It has been awarded at the Donaueschinger Musiktage since 1972 and has since become the most important international award for advanced works of radio art: the Karl Sczuka Prize, founded in 1955 by the former Südwestfunk and initially awarded every two years for radio play music.
The Karl Sczuka Prize has since become the most important international award for advanced works of radio art. In 1955 it was donated by the former Südwestfunk and initially awarded for radio play music every two years. According to the statutes, the award has been given since 1972 to the “best production of an audio work that uses musical materials and structures in acoustic forms”. John Cage, Oswald Egger, Luc Ferrari, Heiner Goebbels, Mauricio Kagel, Alison Knowles, Friederike Mayröcker and Gerhard Rühm were among the prize winners who came to Donaueschingen.