Awards

WINNERS & Nominees 2023

Many exciting and innovative contributions were nominated for the SILBERSALZ Science & Media Awards this year. The jury did not have it easy. On Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, the winners were chosen at the Science & Media Award Show, at the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, hosted by science rapper John Chase! 

The winners are:

WINNER Best Science Documentary 
"Isaac Asimov, a message to the future"

WINNER Best Factual Series
Serie "Great Lakes Untamed"

WINNER Best Short Science Series 
"North Star" 

WINNER Short & Crisp Award 
"The Quest to Save Parasites"

WINNER Southern Lights Award 2023 
"Colonies in Conflict"

WINNER Homeland Earth Award 
"Soul of the Ocean" 

WINNER Young Audience Award
"Frag Lena" by Terra X (ZDF)

WINNER Immersive Science Award
"Goliath: Playing with Reality" 

WINNER MDR Science & Media Award
"Sharks: The secret adventure"

 

Best Science Documentary

Silbersalz Awards - Best Science Documentary Space Trash
Space Trash

Director/author: Liza Fanjeaux
Producer: Emmanuel Priou
Production Company: Bonne Pioche Productions
Country: France
Broadcaster: France Télévisions

Website

Silbersalz Awards - Best Science Documentary - The Science of Dad
The Science of Dad

Director/author: Larissa Klinker
Producer: Robert Pütz
Executive Producer: Tristan Chytroschek
Production Company: a & o buero filmproduktion
Country: Germany
Broadcaster: NDR/Arte

Website 

Silbersalz Awards - Best Science Documentary - Venus of Willendorf
Venus of Willendorf - The Naked Truth

Director/author: Klaus T. Steindl
Producer: Jakob Pochlatko, Dieter Pochlatko
Production Company: Epo-Film
Country: Austria
Broadcaster: ORF, ZDF/ARTE 

Website

Best Science Documentary

 Silbersalz Awards - Best Science Documentary - Let´s talk about Sex - A Century of Sex Education
Let's talk about Sex -  A Century of Sex Education

Director/author: Ina Kessebohm, Nadine Neumann
Producer: Nadine Neumann
Executive Producer: Reinhardt Beetz,Bettina Walter
Production Company: Gebrüder Beetz Filmproduktion GmbH – A Leonine Company / BWP Barcelona
Country: Germany, Spain
Broadcasters: ARTE, WDR, NDR, SVT, TV3

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Best Science Documentary - Isaac Asimov, a message to the future
WINNER
Isaac Asimov, a message to the future

Director/author: Mathias Théry
Producer: Juliette Cazanave
Production Company: Kepler22 Productions
Country: France
Broadcaster: ARTE FRANCE

Website

Best Science Documentary

Best Factual Series

 Silbersalz Awards - Best Factual Series - Australia´s Wild Odyssey
Australia's Wild Odyssey
3 x 55 mins

Director, DOP: Nick Robinson
Producer, Writer: Nick Robinson, Peta Ayers
Production Company: Wild Pacific Media
Executive Producers: Electra Manikakis, Nick Robinson
Country: Australia
Broadcaster: ABC, ARTE France

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Best Factual Series - Archeology 3.0 - Making the dead speak
Archeology 3.0 – Making the dead speak

Director/author: Stéphane Jacques, Alexandra Barbot
Producer: Nicolas Cennac, Dominique Tibi
Production Company: Roche Productions
Country: France
Broadcaster: Planete+, ZDF, HISTORIA

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Best Factual Series - Great Lakes Untamed
WINNER
Great Lakes Untamed
3 x 52 mins

Director, Series Producer & Executive Producer: Ted Oakes
Director(s): Jeff Morales, Nick De Pencier
Writer(s): Paul Spillenger, Phil Fairclough, Erna Buffie,John Larose, Ryszard Hunka
Executive Producer(s): Ted Oakes,  Phil Fairclough, Merit Jensen Carr
Production Company: Oak Island Films Canada and Merit Motion Pictures in association with Two Wise Monkeys, TVO, Smithsonian Channel, and Terra Mater Studios
Country: Canada
Broadcaster: TVO, Smithsonian Channel, and Terra Mater Studios

