The Gustaf Gründgens Prize, presented by the Hamburg Lions Club, is a prestigious honor worth €15,000. It is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the cultural landscape of Hamburg.

For the year 2023, the esteemed German composer and conductor Elmar Lampson has been chosen as the recipient of this prestigious award. A dedicated awards ceremony will take place on September 17, where Lampson will be presented with the prize. The citation will be read by Kent Nagano, and he will also conduct members of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra in a performance of Lampson's compositions.

The 2023 jury responsible for selecting the awardee consisted of representatives from the Hamburg Lions Club, Isabella Vértes-Schütter (director of the Ernst Deutsch Theater), and Prof Jan Phillip Sprick (president of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg).

Born in Koblenz in 1952, Elmar Lampson is a renowned composer known for his two symphonies, chamber music, solo pieces, operas, and choral compositions. He served as the President of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg for eighteen years and held a distinguished position in the study of music phenomenology at Witten/Herdecke University.

In a statement, the jury expressed, "Prof Elmar Lampson has significantly influenced the musical and cultural life of Hamburg and extended his impact beyond its borders for several decades. As President of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater (2004-2022), he not only strengthened the university's international network and global visibility but also played a crucial role in establishing two new cultural venues in Hamburg, the Theaterakademie am Wiesendamm and the JazzHall. These institutions have become integral to the music and theater scene, and their existence is now indispensable."