The Heiner Müller Visiting Professorship for German Literature was initiated in 2005. The visiting professorship is connected to the awarding of the Berliner Literaturpreis (30,000 euros) by the “Stiftung Preußische Seehandlung.” The award goes to writers whose literary works have made a substantial contribution to the development of German contemporary literature in the areas of lyric poetry, narrative prose, or drama. The annually selected laureates supervise a literary workshop for young authors that is taught during the summer term. In this class twenty students from all the Berlin universities have an opportunity to discuss their own literary works with the laureate.