The Friends of the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum and Museum Ludwig e. V., hereinafter referred to as freunde, and the editorial team of the Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch, published in Cologne, are now accepting submissions for the annual »Frank Zurlino« publication prize for young art historians under the age of 35 (on the date of submission). 
The prize will be awarded for the first time in 2026 to a previously unpublished research paper on the topics covered by the yearbook that impresses the judging panel with its originality and scholarly rigor.

The prize

The »Frank Zurlino« publication prize consists of a cash award of €3,000 in addition to the publication of the winning paper in the Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch, Volume 87 (2026). 
The winner will also be invited to give a public talk on the award-winning topic in the lecture series Kunstbewusst organised by the freunde.

A memorial prize for the future

The award is presented in memory of Frank Zurlino, the former chairman of the freunde, who passed away far too early in 2023.

The prize, donated by the Zurlino family, is intended to promote young scholars whose work reflect Frank Zurlino’s qualities as a member of the freunde: his creative thinking, his enthusiasm for innovative approaches, his unconditional commitment to continuous learning and personal development, and his passion for supporting young careers.

The »Frank Zurlino« publication prize is intended not only as a dedication to the memory of a successful chairman of the board, but also as a call to the younger generation to shape the future with confidence.

Conditions of participation

The winning article must be a previously unpublished research paper on topics covered in the Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch. From an art-historical perspective, the yearbook is dedicated to international fine arts, architecture, design, restoration and art technology, collection history and provenance research from antiquity to the present day. A reference to the works of Cologne's museums is not mandatory. 

• Contributions may be written in English or German. 
• Submissions may not exceed a maximum length of 30,000 characters, including notes; in addition, around 15 illustrations and (source) appendices are possible. Please see this link for citation guidelines:  GUIDELINES.
• The costs for image rights will be covered for the published contribution.
• Submissions are to be made in electronic form as a Word document with a separate abstract of no more than 3,500 characters and an appendix with illustrations in low resolution. 
• Also requested is the author’s CV in a shortened version in pdf format. 
• Jointly written articles by authors, all of whom must meet the age criterion on the date of submission, are permitted. The prize money will be shared in the event of winning.
• The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2026. 
• The judging panel, which is made up of members of the yearbook's editorial team, will review the submissions and notify all participants by 31 May 2026.
• Please send submissions to the editor Anja K. Sevcik, who is also available to answer any questions (jahrbuch[at]wallraf.museum).