Paul Langerhans Award
Established in 2003, the Paul Langerhans Research Award is presented annually by the ADF to recognize outstanding research contributions by mid-career investigators in dermatology. The award is specifically intended for highly qualified researchers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland who have distinguished themselves through sustained excellence, innovation, and significant scientific achievements in dermatological research over recent years.
The award is endowed with EUR 15,000 and may be shared between up to two recipients. If the Scientific Board of Trustees does not identify a suitable candidate in a given year, the award will not be presented, and the prize money will be carried forward and may be added to the award in a subsequent year.
Eligibility
All ADF members who, as of November 1, 2026:
- are 50 years old or younger,
lead their own scientific research group,
are not yet directors of a department or clinic, and
have not previously received an ADF award,
are eligible to apply.
Only the applicant, and not their co-authors, must be an ADF member.
Previous recipients of the Egon Macher Award and/or the Paul Langerhans Award are excluded from participation.
Requirements for the submitted publication
- Applications may be submitted by first or senior authors. Co-authors who are neither first nor senior author are not eligible to apply.
- Each applicant may submit a maximum of five publications.
The majority of the scientific work must have been carried out at a dermatological research institution in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. - The submitted publications must have been published no more than five years prior to the application deadline.
- For publications that have not yet appeared in print, a letter of acceptance from the journal must be provided.
Selection Procedure
The ADF office reviews all applications for formal completeness and compliance with the applicable regulations. Applications that do not meet the formal requirements will be rejected.
Formally eligible applications are forwarded to the Scientific Board of Trustees, which recommends one candidate to the Executive Board of the ADF. The assessment takes into account the applicant’s overall scientific achievements, as well as the relevance, novelty, originality, and complexity of the scientific results. The scientific quality and impact of the publications, including factors such as journal impact factors and citation numbers, may also be considered.
Members of the Scientific Board of Trustees who are co-authors of a submitted publication or who belong to the same department or institute as an applicant are excluded from voting on the respective application.
The final decision is made by the Executive Board of the ADF, which generally follows the recommendation of the Scientific Board of Trustees unless substantial concerns are raised and discussed.
Obligation of the award recipient(s)
The Award recipient is required to publish a mini-review on their field of research in the ADF’s journal, Experimental Dermatology, citing the awarded publication. Acceptance of the award entails a commitment to fulfill this requirement.
Submission
Applications must be submitted by email as a PDF file to the ADF office at info@adf-online.de.
Submission deadline: November 1, 2026.
The application must include:
- the submitted scientific publication(s),
- a brief description of the applicant’s scientific career,
- a short CV, and
- a publication record.
Scientific board of trustees:
- Prof. Dr. Alexander Navarini (Chair)
- Prof. Dr. Amir Yazdi
- Prof. Dr. Carola Berking
- Prof. Dr. Cyrill Géraud
- Prof. Dr. Wolfram Hoetzenecker
- Prof. Dr. Birgit Schittek
- Prof. Dr. Stefan Weidinger
- Prof. Dr. Peter Wolf
Award Ceremony
The award ceremony, together with a brief presentation of the awarded publication by the prize recipient(s), will take place as part of the 53rd ADF Annual Meeting, to be held in Lübeck from March 11–13, 2027.
Past awardees of the Paul Langerhans of the ADF
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2026
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2026
Matthias Farlik, Vienna
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2025
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2025
Georg Stary, Wien
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2024
Paul Langerhans Award 2024
„Regulation of T helper cells in inflammatory skin diseases“
Christoph Schlapbach, Bern
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2023
Paul Langerhans Award 2023
„The role of dendritic cells in the immune response against melanoma.“
Patrizia Stoitzner, Innsbruck
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2022
Paul Langerhans Award 2022
Patrick Brunner, Vienna/New York
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2021
Paul Langerhans Award 2021
Diana Dudziak, Erlangen I Cyril Géraud, Mannheim
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2020
Paul Langerhans Award 2020
Claudia Günther, Dresden I Christina Zielinski, München
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2019
Paul Langerhans Award 2019
„Pathogenesis and molecular diagnosis of chronic inflammatory skin diseases“
Stefanie Eyerich, Munich
Michael Hölzel, Bonn
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2018
Paul Langerhans Award 2018
„Autoimmune blistering dermatoses“
Enno Schmidt, Lübeck
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2017
Paul Langerhans Award 2017
„Deciphering the Molecular Mechanisms of Skin Cancer“
Thomas Wiesner, Vienna
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2016
Paul Langerhans Award 2016
„Molecular mechanisms of inflammatory skin diseases“
Stephan Weidinger, Kiel
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2015
Paul Langerhans Award 2015
„Immunology of chronic inflammatory skin diseases“
Kilian Eyerich, München
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2014
Paul Langerhans Award 2014
„Molecular and Cellular Analyses of Adaptive Immune Responses“
Kamran Ghoreschi, Tübingen
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2013
Paul Langerhans Award 2013
„Oncogenic Mutations in Epidermal Nevi and Seborrheic Keratoses“
Christian Hafner, Regensburg
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2012
Paul Langerhans Award 2012
„Mechanisms of Immunological Tolerance“
Kerstin Steinbrink, Mainz
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2011
Paul Langerhans Award 2011
„Biology and Pathology of UV-Induced Effects on the Skin“
Mark Berneburg, Tübingen
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2010
Paul Langerhans Award 2010
Ingo Haase, Köln
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2009
Paul Langerhans Award 2009
Stefan Martin, Freiburg
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2008
Paul Langerhans Award 2008
Ralf Paus, Lübeck
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2007
Paul Langerhans Award 2007
Dieter Maurer, Wien
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2006
Paul Langerhans Award 2006
Michael Schön, Würzburg I Alexander Steinkasserer, Erlangen
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2005
Paul Langerhans Award 2005
PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2004
Paul Langerhans Award 2004
Jürgen C. Becker, Würzburg I Martin Steinhoff, Münster