Website

Best Factual Series

Silbersalz Awards - Best Factual Series - The Gown and the Shipwreck
The Gown and the Shipwreck
3 x 50 mins

Director: Arnold Van Bruggen
Executive Producer(s): Laura Verduijn, Sanne Wiltink,  Irene Uit Den Bosch
Creative producer: Eefje Blankevoort
Production Company: Prospektor
Country: the Netherlands
Broadcaster: NTR

Website

Silbersalz Awards - Best Factual Series - Surviving Hothouse Earth
Surviving Hothouse Earth
3 x 50 Mins

Based on an idea by Florian Breier
Director(s), Writer(s): Dirk Gilson, Tilman Wolff, Florian Breier
Executive Producers Marcus Uhl, Dietmar Lyssy
Editorial: Caroline Reiher, Carmen Peter, Linde Dehner, Nikolas Hülbusch
Country: Germany
Production Company: Bilderfest Factual Entertainment
Broadcaster: ZDF info
In cooperation: arte.tv, ZDF studios

Website

Best Factual Series

Best Short Series

 Silbersalz Awards - Best Short Series - Ammodo Docs
Ammodo Docs
7 x 15 mins

Directors/authors:  Marleine van der Werf, Hester Overmars, Renko Douze, Suzanne Raes
Producer(s): Maartje Bakers, Eline Van Wees, Hasse Van Nunen, Sanne Cousijn, Ilja Roomans
Production Company: Ammodo Docs
Country: the Netherlands
Broadcaster: NTR/NPO2

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Best Short Series - Oxford Sparks ep. The Symphony of the Brain
Oxford Sparks ep. The Symphony of the Brain

Director/author: Rob Key
Producer: Fiona Suttle
Executive Producer: Michaela Livingstone-Banks
Production Company: Oxford Sparks
Country: United Kingdom
Broadcaster: Youtube

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Best Short Series - North Star
WINNER
North Star
5 x 15 mins

In collaboration with Laurie Rousseau-Nepton
Director/author: Patrick Bossé
Producer: Pierre-Mathieu Fortin
Executive Producer: Nathalie Cloutier
Production Company: National Film Board of Canada
Country: Canada

Website

Best Short Series

 Silbersalz Awards - Best Short Series - Agree to Disagree
Agree to Disagree!
6 x 26 mins

Director/author: Fabian Korbinian Wolf
Producer: Alexandra Minzlaff
Executive Producer: Patrick Hörl, Andreas Martin
Production Company: Autentic
Country: Germany
Broadcaster: ZDF, arte

Website autentic
Website arte

 Silbersalz Awards - Best Short Series - Science for Future
Science for Future
3 x 30 mins

Director/author: Jacob Beautemps, Markus Kauert, Max Langfeldt, Susanne Erler, Lena Willems, Amanda Mock
Producer: Jacob Beautemps, Anne Hollaender
Executive Producer: Henrik Wittmann, Thomas Konzett
Production Company: i&u TV Produktion GmbH
Country: Germany
Broadcaster: SWR / ARD Mediathek

Instagram
Youtube

Best Short Series

Short & Crisp Award

 Silbersalz Awards - Short & Crisp Awards - Our Ark
Our Ark

Director/author: Deniz Tortum, Kathryn Hamilton
Producer: Firat Sezgin
Production Company: Institute of Time
Country: the Netherlands, USA, Turkey
Platform: Vimeo

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Short & Crisp Awards - What a bacterium getting sick have to do with generic engineering?
What does a bacterium getting sick have to do with genetic engineering?
Director: Stephanie Okeyo
Author: Grace Kago
Producer(s): Sheldon Mutei, Gift Kyansimire
Executive Producer: Stephanie Okeyo
Production Company: Creatives for Science by Under the Microscope
Country: Kenya
Platform: Youtube

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Short & Crisp Awards - The Quest to Save Parasites
WINNER
The Quest to Save Parasites

