The Invictus Germany Awards 2025 were the first awards in Germany to honour people who have made a special contribution to veterans and soldiers injured in action. In June 2025, five award winners were honoured in a festive setting at the Rheinterrasse Düsseldorf – from athletes and supporters from family and friends to national and international personalities. The awards are part of the legacy of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 and permanently highlight the values of respect, inclusion and solidarity. They send a strong message of recognition and bring the stories and achievements behind the veteran community to the forefront of society. In this way, the Invictus Germany Awards contribute to a vibrant culture of remembrance and greater understanding in civil society.
THEAWARDS
With the Invictus Germany Awards 2025, Düsseldorf has opened a new chapter in Invictus history: for the first time in Germany, awards were presented to honour people who have made a special contribution to veteran culture – from soldiers injured in action to their companions from their families, civil society, the media and organisations. The festive premiere took place on 11 June 2025 at the Rheinterrasse Düsseldorf and brought together around 120 invited guests from the British Armed Forces, politics, associations, urban society and the international Invictus community.
The awards are part of the legacy of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023: They translate the spirit of A Home for Respect into a lasting, visible format of recognition – and focus on the stories, achievements and attitudes of those who build bridges between veterans and society. At the same time, they form a fixed point in the growing portfolio of Invictus Germany, which will continue after 2024 with the Sports Festival and in the following years with further projects.
The Invictus Germany Awards 2025 were presented in five categories:
Competitor Award – Stefan Huss (Ambassador for Invictus Games 2023, former captain of the German Invictus team)
Family & Friends Award – Cedric Witczak (for his outstanding support of his father, a war veteran)
Public Award – Ralf Schoolmann (photographer; for his work on service-related injuries)
Invictus Germany National Award – FUAV (Association for the Support of Work with Disabled People in Warendorf)
Invictus Germany International Award – Dominic Reid (for his life's work with the Invictus Games Foundation and the global Invictus community)
Note: Among other things, the FUAV supports work with disabled people at the Centre for Sports Medicine and at the German Armed Forces Sports School in Warendorf. FUAV.de
Jury & Frequency
The winners are selected by a jury comprising representatives from the Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg), the Invictus Games Foundation (IGF) and Invictus Germany. The awards are presented every two years at a festive ceremony.
The Invictus Germany Awards strengthen public recognition for veterans, raise awareness of rehabilitation, participation and inclusion, and promote society's understanding of the lives of people injured in service and their families. The premiere in 2025, just a few days before National Veterans Day on 15 June, sent a clear signal of appreciation – and underlines Düsseldorf's role as a place where responsibility is lived out in practice.