Former Moien ASBL president Jackie Messerich and the association Wikimedia Lëtzebuerg have received the National Award for Contributions to the Luxembourgish Language, a distinction aimed at recognising efforts to promote and preserve Luxembourgish.
Culture Minister Eric Thill presented the award during a ceremony held on Tuesday evening at the National Library. The prize forms part of the national action plan for the Luxembourgish language, which seeks to strengthen the development and long-term use of Luxembourgish in society.
Following a recommendation by the jury, former Moien ASBL president Jackie Messerich received the award for 2025, while Wikimedia Lëtzebuerg was selected for 2026.
According to the jury, Messerich has played a major role in the teaching and promotion of Luxembourgish for decades. Since the 1990s, she has developed language courses and teaching materials, particularly for professionals in the healthcare, care, and retail sectors, while also helping improve access to Luxembourgish courses for non-Luxembourgish speakers.
The jury also highlighted her work in training language instructors, her involvement with the University of Luxembourg, and her continued contribution at the National Institute for Languages Luxembourg (INLL), where she helps develop teaching materials for different proficiency levels.
Speaking during the ceremony, she recalled that in the 1990s there had been a desperate search for people willing to teach Luxembourgish, which prompted her to volunteer.
Wikimedia Lëtzebuerg was recognised for its long-standing efforts to make Luxembourgish-language knowledge and educational content freely accessible online. The association supports projects such as Wikipedia and Wiktionary and has coordinated volunteer contributions in Luxembourgish for nearly a decade.
The jury particularly welcomed the visibility given to Luxembourgish on an open and widely used platform, noting that the project has demonstrated that Luxembourgish can also be used for informative and specialised written content.
Since July 2004, more than 64,000 articles have been published on the Luxembourgish-language version of Wikipedia.
During the ceremony, Thill also paid tribute more broadly to people who have "researched, documented, transmitted, and above all defended" the Luxembourgish language.
Referring in particular to Lex Roth and Alain Atten, Thill said their commitment had helped ensure Luxembourgish now holds "the place it deserves" and has the future it needs. He added that they had not only carried out important work, but had also laid the foundations on which a new generation can build today.
The award comes with a €5,000 prize and was presented in the form of a squirrel sculpture by Culture Minister Eric Thill. The sculpture was created in 2023 by a class from the BTS Game Art and Game Design programme at the Lycée des Arts et Métiers.
The squirrel was chosen not only because of its lively character, but also because "Kaweechelchen" is considered one of the favourite – and most difficult – Luxembourgish words among language learners.
