M100 receives Potsdamer Kongress Award

Last night (Tuesday, 8 November 2011), the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium was presented with the Potsdamer Kongress Award in the category ‘Recurring events’ (award from the ERFA Group) in recognition of the 2010 conference ‘The Freedom of the Press in Europe’.

The award statement: “The M100 Sanssouci Colloquium was developed and organised for the first time in 2005 as part of Potsdam’s application to be European Capital of Culture. Since then, leading figures in the world of media and young journalists have met every year to discuss topics such as tolerance, freedom of opinion and press freedom. In 2010, the conference focused on press freedom in Europe. The keynote speaker was Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel. Danish caricaturist Kurt Westergaard was the recipient of the M100 Media Award 2010. The unique format of the event, the standing of its participants, the explosive nature of the topics and the exceptional venues in the beautiful palaces and gardens of Sanssouci have all helped the organisers to create an annual event that welcomes chief editors and leading figures in the media from all over the world to Potsdam. No other Potsdam conference is able to compete with the attention that this event generates in the national and international media.“

Gondra Wettley, spokeswoman for the Erfa Group, presented the award: “There were three things that really caught our attention about this application,“ explained Gondra Wettley. “The prominent profile with international recognition, the choice of the 2010 theme ‘The Freedom of the Press in Europe’ as well as the awarding of the M100 Media Award 2010 to Kurt Westergaard.“