German Zoological Society
The German Zoological Society (German: Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft, DZG) is a learned society in Germany, founded in 1890 at Frankfurt am Main. It is registered as a non-profit organisation (German: eingetragene Verein) based in Munich.

Activities 
The DZG represents German-speaking zoologists and corresponds with other regional and national zoological societies. It represents the interests of zoology among the scientific learned societies and can be consulted by politicians for advice. Membership is open to any zoologist or student of zoology; the DZG currently has about 1500 members. It organises an annual meeting, which until 2004 was held during the week of Pentecost. However, as many universities no longer have a recess during that period, since 2005 the date of the meeting has been decided by the host university.

The DZG publishes its own scientific journal, Frontiers in Zoology, founded in 2004. It is published in cooperation with the online publisher BioMed Central. The DZG formerly published the Zoologische Anzeiger and Zoologische Jahrbücher, since discontinued.

The DZG awards several prizes to support or recognise scientific work.

Karl Ritter von Frisch Medal 
The Karl Ritter von Frisch Medal is a scientific prize of the DZG. The Medal has been awarded every two years since 1980, to scientists who have distinguished themselves through outstanding zoological work that integrates knowledge from numerous biological disciplines. It is the most prominent scientific prize for zoology in Germany, with an award sum of 10,000 Euros.

List of medallists: 1980 Franz Huber, behavioral science
 1982 Werner Nachtigall, bionics
 1984 Otto Kinne, marine ecology
 1986 Martin Lindauer, behavioral science
 1988 Thomas Eisner, biology and chemical ecology
 1990 Gerhard Neuweiler, zoology, neuro- and sensory physiology
 1992 Herbert Jäckle, biophysics
 1994 Rüdiger Wehner, zoology and behavioral science
 1996 Bert Hölldobler, behavioral science, socbiology, evolutionary ecology
 1998 Peter Berthold, ornithology
 2000 Walter J. Gehring, developmental biology and genetics
 2002 Friedrich G. Barth, neurobiology
 2004 Randolf Menzel, neurobiology
 2006 Martin Heisenberg, neurobiology
 2008 Gerhard Heldmaier, animal physiology
 2010 (no award)
 2012 Horst Bleckmann, neuro-, sensory, and behavioral physiology
 2014 Charlotte Helfrich-Förster, neurobiology
 2016 Diethard Tautz, molecular biology
 2018 Stanislav N. Gorb, bionics
 2021 Jürgen Heinze, evolutionary biology
 2022 Thomas Bosch, developmental biology

Horst Wiehe Dissertation Prize 
The Dissertation Prize of the Horst-Wiehe-Stiftung has been awarded every two years at the DZG Annual Meeting since 1991, to an outstanding doctoral or habilitation thesis on a zoological subject. The prize sum is 2000 Euros (formerly 4000 Deutsche Mark). 2021 Fabrizia Ronco (Universität Basel, CH)
 2019 Manon Schweinfurth (University of St Andrews, UK)
 2017 Markus Lambertz (Universität Bonn)
 2015 Alexander Blanke (Hull, UK)
 2013 Jan Clemens (Princeton, NJ)
 2011 Joachim Haug (Universität Ulm)
 2009 Sandra Steiger (Universität Freiburg)
 2007 Lutz Fromhage (Universität Hamburg/Bristol)
 2005 Martin Fanenbruck (Universität Bochum)
 2003 Wolfgang Forstmeier (Universität Würzburg)
 2001 Klaus Fischer (Universität Bayreuth)
 1999 Sylvia Ortmann (Universität Marburg)
 1997 Erhard Strohm (Würzburg)
 1995 Thomas Lubjuhn (Bonn)
 1993 Heike Hadrys (Braunschweig/Yale)
 1991 Henning Schneider (Konstanz/Harvard)

Werner Rathmayer Prize 
The Werner Rathmayer Prize is a special prize for original work in zoology, within the Jugend forscht competition for young scientists. It has been awarded annually since 2004. The recipient receives a prize of 500 Euros and free admission to the DZG Annual Meeting in the following year. 2021 Benjamin Palm (Heiligenhaus)
 2019 Falco Eigner (Chemnitz)
 2017 Stefan Kemmerich (Wipperfürth)
 2016 Nora Siefert (Hannover)
 2015 Thomas Lindner (Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz)
 2014 Freia-Raphaella Lorenz (Bayreuth)
 2013 Antonia Trede (Kiel)
 2012 Linda Marx (Chemnitz)
 2011 Miriam Kreß & Louise Hildebrand (Schlüchtern)
 2010 Lisa Hallex (Freiberg)
 2009 Jessica Oberheim (Bensheim)
 2008 Johannes Dill (Dresden)
 2007 Wieland Heim (Chemnitz)
 2006 Markus Neumann (Chemnitz)
 2005 Sascha Hoinkiss (Schwanewede)
 2004 Daniel Schütz (Kemmern)

