Sputnik shock and the education crisis: In the 1960s, the German education system was being heavily criticized. The STERN editor in chief at the time, Henri Nannen, did not leave it at journalistic bywords. He started a socially far-reaching initiative to promote qualified young blood among scientists in the Federal Republic of Germany. With the motto "We are looking for tomorrow’s explorers!", Nannen appealed for participation in the "Jugend forscht" project for the first time in December, 1965.

Within just a few years, Henri Nannen’s initiative to encourage young scientists had developed into a nationwide network. As a patron and award sponsor, the Federal president has supported the competition since 1977.

Ever since Henri Nannen launched "Jugend forscht" in 1965, the competition has become more and more attractive. 244 girls and boys participated in the first round of the competition, and in 1971, it was already more than 1,000. Almost 9,000 teenagers registered for the anniversary competition in 2005, 38 percent of whom were girls, as opposed to 1966 when only eight percent of all participants were girls. All in all, around 150,000 upcoming scientists have participated in the "Jugend forscht" and "Schüler experimentieren" competitions in more than four decades. The number of registrations has been growing for years and proves that it is possible to get young people interested in natural science despite the ongoing criticism of the German education system. In this respect, the STERN initiative "Jugend forscht" still functions as an important orientation guide for schools and lessons today.