The prize was created as a tribute to the writer and translator Franz Hessel.
This Franco-German prize is conceived and organized by the Villa Gillet in Lyon and the Genshagen Foundation in the Land of Brandenburg (next to Berlin).
The award was presented for the first time on 10 December 2010 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
The award-winning author must have recently published a work, ideally in the year the prize is given.
A translation in German for the French author and in French for the German author is planned in collaboration with the publishing houses concerned.