From 2014 to 2018, Heidi Helmhold curated the L. Fritz Gruber Award at the University of Cologne.
The publicist, curator and collector L. Fritz Gruber founded Photokina in Cologne in 1950 and, together with his wife Renate Gruber, built up a collection and documentation of the work of Man Ray, to whom he dedicated publications and exhibitions.
Fritz Gruber stands as a personality, with his expertise, his activities and his commitment to the photographic view of the world. Together with former rector Tassilo Küpper, he initiated the university’s L. Fritz Gruber Prize in 2004/2005. Every two years, a panel of experts judges the 20 best photographs from among the submissions by students and staff of the University of Cologne; the respective theme is announced in advance by the jurors.