Since 2019 Darmstadt awards the Kathrin-Preis – Kathrin Lemke Scholarship for Young Jazz improvisers . The award is named after the Berlin based jazz saxofonist Kathrin Lemke who was born on September 27, 1971 in Heidelberg and who died at her early age of 44 years.

Together with Kathrin's mother Irene Lemke-Stein, the Mannheim based DESTAG-Stiftung, the internet platform jazzpages.de and Zeitschrift JAZZTHETIK , the Jazzinstitut Darmstadt donates the award, which is biannually implemented in form of a fully financed one-week residency in Darmstadt.

First winner in 2019 was the percussionist Joss Turnbull . In 2021 the saxofonist Luise Volkmannreceived the award. The residence of 2023's laureate, bassist Robert Lucaciu, takes place from May 15 to 21, 2023. An official award ceremony with a closing concert is held on May 20, 2023 in Darmstadt.

On September 27, 2024 the Leipzig based guitarist Steffi Narr als vierte Preisträgerin bekannt gegeben. Ihre Residenz in Darmstadt findet vom 2. bis 7. Juni 2025 statt. Gemeinsam mit dem Schlagzeuger Oliver Steidle und der Video-Artist Saou Tanaka arbeitet sie an ihrem Programm „Transitions“. Das Preisträgerin-Konzert 2025 findet am 7. Juni in der Galerie Kurzweil statt.