Director/Producer/author: Emily V. Driscoll
Executive Producer: Jeffery DelViscio
Production Company: Emily V. Driscoll
Country: USA
Platform: Scientific American

Website

Short & Crisp Award

Silbersalz Awards - Short & Crisp Awards - Chasing Sprites in Electric Skies
Chasing Sprites in Electric Skies

Director/Producer/author: Joy Ng
Producer: Lina Tran
Executive Producer: Denise Hill
Production Company: NASA
Country: USA
Platform: Youtube

Website

Silbersalz Awards - Short & Crisp Awards - Listen up Dylan
Listen Up: Dylan

Director/author: Hannah Draper
Producer: Hannah Draper
Executive Producer: Penny Palmer
Production Company: Catalyst, ABC Television
Country: Australia
Broadcaster: ABC Television
Platform: Youtube

Website

Short & Crisp Award

Southern Lights Award

 Silbersalz Awards - Southern Lights Awards - Colonies in Conflict
WINNER
Colonies in Conflict 

Director/author: Rajani Mani
Producer(s) Bipin Nair, Axel Brockmann
Executive Producer: Rajani Mani 
Production Company: Elephant Corridor Films
Country: India
Distributor: ZDF Studios GmbH

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Southern Lights Awards - Saving the Himalayan Yak
Saving the Himalayan Yak
Director, Writer: Rakesh Andania
Producer: Anoop Kaur, Surjit Singh
Country: India

Youtube

 Silbersalz Awards - Southern Lights Awards - Return of the little Tern Seabird on the Floating Artificial Sand Island
Return of the Little Tern Seabird on the Floating Artificial Sand Islands

Director: YEOM Sang-Seop
Writer: PARK Sohee
Executive Producer: SON Jongho
Producer: SHIN Dong-man
Production Company: KBS, Wildnet
Country: South Korea
Broadcaster: KBS

Website

Southern Lights Award

 Silbersalz Awards - Southern Lights Awards - Secret lives of Trees
Secret lives of Trees

Director/Author: Jessica Lee Chu En
Assistant Producers: Cyrus Tan, Phoebe Low
Executive Producers: Donovan Chan, Jocelyn Little
Production Company: Beach House Pictures
Country: Singapore
Broadcaster: Channel NewsAsia

Website

Silbersalz Awards - Southern Lights Awards - African Moot
African Moot

Director, Writer: Shameela Seedat
Producer(s): Shameela Seedat, Francois Verster, Don Edkins, Tiny Mungwe, Juha Lopponen, Venla Hellstedt
Executive producer: Don Edkins
Production Company: Undercurrent Film and Television, STEPS
Country: South Sudan

Website

Southern Lights Award

Homeland Earth Award

 Silbersalz Awards - Homeland Earth Award - Holy Shit - All that Breathes
All that Breathes

Director/author: Shaunak Sen
Producer: Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer
Co-Producer: Florrie Priest
Executive Producer: David Guy Elisco, Sean B. Carroll
Production Company: A Sideshow & Submarine Deluxe Release In Association With Hbo Documentary Films, A Rise Films & Kiterabbit Films
Production In Collaboration With Hhmi Tangled Bank Studios
Country: India
Broadcaster: HBO

Website

Silbersalz Awards - Homeland Earth Award - The illusion of abundance
The illusion of abundance

Director/author: Erika Gonzalez Ramirez & Matthieu Lietaert
Producer: Erika Gonzalez Ramirez & Matthieu Lietaert
Production Company: Not So Crazy! Productions
Country: Belgium, Colombia
World Sales: First Hand Films

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Homeland Earth Award - Holy Shit - Can Poop Save The World?
Holy Shit - Can Poop Save The World?

