in recognition of outstanding achievements in the establishment and further development of equal opportunities for women and men. The prize is awarded to women and men who have made an outstanding contribution to the realisation of equal rights for women and men through their achievements and their creativity for society.
The prize is awarded every two years and is endowed with 10,000 euros. Individual achievements, cumulative achievements, a life's work or a collective achievement in favour of equal rights are eligible for the prize. The prize can be awarded to natural persons, associations of persons or legal entities.
Dr Elisabeth Selbert, a lawyer from Hesse and namesake of the prize, is credited with establishing the principle of equal rights in the German Basic Law. Article 3 paragraph 2 sentence 1 of the constitution has stated since 23 May 1949: ‘Men and women have equal rights’.
