The Maria Clementine Martin-Award 2026

In 1826, at the age of 51, nun Maria Clementine Martin founded her own company in the cathedral city of Cologne, which also marked the birth of the Klosterfrau brand with its famous Melissengeist. Times were difficult for women back then, especially nuns. Women had significantly fewer rights than men and it was hard to compete. But despite everything, Maria Clementine Martin managed to overcome the adversities of the time in a clever and self-confident manner. Today, almost 200 years later, the Klosterfrau company has grown to become a leading provider of self-medication products on the German market. Part of this success story can be attributed to the Klosterfrau Group's commitment to preserving its tradition while at the same time focusing on innovation.

Promoting health and well-being for people has always been Klosterfrau's aspiration and therefore remains the ambitious goal of the Klosterfrau Group's activities today. To keep the spirit of Klosterfrau alive, we present the Maria Clementine Martin Award to women whose ideas and projects have a positive impact on society and the healthcare industry, just as our founder Maria Clementine Martin did in her day.

The award ceremony will take place in 2026 as part of the company's 200th anniversary celebrations.

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About Maria Clementine Martin

Maria Clementine Martin was born on May 5, 1775, in Brussels, the daughter of Royal Imperial Officer Johann Heinrich Martin and his wife Christine von Mergenthal, and was christened Wilhelmine. In 1783, her parents moved to Jever. She lived there until 1792, when, at the age of 17, she entered the Annuntiatenkloster St. Anna convent in Coesfeld and took the religious name Maria Clementine, which she retained throughout her life.

In 1825, the nun came to Cologne, to the house at Auf der Litsch 1, near the cathedral. In this building, she produced Melissengeist using a simple distillation process. The company was founded on May 23, 1826, when it was entered in the municipal magistrate's register (commercial register) under the name “Maria Clementine Martin Klosterfrau.” In the early years of the Klosterfrau company, its founder, Maria Clementine Martin, who was considered very educated and courageous, promoted the sale of her medicines through outstanding product quality, modern marketing methods, public advertising, and medical recommendations. Maria Clementine Martin died on August 9, 1843, and was buried in Cologne's Melaten Cemetery amid great public sympathy. Her grave is a listed historical monument.

Street-Art at HQ Köln

Statue of Mary Clementine Martin

Street-Art at HQ Köln

Application

Applications to participate in the Maria Clementine Martin Award can be submitted via the application tool. The application period ends on February 15, 2026. We look forward to announcing this year's winner in May 2026 as part of the company's 200th anniversary celebrations.

Please note: The application portal will be open from 15 December 2025.

Jury

The final selection of the winner is made by a jury consisting of both company employees (first selection round) and external members (second selection round).

FAQs

In 1826, at the age of 51, the nun Maria Clementine Martin founded her own company in the cathedral city of Cologne, which also marked the birth of the Klosterfrau brand with its famous Melissengeist. Times were difficult for women back then, especially nuns. Women had significantly fewer rights than men, and it was hard to compete. But despite everything, Maria Clementine Martin managed to overcome the adversities of the time in a clever and confident manner. Today, almost 200 years later, the Klosterfrau company has grown to become a leading provider in the field of self-medication on the German market. Part of this success story can be attributed to the Klosterfrau Group's commitment to preserving its traditions while embracing innovation.

Promoting health and well-being for people has always been Klosterfrau's goal and therefore remains the ambitious objective of the Klosterfrau Group's activities today. To keep the “spirit of Klosterfrau” alive, we present the Maria Clementine Martin Award to women whose ideas and projects have a positive impact on society and the healthcare industry, just as Maria Clementine Martin did in her day.

The Maria Clementine Martin Award will be presented for the first time in 2026 as part of the 200th anniversary of the Klosterfrau brand. It will then be presented every two years.

With this award, we want to support female founders who embody innovative thinking, who are willing to transcend personal or social boundaries, and who have a positive impact on the healthcare industry with their ideas and projects. We are looking for individuals who go through life with a clear vision and strive to make this vision accessible to as many people as possible.
The award is open to anyone who either has a start-up concept, whose idea is already in the start-up phase, or who has already founded a company.

The Maria Clementine Martin Award is intended to recognize a female founder for her outstanding commitment to healthcare.

Yes, this is a national award open to individuals from all federal states.

The application deadline is February 15, 2026.

Applications to participate in the Maria Clementine Martin Award are submitted via the application tool. A sophisticated business concept is not required, but a precise and convincing description of the business idea is. Creativity is one of the criteria here. This creativity should be expressed in a short description of approximately 1,800 characters (including spaces) via the application tool. Applications must be submitted digitally. To ensure the data security of applicants, a separate, password-protected login is created on an external application portal for the submission of application documents.

The final selection of the winner is made by a jury consisting of both company employees (first selection round) and external members (second selection round).

Leading figures from the healthcare industry, business, and science. The members have expertise in a wide range of fields in order to do justice to all applicants.

In addition to a trophy, the winner will receive prize money of €25,000.
The Maria Clementine Martin Award offers all finalists a great platform to showcase and share their stories. The finalists will be featured in detail on our channels, giving them targeted visibility. The financial support is intended to help them realize and implement their visions.

The winner will be notified by email approximately four weeks before the award ceremony.

The Klosterfrau Group, represented by M. C. M. Klosterfrau Vertriebsges. mbH