Every spring, all of Salzgitter's elementary school read eagerly to find the pupil who is best at reading aloud. The school reports its winner to the city library.

In June, the best pupils then compete against each other in the reading competition. The competition takes place in the city library in Salzgitter-Lebenstedt in front of a critical jury. Each child first reads from their favorite book and then reads an unfamiliar text. The jury then selects the winner.

All participants receive a certificate and a small gift.

The 6th grade reading competition takes place every year in February.

The reading competition has been organized every year since 1959 by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association in cooperation with bookshops, libraries, schools and other cultural institutions.
It is held under the patronage of the Federal President and is one of the largest nationwide school competitions. Almost 700,000 pupils take part every year.