Creative eye-catcher for the LGS 2026: Eichsfeld district honors Tobias Windolph's winning idea
The award ceremony for the “Eichsfeld Eyecatcher” ideas competition took place on January 6, 2026, in the lobby of the Eichsfeld District Office. The prize was awarded to Tobias Windolph, whose artistic idea impressed the district jury.
The event focused on the presentation of the winning drawing in impressive size: the motif was shown publicly for the first time on a 3.00 x 2.20 metre canvas. The drawing combines numerous landmarks and striking locations in the Eichsfeld region into a collage-style overall picture and invites active participation:
The artwork will be divided into many small square fields. Visitors to the Landesgartenschau 2026 will have the opportunity to colour one of these fields on site. Step by step, a collective work of art will be created – as a visible symbol of community, action and regional identity.
An eye-catcher that inspires – jury decision with a signal effect
The jury evaluated all entries based on the criteria of creativity, connection to the Eichsfeld region, sustainability, feasibility and overall impression. Each jury member awarded points within a defined evaluation framework. Tobias Windolph's idea achieved the highest overall score.
District Administrator Dr Marion Frant welcomed and praised the winner at the award ceremony, saying: "I am delighted to congratulate our winner – his idea for the Eichsfeld eye-catcher impressively demonstrates how much creativity, commitment and passion there is in our region. His entry not only convinced us as a jury, it inspired us. So thrilled, in fact, that we decided not to wait until the State Garden Show and to make the motif visible now."
The young artist's drawing was displayed in impressive size in the lobby of the district administration office. In addition, the district administrator decided to use the motif for this year's greeting cards for the Eichsfeld district. ‘As a token of appreciation for how strong, multi-layered and sustainable this design is.’
The artist behind the design
Tobias Windolph works as an art and religion teacher at Leibniz Grammar School in Leinefelde. By taking part in the ideas competition, he saw an opportunity to get back into practical art himself – outside of school lessons. Inspired by the district's striking buildings and defining features, he arranged them in a collage style and added scenes that, for him personally, represent the Eichsfeld region. He then coloured the entire motif and developed it into the concept that has now been awarded a prize.
Symbolic award ceremony and outlook
During the event, Tobias Windolph received a symbolic winner's cheque for €500 and two free tickets to the 2026 State Garden Show. ‘This idea perfectly embodies what we wanted to achieve with the competition: a real eye-catcher that creates identity, arouses emotions, connects people and enables them to work together,’ emphasised District Administrator Dr Frant once again.
In the subsequent interview, Tobias Windolph talked about his motivation for participating, how the idea came about, and what feelings the artwork should evoke in visitors to the State Garden Show in the future: curiosity, connectedness, and the feeling of being part of a shared whole.
Note to the other award winners
The winners of second place, ‘My Eichsfeld Moment – #LGS2026’, and third place, ‘Flower Tower’, are requested to contact presse@kreis-eic.de by email to arrange the transfer of their prize money. The prize money has not yet been transferred.
Press contact: Eichsfeld district, email: presse@kreis-eic.de
