The prize was established in 2020 in memory of the German poet from the Banat region, Rolf Bossert (1952–1986). Commemorating Rolf Bossert not only honors the outstanding poet but also highlights the so-called "Romanian-German" literature, largely emigrated to the West, as a unique cultural phenomenon of minority literature under a totalitarian regime. Bossert, who published several books in Romania between 1979 and 1984, faced a publication ban and harassment by the Romanian secret service in the mid-1980s. In late 1985, he arrived in West Germany after the secret service had confiscated all his manuscripts during a house search. Tragically, he took his own life two months after his arrival. His work was published posthumously in multiple editions in Germany.
The prize has gained increasing popularity: while approximately 30 submissions of unpublished poetry and aphorisms were received in 2020, the following year saw 169 entries, and by 2022, over 250 submissions from more than nine countries were recorded. This is the only literary prize for German-language poetry awarded in Romania, with the ceremony taking place in Reșița (Reschitza), Bossert's birthplace, during the annual German Literature Days. The IdGL collaborates with the "Alexander Tietz" Documentation and Cultural Center in Reșița and supports this newly established literary institution annually by co-financing a reading by the prize winner as part of the celebrations in Reșița. Olivia Spiridon has been a jury member since 2020.
