In 1986, the Kommunalverband Ruhrgebiet (municipal association of the Ruhr region), the predecessor of the present day Regionalverband Ruhr (regional association of the Ruhr), endowed an award for the promotion of literature in and about the Ruhr region. The redesigning of the award is the occasion for a look back at the winners to date, who are presented in lively, sometimes personal portraits with well-founded background information and interspersed excerpts of their works. They convey an impression of the rich literary life at home in a former industrial region and look to promote further reading.