Presidents of the DZG 
 1890/91 Rudolf Leuckart (1822–1898)
 1892/93 Franz Eilhard Schulze (1840–1921)
 1894/95 Ernst Ehlers (1835–1925)
 1896/97 Otto Bütschli (1848–1920)
 1898/99 Franz Eilhard Schulze
 1900/01 Hubert Ludwig (1852–1913)
 1902/03 Carl Chun (1852–1914)
 1904/05 Johann Wilhelm Spengel (1852–1921)
 1906/07 Richard Hertwig (1850–1937)
 1908/09 Ludwig von Graff (1851–1924)
 1910/11 Friedrich Zschokke (1860–1936)
 1912/13 Eugen Korschelt (1858–1946)
 1914/15 Karl Heider (1856–1935)
 1916/17 Max Braun (1850–1930)
 1918/19 Willy Kükenthal (1861–1922)
 1920/21 Ludwig Döderlein (1855–1936)
 1922/23 Valentin Haecker (1864–1927)
 1924/25 Hans Lohmann (1863–1934)
 1926 Ludwig Rhumbler (1864–1939); from 1926 the President was replaced by their first deputy at the end of the year
 1927 Richard Hesse (1868–1944)
 1928 Karl von Frisch (1886–1982)
 1929 Jan Versluys (1873–1939)
 1930 Waldemar Schleip (1879–1948)
 1931 Max Hartmann (1876–1962)
 1932 Carl Zimmer (1873–1950)
 1933 Fritz Baltzer (1884–1974), resigned his position because he was not a German citizen, replaced by Paul Buchner
 1934 Paul Buchner (1886–1978)
 1935 Ernst Matthes (1889–1958)
 1936 Ernst Matthes left Germany on political grounds for Coimbra and was replaced by Wilhelm Josef Schmidt
 1936/37 Wilhelm Joseph Schmidt (1884–1974)
 1938/39 Albrecht Hase (1882–1962)
 1940 Hermann Weber (1899–1956)
 1941 Hans-Jürgen Stammer (1899–1968)
 1942 Otto Mangold (1891–1962)
 1943–45 Adolf Remane as acting president
 1949/50 Albrecht Hase
 1951/52 Wulf Emmo Ankel (1897–1983)
 1953/54 Bernhard Rensch (1900–1990)
 1955/56 Otto Koehler (1889–1974)
 1957/58 Curt Kosswig (1903–1982)
 1959/60 Alfred Kaestner (1901–1971)
 1961/62 Friedrich Seidel (1897–1992)
 1963/64 Adolf Remane (1898–1976)
 1965/66 Manfred Gersch (1909–1981)
 1967/68 Erich Reisinger (1900–1978)
 1969/70 Martin Lindauer (1918–2008)
 1971/72 Friedrich Schaller (1920–2018)
 1973/74 Günther Osche (1926–2009)
 1975/76 Ernst Florey (1927–1997)
 1977/78 Dietrich Neumann (1931–2012)
 1979/80 Johann Schwartzkopff (1918–1995)
 1981/82 Jürgen Boeckh (1934–)
 1983/84 Klaus Immelmann (1935–1987)
 1985/86 Hans Schneider (1929–2023)
 1987/88 Bernt Linzen (1931–1988)
 1989/90 Werner Rathmayer (1937–2003)
 1991/92 Hans-Rainer Duncker (1933–)
 1993/94 Franz Huber (1925–2017)
 1995/96 Klaus Peter Sauer (1941–2022)
 1997/98 Gerhard Heldmaier (1941–)
 1999/00 Albrecht Fischer (1937–)
 2001/02 Gerhard Neuweiler (1935–2008)
 2003/04 Barbara König (1955–)
 2005/06 Diethard Tautz (1957–)
 2007/08 Johann-Wolfgang Wägele (1953–)
 2009/10 Wolf-Michael Weber (1954–)
 2011/12 Hermann Wagner (1953–)
 2013/14 Constance Scharff (1959–)
 2015/16 Susanne Dobler (1956–)
 2017/18 Stefan Richter (1964–)
 2019/21 Jacob Engelmann
 2022/23 Gabriele Uhl

Honorary members 
 Wulf Emmo Ankel
 Carl Apstein
 Walther Arndt
 Hansjochem Autrum
 Fritz Baltzer
 Paul Buchner
 Reinhard Dohrn
 Ernst Ehlers
 Manfred Gersch
 Alexander Goette
 Richard Goldschmidt
 Hermann Grenacher
 Karl Grobben
 Ernst Hadorn
 Ernst Haeckel
 Max Hartmann
 Albrecht Hase
 Karl Heider
 Wolf Herre
 Konrad Herter
 Richard Hertwig
 Richard Hesse
 Franz Huber
 Otto Kinne
 Eugen Korschelt
 Curt Kosswig
 Alfred Kühn
 Robert Lauterborn
 Rudolf Leuckart
 Franz von Leydig
 Martin Lindauer
 Konrad Lorenz
 Alexander Luther
 Paul Mayer
 Ernst Mayr
 Günther Osche
 Heinz Penzlin
 Bernhard Rensch
 Wilhelm J. Schmidt
 Franz Eilhard Schulze
 Johann Schwartzkopff
 Friedrich Seidel
 Hans Spemann
 Karl von Frisch
 Rüdiger Wehner
 August Weismann
 Wolfgang Wieser
 Otto zur Strassen

Networking 
The Society is a member of the Deutschen Nationalkomitee Biologie (DNK), representing the interests of life scientists in international organisations. It is also a member of the Verband Biologie, Biowissenschaften und Biomedizin in Deutschland e.V. (VBIO), which represents bioscientists in Germany.

Jena Declaration 
At its annual meeting in September 2019, the DZG approved and released the Jena Declaration, which stated that "the concept of [human] race is the result of racism, not its prerequisite." The Declaration was authored by Martin S. Fischer, Uwe Hoßfeld, Johannes Krause, and Stefan Richter. 

The statement characterised the division of humanity into races as social and political stereotyping, resulting from and supported by an anthropological construct on the basis of arbitrarily chosen features like hair and skin colour. This construct has served to justify open and hidden racism and its consequences.

References

See also 

 Frankfurt Zoological Society

External links 

 Official website
 Frontiers in Zoology
 Jena Declaration
Zoology-related lists
Lists of scientists
1890 establishments
Zoology organizations