Since 1997, the Mart Stam Gesellschaft, the support association of the art academy, has awarded the Mart Stam Prize every year for outstanding degree projects from all disciplines. The support association is named after the Dutch architect Mart Stam (1899–1986), who was director of the art academy from 1950 to 1952. Stam was one of the pioneers of modernism, who saw their work in a social context. His insistence on the social responsibility of artists and designers continues to shape the academy's self-understanding today.
The academy's 80th anniversary was the occasion to ask what has become of the 182 prizewinners in total. From among them, the curators have selected 28 exemplary positions for this exhibition.