In front of the eyes and ears of the University Boards of all 24 German universities of music, school music students from the University of Music Würzburg achieved great success in this year's Music Education Competition! The competition takes place every year as part of the German Rectors' Conference and offers a highly regarded stage for outstanding achievements in the field of music education. (see hwmp.hfmt-koeln.de)

The invitation to the final round in Hamburg, for which the jury nominated six outstanding submissions from all over Germany, including two from the University of Music Würzburg, was already a great success. In convincing presentations - including a video contribution and subsequent discussion and question round - the finalists answered the demanding questions of the jury and the numerous colleagues present.

Finally, a total of four prizes were awarded, with Florian Öttl and Rebekka Rebmann from the University of Music Würzburg, together with a group of students from Mannheim, receiving 2nd prize for the network project "Innovation in music teaching degree courses through student networking - SchMAus (school music exchange)": This student initiative "born" in Würzburg aims to create a study and networking offer and, in particular, to promote student agency, the co-design of individual learning processes by students. Viviane Hammermüller was awarded 3rd prize for her thesis, in which she developed a theoretical foundation for research into music teachers as managers of knowledge and information. Her contribution was recognized in particular for its innovative potential and as an excellent example of a precise and clear presentation of complex scientific work. During the award ceremony, the videos of the entries were shown, followed by food and music in the new JazzHall of the Hamburg University of Music, where there was plenty of opportunity for further informal discussion.

These remarkable successes underline the commitment and outstanding quality of the school music degree programs at our university. We would like to congratulate the award winners on their outstanding achievements.

Authors and writers: Viviane Hammermüller, Florian Öttl, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Sammer