Ethiopia
Pre-Jury

Nadine Phiri is the Curator of the Swakopmund Museum which falls under the Scientific Society Swakopmund. She started as an Archivist in 2011 and soon found her passion is in culture and heritage sector. After a short hiatus, she returned as the Assistant Curator. Soon establishing herself as a enthusiastic and passionate advocate for Museums Education. Nadine and her team constantly challenge themselves to reach new heights and open themselves to many opportunities that come their way. They busy creating awareness about topics close to the communities heart. Events like Ocean Month, Heritage Week and Science Film Festival are among the favorites both to the team and community. One of her favourite quotes is " Education is the lifeblood of Museums" - Monica Montegomery.

A long time partner of Goethe-Institut Athiopien annual Sceince Film Festival , Daniel Worku is an accomplished writer , translator , filmmaker and teacher who has taught film at Addis Ababa university and the University of Gonder. He have also taught film at  Tibeb Ethiopia Youth Centre , Master Film School, Music Mayday Youth Centre  and Tewaney Theater and Film School. He has  organized first short movies week at Goethe-Institut Athopien and later at Music Mayday Youth Centre. Daniel has written short stories , novels and children books and has made short movies , documentaries and few feature films which were in  screened in South Africa , Namibia , Kampala, Shanghai and Rotterdam film festivals. He has also launched  a six year long reading campaign that had run across Ethiopia.Since 2021 , Daniel is actively partaking in Goethe- Institute Athopien annual Science Film Festival in which he has been  dubbing  films in Amharic language, forming  partnership with schools where films are screened and giving trainings for students .  

Passionate about fostering a dynamic and engaging learning environment for students, Mahlet Lakew is a dedicated educator with a decade of teaching experience. Driven by the deep appreciation she has for scientific method and analytical thinking , Mahlet has earned a diploma in Chemistry. She has then amassed an undergraduate degree in Public Health empowered by her interest in studying the broader implications of science on community health. Mahlet is currently pursuing her studies in the filed of Information Technology where she is enriching her overall perspective on problem- solving and innovation and equipping herself with the skills for data analysis and technology. Where she applies her extensive academic career and thrives to inspire students to recognize the interplay of different fields and deploy their knowledge in meaningful ways , Mahlet is currently working as a teacher and lab assistant at Minilik II pre primary , primary and middle level school. In addition to her role as an educator, Mahlet also  serves as the focal person of  the school’s Gender Club , actively having engaged in it’s notable activities such as  providing life skill training for students and their parents by collaborating with non- governmental organizations.

Hailing from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia , Mihret Ayele is a young health care professional and advocate who is pursuing a graduate degree in General Public Health. Further to her educational background in Clinical Oriented Pharmacy and public health , Mihret has a work profile with youth leadership, global community engagement and climate action advocacy. Currently serving as a Counselor at the Federal Ministry of Health  in the Health information and counseling case team, she is contributing in the work that is being done to ensure the vision of the Public Relation and Communication Directorate ( PRCD) of FMoH to create a healthy and prosperous society who takes advantage of timely and accurate health information, health policies and strategies and their deployment. Parallel to these commitments, Mihret is  working as a consultant and project assistant for the Goethe-Institut Äthiopien annual Science Film Festival Project.

With a notable experience as a freelance Editor, Translator, Proofreader, Book Club coordinator and Book Reviewer at Goethe-Institute Addis Ababa , Theodros Atlaw Woldegabrie dedicates himself to promoting Ethiopian literature and culture events  through his Critical Reading Facebook page.

Since 2010, Theodros has been actively involved in numerous projects and tasks assigned by the Goethe-Institut Äthiopien. He has played a vital role during the Short Story competition by selecting the best stories and conducting two-day workshops and utilizing his editing skills to enhance the quality of the short stories. Theodros has served as the Moderator of the German Reading Club, specifically for the Tibeb Online sessions where he  facilitated online book reviews and discussions, providing insightful analysis and fostering engaging conversations among participants. Supported by the Goethe-Institut Äthiopien, Theodros has also shared media presentation and book club events which have contributed to raising awareness and generating interest among a wider audience.