This year's drupa Prize was awarded to Ulf Tranow from Düsseldorf for his dissertation "Solidarity and Sociological Analysis – a Theoretical Contribution to the Concept of Solidarity". With this annual prize, drupa – the world's largest trade fair for the printing and media industry – honors the best dissertation of the Philosophy Faculty at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. The 2011 award was presented by Martin Weickenmeier (President of drupa 2012), Werner M. Dornscheidt (President  & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf) and Prof. H. Michael Piper, Ph.D. (President of the Heinrich Heine University) at the Industry Club in Düsseldorf on May 23.

The dissertation's topic is solidarity. Therefore, solidarity was also the major theme in Martin Weickenmeier's laudatory speech when he used the upcoming 60th anniversary of drupa on May 26, 2011 as an occasion to emphasize the close cooperation between industry and the trade fair. The drupa President also commented on the value of solidarity in this day and age, especially for digital natives: "Despite all the individualism and image cultivation of digital natives, solidarity and the collective are now celebrating a comeback."

Ulf Tranow studied sociology, media studies and psychology at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf from October 1996 to November 2003. He worked as an academic assistant since May 2004 and has been a management assistant in the Department of Social Sciences at the university since June 2010.