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.

PLP

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
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Matthias Farlik (right) Left: Jennifer Hundt (ADF Board Member); center: Alexander Navarini (Award Board)

PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2026

Matthias Farlik, Vienna

Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Georg Stary (center) Left: L. Erpenbeck (ADF Board Member), Right: Birgit Schittek (Award Board)
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Georg Stary (center) Left: L. Erpenbeck (ADF Board Member), Right: Birgit Schittek (Award Board)

PAUL LANGERHANS AWARD 2025

Georg Stary, Wien

Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Christoph Schlapbach (Bern), second from the right, with Amir Yazdi (Award Board), left, Luise Erpenbeck (ADF Board Member), second from the left, and Marcus Schulte (sponsor Amgen GmbH), right.
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Christoph Schlapbach (Bern), second from the right, with Amir Yazdi (Award Board), left, Luise Erpenbeck (ADF Board Member), second from the left, and Marcus Schulte (sponsor Amgen GmbH), right.

Paul Langerhans Award 2024

„Regulation of T helper cells in inflammatory skin diseases“

Christoph Schlapbach, Bern

Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Patrizia Stoitzner (Innsbruck), center, with Esther von Stebut-Borschitz (Prize Board), right, and Mario Fabri (ADF Board), left.
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Patrizia Stoitzner (Innsbruck), center, with Esther von Stebut-Borschitz (Prize Board), right, and Mario Fabri (ADF Board), left.

Paul Langerhans Award 2023

„The role of dendritic cells in the immune response against melanoma.“

Patrizia Stoitzner, Innsbruck

Paul Langerhans Award 2022

Patrick Brunner, Vienna/New York

Paul Langerhans Award 2021

Diana Dudziak, Erlangen I Cyril Géraud, Mannheim

 
 

Paul Langerhans Award 2020

Claudia Günther, Dresden I Christina Zielinski, München

Paul-Langerhans Price Award Ceremony. The Price goes to Stefanie Eyerich (2nd from the left) and Michael Hölzel (middle) left: M. Hertl (trustees chairman), 2nd from the right : J. Römmler-Zehrer (Celgene GmbH), right: R. Eming (ADF-board member)
Paul-Langerhans Price Award Ceremony. The Price goes to Stefanie Eyerich (2nd from the left) and Michael Hölzel (middle) left: M. Hertl (trustees chairman), 2nd from the right : J. Römmler-Zehrer (Celgene GmbH), right: R. Eming (ADF-board member)

Paul Langerhans Award 2019

„Pathogenesis and molecular diagnosis of chronic inflammatory skin diseases“

Stefanie Eyerich, Munich

Michael Hölzel, Bonn

 
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Enno Schmidt (2nd from left); on the right, Michael Hertl (Chair of the Award Board of Trustees); 2nd from the right: Natalie Nunez-Gomez, Celgene GmbH; on the left, Karin Loser (ADF Board Member)
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Enno Schmidt (2nd from left); on the right, Michael Hertl (Chair of the Award Board of Trustees); 2nd from the right: Natalie Nunez-Gomez, Celgene GmbH; on the left, Karin Loser (ADF Board Member)

Paul Langerhans Award  2018

„Autoimmune blistering dermatoses“

Enno Schmidt, Lübeck

 
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Thomas Wiesner (2nd from left), left: M. Hertl (Chair of the Award Board of Trustees), 2nd from right: Natalie Nunez-Gomez, Celgene GmbH, right: M. Metz (ADF Board Member)

Paul Langerhans Award 2017

„Deciphering the Molecular Mechanisms of Skin Cancer“

Thomas Wiesner, Vienna

Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Stephan Weidinger

Paul Langerhans Award 2016

„Molecular mechanisms of inflammatory skin diseases“

Stephan Weidinger, Kiel

Paul Langerhans Award Ceremony: Awardee: Kilian Eyerich (2. r.), left: M. Hertl (Chair of the prize committee), 2nd left: Natalie Nunez (Representative of the sponsor Biogen GmbH), right: M. Metz (ADF Board)
Paul Langerhans Award Ceremony: Awardee: Kilian Eyerich (2. r.), left: M. Hertl (Chair of the award committee), 2nd left: Natalie Nunez (Representative of the sponsor Biogen GmbH), right: M. Metz (ADF Board)

Paul Langerhans Award 2015

„Immunology of chronic inflammatory skin diseases“

Kilian Eyerich, München

Kamran Ghoreschi (center) — 2014 Paul Langerhans Award winner — with M. Hertl (left) and K. Schäkel (right)
Kamran Ghoreschi (center) — 2014 Paul Langerhans Award winner — with M. Hertl (left) and K. Schäkel (right)

Paul Langerhans Award 2014

„Molecular and Cellular Analyses of Adaptive Immune Responses“

Kamran Ghoreschi, Tübingen

-Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to C. Hafner by Board of Trustees members M. Hertl and K. Schäkel and a representative of the sponsor, Biogen-Idec GmbH
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to C. Hafner by Board of Trustees members M. Hertl and K. Schäkel and a representative of the sponsor, Biogen-Idec GmbH

Paul Langerhans Award 2013

„Oncogenic Mutations in Epidermal Nevi and Seborrheic Keratoses“

Christian Hafner, Regensburg

Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Prof. Dr. Kerstin Steinbrink (center), with ADF Chair Prof. Dr. Esther von Stebut-Borschitz and Board of Trustees Chair Prof. Dr. Michael Hertl
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Prof. Dr. Kerstin Steinbrink (center), with ADF Chair Prof. Dr. Esther von Stebut-Borschitz and Board of Trustees Chair Prof. Dr. Michael Hertl

Paul Langerhans Award 2012

„Mechanisms of Immunological Tolerance“

Kerstin Steinbrink, Mainz

Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Mark Berneburg (Tübingen)
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Award to Mark Berneburg (Tübingen)

Paul Langerhans Award 2011

„Biology and Pathology of UV-Induced Effects on the Skin“

Mark Berneburg, Tübingen

Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Prize to Ingo Haase (Cologne)
Presentation of the Paul Langerhans Prize to Ingo Haase (Cologne)

Paul Langerhans Award 2010

Ingo Haase, Köln

Verleihung des Paul-Langerhans-Preises an Stefan Martin (Freiburg)

Paul Langerhans Award 2009

Stefan Martin, Freiburg

Paul Langerhans Award 2008

Ralf Paus, Lübeck

Paul Langerhans Award 2007

Dieter Maurer, Wien

Paul Langerhans Award 2006

Michael Schön, Würzburg I Alexander Steinkasserer, Erlangen

Paul Langerhans Award 2005

Helmut Jonuleit, Mainz Stephan I Beissert, Münster
 
 

Paul Langerhans Award 2004

Jürgen C. Becker, Würzburg I Martin Steinhoff, Münster