The ‘Gerold Stanek Prize for Excellence in Research on Tick-Borne Diseases’ is jointly awarded by INSTAND e.V., Düsseldorf and the ÖGHMP, Vienna, in close cooperation with the ESCMID Study Group for Tick-Borne Diseases (ESGBOR), all organizations in which Professor Stanek played a vital and lasting role, and is financially endowed with €5,000. The award recognizes the outstanding research achievements of early-career scientists (<40 yrs.) in the field of tick-borne diseases.