A graphic novel based on the diary of Anne Frank has become the first-ever recipient of a prize from the Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism.

Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman and illustrator David Polonsky were feted in a ceremony in Munich.

Their creation was singled out as an “alternative approach” to telling difficult stories, making the diary even more accessible to young audiences through a “visual aesthetic familiar to young people.” It has been made available in all public libraries in Munich since February.

The graphic novel — which also has just been nominated for the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award in California — brings readers close to historical events without overwhelming them, the Munich-based centre said in a statement ahead of the ceremony.

It added that this opened “a space for the representation and mediation of emotions, fears, hopes and insights of the young girl’s world of experience and thought in hiding from the National Socialists.”

In their statement, the jury lauded Folman and Polonsky for their “courage, sensitivity and skill” in their interpretation of the famous diary, in order to reach “readers with little knowledge or reading competence.”

The €8,000 (£6,870) prize was established by the Munich City Council in 2017 to recognise outstanding publications and activities to inform the public about the crimes and consequences of the Nazi regime.