On Monday, June 23, the Department of Alpes-Maritimes awarded the Charles-Gottlieb Prize to the student winners. The event, presided over by Charles Ange Ginésy in the presence of local elected officials, highlights the memory work carried out by middle school students after their trips to Shoah sites.
The award ceremony for the Charles-Gottlieb Prize 2025 was held in Nice on Monday. Charles Ange Ginésy, President of the Department, presided over the event, accompanied by Éric Ciotti, Deputy and President of the Finance Committee, as well as Joëlle Arini, Vice-President in charge of education.
This prize pays tribute to Charles Gottlieb, Auschwitz survivor, who for twelve years accompanied students from the Côte d’Azur on their memory trips. Until his passing in 2015, he educated generations of students about the history of the Shoah through his testimony. The prize that bears his name now encourages young people to pass on this memory in various forms.
The students’ works take the form of videos, drawings, websites, narratives, or sound creations. The goal is to express, in their own way, what they saw, felt, and understood during these trips.
This year, 620 middle school students from 31 schools visited the former concentration and extermination camps of Auschwitz, Birkenau, Majdanek, and Sobibor. Upon their return, they worked with their teachers to convey this experience.
A Ceremony Dedicated to Memory and Youth
The jury acknowledged three schools for their achievements in the Charles-Gottlieb Prize framework. First place was awarded to Sainte-Marie de Chavagnes School (Cannes) for a film made on the sites of Majdanek and Sobibor. Mont Saint-Jean School (Antibes) took second place for a website titled Their Duty to Remember. Frédéric-Mistral School (Nice) received third prize with an online project tracing their journey.
The Department also awarded a complementary prize titled “Words of History, Words of Hope.” This new initiative accompanies two trips organized to Verdun and Normandy, significant sites of the two world conflicts. Roland-Garros School (Nice) won first prize with a film titled Listen to History. Joseph-Vernier and Nazareth schools, both from Nice, completed the podium.
A special prize was awarded to Ludovic-Bréa School (Saint-Martin-du-Var) on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Liberation.
In closing the ceremony, Charles Ange Ginésy praised the commitment of the students, teachers, and partners: “The Charles-Gottlieb Prize concludes a great year dedicated to the duty of remembrance for the middle school students of Alpes-Maritimes […] . The Department will continue to uphold this mission: to nurture hope through memory, alongside our youth.”
