In 2011, the sculptor and graphic artist Horst Egon Kalinowski (1924-2013) founded a legacy foundation . Its purpose is to preserve his oeuvre and make it accessible to the public. The foundation is managed in trust by the Kunstfonds Foundation. The Kalinowski Prize is awarded from the foundation's proceeds. The Kalinowski Prize, worth 10,000 euros, has been awarded annually since 2017.
The three-person jury is made up of two members of the Kunstfonds jury for the scholarships and a professor from the Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe. The committee decides exclusively on the basis of artistic quality. The jury changes every year.