Hygiene Prize & Hygieia Medal 2026
20. Mär 2026
The Rudolf Schülke Foundation Award Ceremony 2026 took place on March 20, 2026 in Hamburg. The Hygiene Prize and the Hygieia Medal were awarded by the Chairman of the Foundation's Executive Board, Professor Dr. Martin Exner.
Award Ceremony 2026
Hygiene is a simple and effective measure for protecting health. In pharmacies, doctors’ surgeries and hospitals, it plays a crucial role in preventing infections and providing the best possible protection for patients. Clear standards and reliable measures are essential for minimising risks and building trust.
To highlight current developments in the field of hygiene, the Rudolf Schülke Foundation has been awarding the Hygiene Prize and the Hygieia Medal for 50 years. The Hygiene Prize honours work that contributes significantly to the advancement of infection prevention and the protection of public health. The Hygieia Medal honours personalities who have dedicated their life’s work to hygiene and microbiology.
The award ceremony took place on 20 March 2026 at the Elsa Brändström Haus in Hamburg Blankenese.
f.l.t.r Nicole Steinhorst (Advisory Board), Anja Krellenberg, Jürgen Gebel (award winner, Hygieia Medal), Rainer Wolber (Management Board), Sabine Gebel, Renate Haecker, Jan-Dirk Auris (Schülke & Mayr, CEO), Iris F. Chaberny (award winner, Hygiene Prize), Martin Mielke, Carola Ilschner, Philippe Hartemann (Advisory Board), Lars Lemke (Management Board), Veronika Exner, Lola Hernandez, Martin Exner (Chairman of the Management Board), Bettina Kramer, Lars Passvogel, Axel Kramer (Advisory Board), Susanne Kolbe-Busch, Bärbel Christiansen (Advisory Board), Walter Popp, Volker Scheinpflug, Peter Oltmanns (Advisory Board), Frank A. Pitten (Deputy Chairman of the Management Board)
Awarding of the Hygiene Prize 2026
The Rudolf Schülke Foundation’s Hygiene Prize is awarded every two years to scientists whose work contributes significantly to resolving key challenges in the fields of hygiene, microbiology and infection prevention.
It is awarded in the amount of 15,000 euros and honours outstanding scientific achievements of special relevance to public health.
The 2026 Hygiene Prize was awarded to the research group of Prof. Dr. med. Iris F. Chaberny from Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel and the Institute for Hospital and Environmental Hygiene at the University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel and Lübeck.
Study of the research group of Prof. Dr. med. Iris F. Chaberny:
Effect of daily antiseptic bathing with octenidine on ICU-acquired bacteremia and ICU-acquired multidrug-resistant organisms: A multicenter, cluster-randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study.
The research group was honoured for its multicentre, cluster-randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study on antiseptic full-body washing with octenidine in intensive care units. The study examined 44 intensive care units in 23 hospitals in Germany over two 12-month periods and analysed a total of over 100,000 intensive care stays.
Award of the "Hygieia Medal 2026"
This year, the Hygieia Medal is being awarded to Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Gebel, Head of the Department of Disinfectant Testing at the Institute of Hygiene and Public Health at Bonn University Hospital and Managing Director of the Association for Applied Hygiene (german: Verbunds für Angewandte Hygiene e.V.; VAH).
The award honours his outstanding contributions to the development and establishment of standardised testing methods for chemical disinfection processes, with the aim of enhancing the safety of patients, healthcare workers and public health through tested and reliably effective disinfectants.