The University of Cologne law scholar and member of the German Ethics Council won the award from Hochschule RheinMain (HSRM) for her non-fiction book on climate action “Wer soll was tun?” (“Who Should Do What? Why We Aren’t Obligated to Take Climate Action – and Where Our True Responsibilities Lie”). HSRM President, Prof. Dr. Eva Waller, and the Jury Chair, Prof. Dr. Dr. Alexander Moutchnik, presented the award to her at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair on Monday.
“Forward-looking, enlightening and courageous thinking”
“Professor Rostalski’s book ‘Who should do what?’is an outstanding contribution to the scientific and social discourse on responsibility and sustainability. Her work demonstrates intellectual clarity, argumentative depth and the courage to distinguish nuances in a highly charged subject area,” says the jury’s verdict. It praised the book “as an outstanding example of scientific reflection and social responsibility – in the spirit of its namesake Prometheus and his forward-looking, enlightening and courageous thinking.”
The jury includes representatives from all five faculties of Hochschule RheinMain and evaluates the submitted works according to academic quality, social relevance, originality and clarity of presentation. The PROMETHEUS 2025 jury comprises Prof. Dr. Christian Fink (Faculty of Wiesbaden Business School), Prof. Dr. Christian Grotemeier (Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering), Dr. Marion Grabka (Director of the RheinMain University and State Library), Prof. Dr. Dr. Alexander Moutchnik (Faculty of Design Computer Science Media), Prof. Dr. Ingo Neupert (Faculty of Applied Social Sciences) and Prof. Dr. Birgit Scheppat (Faculty of Engineering).
About the prize
First awarded in 2025, the prize honors outstanding German-language scientific publications on sustainability that have appeared since 2021 and make a substantial contribution to the discourse on ecological, social and economic aspects. The award recognizes authors who present complex sustainability issues in a scientifically rigorous yet accessible way. It was established by the Institute for Corporate Communication & Identity at Hochschule RheinMain (CCI).
The prize money of 2,025 euros, provided by Nassauische Sparkasse (Naspa), will be donated – at the winner’s request – to the Grundschule am Burgweiher elementary school for their climate-adapted schoolyard project. The award ceremony will take place on November 5, 2025, as part of the Sustainability and Identity Symposium at Hochschule RheinMain in Wiesbaden.
The donation is intended to support the school’s project to adapt its playground to changing climatic conditions and to further integrate sustainability into everyday school life. The project exemplifies the connection between science, education and social responsibility that the newly established PROMETHEUS sustainability science book prize seeks to highlight.
A guest lecture by Prof. Dr. Dr. Frauke Rostalski is scheduled to take place in Wiesbaden in 2026.