Popländ Award: Students present concept at the ministry
28. November 2025
Students Tim Fischböck, Simon Kidane, and Johann Fürstenberg presented their concept for the further development of the Popländ Award at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts. The presentation was part of the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg's project workshop, in which students work on real-life tasks from the music and creative industries. This practice-oriented format is a central component of the Bachelor's degree program in Music Business and the Master's degree program in Music and Creative Industries, enabling theoretical knowledge to be directly transferred into concrete projects—as in this case, the conceptual further development of a state-wide music award.
The Popländ Award was presented for the first time on November 16th 2025, in the categories “Live Act,” “Live Music Venue,” and “Producing,” sending a strong signal for the visibility and recognition of pop culture in Baden-Württemberg. Building on the experience of the premiere, the project group has now developed proposals for the next editions. The focus was on further developing the categories, new sponsorship models, the composition of the jury, and other approaches to strengthen the award in the long term.The students were particularly grateful for the opportunity to present their results directly to State Secretary Arne Braun. The exchange not only gave them valuable recognition, but also the opportunity to contribute their ideas directly to the state's cultural policy discourse.