The German Society Club honoured Kertész for his works which ?give the memory of history word and voice in a unique way.?
Kertész was awarded the prize at a ceremony in Berlin?s Nikolai Church. In a speech at the ceremony, Jutta Limbach, head of the Goethe Institute and the former chief justice of Germany?s constitutional court, lauded Kertész?s works for ensuring that the conflicts of the 20th century are never forgotten.
Kertész offers an unparalleled example to today?s generation, she said.
In a short remark afterward, Kertész expressed his thanks for the award, noting that a ?long road?, both in terms of years and writing, had led to the acknowledgement. He added that the road had started in the most painful and shameful period in history.
The prize came with a EUR 5,000 scholarship, which Kertész may present to any young Hungarian artist of his choosing, and a statue by the sculptor Achim Kühn called ?The Book With Seven Seals?.
Last year, the prize was awarded to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice President of the Bundestag Wolfgang Thierse.
Other public figures which have been awarded the Preis der Deutschen Gesellschaft include former Chancellor Willy Brandt, the actor Armin Müller-Stahl and the writer Martin Walser.
Just a few weeks earlier, Kertész was awarded the Ernst Reuter prize, the city of Berlin?s highest honour.
