Mario Schönfeldt receives the award for his submission "Improving the functional recycling of rare earth permanent magnets from various waste streams". The background of his research is the increasing demand for high-performance magnetic materials in key technologies such as the energy and mobility transition. At the same time, the mining and supply of the required rare earths are associated with ecological and economic risks that lead to a detrimental ecological footprint. With his research results, he was able to show that recycled magnets can have similar properties to magnets from primary production. The systematic analysis of different material properties over several recycling cycles of permanent magnets from different material streams leads to a better understanding of the material and the resulting properties. "I am delighted to receive this award," says Schönfeldt. "This shows how important the handling of critical resources is for a resilient and ecologically sustainable economy and society. We hope to be able to make a contribution to the expansion of industrial magnet recycling in Europe".

The winners are selected by a jury of experts, who receive anonymized summaries of the respective papers for their decision. The scripts are judged according to the criteria of originality of the approach, relevance to the energy transition, scientific quality and presentation. The three most innovative ideas will each be awarded EUR 2,000 (1st place), EUR 1,000 (2nd place) and EUR 500 (3rd place). In addition to the cash prize, the winners will also have the opportunity to publish their entries in the trade journal "et - Energiewirtschaftliche Tagesfragen".