Mérite Elsy Jacobs Prize awards ceremony
The Mérite Elsy Jacobs Prize awards ceremony was held on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, with representatives from the eponymous association and the City of Luxembourg's College of the Mayor and Aldermen in attendance. The event was held at the Schéiss cultural centre in Belair.
The Mérite Elsy Jacobs Prize for the promotion of gender equality is awarded to individuals who demonstrate exemplary personal commitment to advancing gender equality in sport.
Among the guests at the ceremony were Minister of Gender Equality and Diversity Yuriko Backes, Minister of Sport Georges Mischo, Luxembourg City Mayor Lydie Polfer, Maurice Bauer, Deputy Mayor and Alderman for Gender Equality, and Simone Beissel, Alderwoman for Sports.
Local winner of the Mérite Elsy Jacobs Prize
Christiane Eiffes, a former dance instructor at the Luxembourg City Conservatoire, was named the local winner of the 2025 Mérite Elsy Jacobs Prize. A prominent figure in Luxembourg's contemporary dance scene, Christiane Eiffes has left a profound mark on Luxembourg's choreography landscape, and has played a vital role in the emergence and organisation of contemporary dance in Luxembourg, both artistically and institutionally. In the 1970s, she was actively involved in encouraging boys to take up classical dance, running classes geared specifically towards them – a novelty at the time – and fostered their inclusion in a world that had long been perceived as being open only to girls. In so doing, Christiane Eiffes paved the way for the popularisation of classical dance classes for boys in Luxembourg.
National winner of the Mérite Elsy Jacobs Prize
Nicole Wampach was named the national winner of the Mérite Elsy Jacobs Prize. A fervent devotee of artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, Nicole Wampach founded Luxembourg's first rhythmic gymnastics club, G.R.S. Differdange, in 1993, and served as the club's president until 2015. Throughout her career, she gave freely of her time to support countless athletes at competitions and demonstrations.
