German Day is an annual event of competitions and fun for middle and high school German students sponsored by U-M's Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures.
2025: SAVE THE DATE: Friday, April 11 | Theme: Alles über Österreich
2024: Die deutsche/österreichische/Schweizer Küche:
Essen und Getränke im deutschsprachigen Raum
2024 German Day was on Friday, April 12. The theme was Die deutsche/österreichische/Schweizer Küche: Essen und Getränke im deutschsprachigen Raum.
Food in German-speaking Europe certainly reflects national heritage and culture, but the increased synthesis and incorporation of international and multinational dishes have expanded current culinary options beyond Bratwurst, Spätzle, Wienerschnitzel, Fondue and Sauerkraut.
We encourage you to explore both traditional food and drink as well as newer trends in the food scene with your students in addition to the origin and development of dishes, and the cultural festivities that celebrate them.
Where was Currywurst invented – Hamburg or Berlin? Could Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte have actually originated in Switzerland and not the Black Forest? Do we have the Reinheitsgebot to thank for our current food safety regulations? Did Switzerland base their fondue recipe on a Chinese dish?
We wish you Guten Appetit as you investigate the history and importance of the myriad dishes served in the German speaking world!
2024 Competitive Events and Judging Criteria
German Day 2024 will accept asynchronous entries for certain categories, although the majority of competitions will occur in person. If you have students who would like to submit an entry because they aren’t able to attend German Day, please contact us at German.Day@umich.edu.
As a general rule, all content should be original and align with a PG-13 rating.
Deadline for submitting projects: Friday, April 5th, 2024
Deadline for registering for in-person competitions: Friday, April 5th, 2024
Submit projects and register for events here: Link coming in 2024
There are 4 levels of events:
- Level 1: 1 year of German
- Level 2: 2 years of German
- Level 3: 3 years of German
- Level 4: 4+ years of German or Native/Heritage German speaker
Questions? Please email German.Day@umich.edu.
