Promotion of contemporary artists

Since 2018, the Possehl Prizes for Art have focussed on both local and international contemporary artists. This also promotes the Hanseatic City of Lübeck as a location for internationally renowned fine art. The Possehl Prize for Lübeck Art was awarded for the first time in 2018, and since 2019 the foundation has awarded the Possehl Prize for International Art every three years. In the years in which there is no Possehl Prize for International Art, the Possehl Prize for Lübeck Art is awarded at a local level.

Artists from Lübeck can apply for the Possehl Prize for Lü beck Art by submitting a project idea. The prizewinners are given the opportunity to realise this artistic work with project funding of €8,000.

The Possehl Prize for International Art is a nomination process in which six directors of international art institutions nominate artists for the prize in each selection round. This award includes prize money of €25,000 and the organisation of an exhibition in Lübeck.

The winners of both art prizes are selected by the same jury whose members belong to internationally renowned art museums and galleries and whose external members change every three years. This model - that one and the same committee decides on both the local and the international prize winners - offers Lübeck's artists a special opportunity to draw attention to their work beyond the city's borders.