Director/author: Rubén Abruña
Producer: Valentin Thurn
Production Company: Thurn film in co-production with Peacock Film (Zurich)
Country: Germany
Broadcaster: WDR, BR, SRF

Website

Homeland Earth Award

 Silbersalz Awards - Homeland Earth Award - When Ocean Threaten Cities
When Ocean Threaten Cities

A film by Laurence Thiriat & Thomas Marlier
Director: Laurence Thiriat
Producer: Anne Labro
Production company:  Tangerine Productions, in co-pro with Composite Films
Country: France
Broadcaster(s): France Télévisions (France 5), Earth X

 

 Silbersalz Awards - Homeland Earth Award - Soul of the Ocean
WINNER
Soul of the Ocean

Written and edited by Mark Fletcher, Howard Hall
Narrated by Russell Boulter
Producer: Michele Hall
Produced by Markus Klammer
Executive Producers: Andrea Gastgeb, Sabine Holzer
Production Company: Terra Mater Studios
County: Austria

Website

Homeland Earth Award

Young Audience Award

 Silbersalz Awards - Young Audience Award - Planet noise
Planet noise

Title: Planet Noise (Original Title: Klimakrach)
Director/author: Alice Karasek, Markus Englisch, Jürgen Karasek
Producer: Alice Karasek
Executive Producer: Alice Karasek
Production Company: Gokid Media/ Soleilfilm
Country: Austria

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Young Audience Award
Flower Power: The Mysterious Conqueror

Authors: François Tribolet, Clément Champiat
Director : François Tribolet
Producer: Marc Berdugo, Serge Khalfon, Elfriede Leca
Executive Producer: Florent Chevolleau, Anne Rochefort
Production Company: Magneto
Country: France
Broadcaster: France Télévisions

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Young Audience Award - A Language of Shapes
A Language of Shapes

Director/author: Samantha Moore
Producer: Abigail Addison
Executive Producer: Gary Thomas
Production Company: Animate Projects
Country: United Kingdom

Website

Young Audience Award

  Silbersalz Awards - Young Audience Award - Frag Lena
WINNER
Terra X (ZDF) TikTok: Frag Lena

Director/author: Lena Paul
Producer: Nils Otte, Neslihan Feßler
Executive Producer: Marcus Uhl
Production Company: Bilderfest GmbH
Country: Germany
Broadcaster: ZDF (Terra X)
Social Media Platform: TikTok

Website

Young Audience Award

Immersive Science

 Silbersalz Awards - Immersive Science - We are Guardians
We are Guardians / VR, 360

Director/author: Max Crow
Producer: Ben Squires
Executive Producer: Paul Mowbray
Production Company: NSC Creative
Country: United Kingdom

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Immersive Science - Symbiosis / VR Installation
Symbiosis / VR Installation

Director/author: Marcel van Brakel & Mark Meeuwenoord
Producer: Corine Meijers
Executive Producer: Marieke Nooren
Production Company: POLYMORF & Studio Biarritz
Country: The Netherlands

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Immersive Science - Cell Worlds / Multi-media Installation
Cell Worlds / Multi-media Installation

Director/author: Terence Saulnier & Renaud Pourpre
Producer: Fred Daudier
Executive Producer: L'Exploratoire
Production Company: Arcanae
Country: France
Broadcaster: Youtube

Website

Immersive Science

 Silbersalz Awards - Immersive Science -Goliath: Playing With Reality
WINNER
Goliath: Playing With Reality - VR Experience

Director, author: Barry Gene Murphy
Co-Director, Author, Executive Producer: May Abdalla (Anagram)
Interactive Design, Development Lead - Michael Golembewski
Lead Producer: Anetta Jones
Executive Producer(s): Kirsty Jennings, Rebecca Frankel, Mark Ordesky, Liz Rosenthal
Production Company: Floréal & Anagram
Country: France, UK
Broadcaster: Meta (Oculus)

Website

 Silbersalz Awards - Immersive Science - Ernst Grube - The legacy
Ernst Grube - The legacy - VR Experience

Director: Philipp Grieß
Producer(s): Joachim Kosack, Frank Govaere
Technical Lead: Dr. Oliver Schreer
Production Company: UFA GmbH
In association with: Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institute (HHI)
Country: Germany

Website

Immersive Science