WELCOMING OUT receives Special Award at the DEI Corporate Excellence Awards 2026

On March 19, WELCOMING OUT received the Special Award for Social Responsibility and Culture of Remembrance at the DEI Corporate Excellence Awards in Frankfurt.

The awards ceremony, organized by the F.A.Z. Institute, followed the Corporate Diversity Summit, which had taken place the day before on March 18 in Frankfurt.

WELCOMING OUT was part of the shortlist in two categories: Belonging and the Special Category, in which the initiative ultimately received the award.

In its statement, the jury highlighted the conceptual clarity of the initiative. The WELCOMING OUT symbol is intentionally used exclusively by individuals, creating a clear distinction from traditional corporate campaigns and preventing superficial positioning.

The initiative focuses on making individual attitudes visible and tangible in everyday life. At the same time, organizations acting as PATRONS support the initiative by increasing visibility and accessibility, enabling the idea to reach a broader audience.

WELCOMING OUT was also part of the Corporate Diversity Summit on March 18. Managing Director Vanessa Lamm contributed to the discussions and noted:

“There are far more people who want to support diversity than we sometimes assume.”

The award highlights the growing importance of approaches that make diversity tangible in everyday contexts.

We are very grateful for this recognition of our work and see it as a strong motivation to continue on this path.