Green Academia Award 2024
Wissenschaftszweig Philosophie

Menschenrechtspreis 2024 der Kulturvermittlung Steiermark
Mag. Dr.phil. Christina Korak

Österreichischer Staatspreis für Geschichtswissenschaften in der Kategorie "Geschichte innovativ"
Dr. Victoria Kumar
Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.phil. Gerald Lamprecht
Grit Oelschlegel
Sebastian Schiller-Stoff, BA BA MA MA MA

Hammer-Purgstall-Preis
Univ.-Prof.i.R. Dr.phil. Höflechner, Walter, MAS

Exzellenzstipendium vom Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung der Republik Österreich
Mag. Dr.phil. Spielhofer, Lukas, B.A. B.A. MA

Promotion sub auspiciis praesidentis rei publicae
Mag. Dr.phil. Spielhofer, Lukas, B.A. B.A. MA

Ehrenzeichen des Landes Steiermark
Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Klaus Kastberger

Promotion sub auspiciis praesidentis rei publicae
Assoz. Prof. Dr.phil. Markus Hafner

Exzellenzstipendium des Bundesministeriums für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung der Republik Österreich
Assoz. Prof. Dr.phil. Markus Hafner

Anerkennungspreis für herausragende Leistungen von Frauen in der Wissenschaft (Dr. Maria Schaumayer Stiftung)
Priv.-Doz. Dr.phil. Ingeborg Zechner, MA.

Frauenpreis der Stadt Graz
Ao.Univ.-Prof. Dr.phil. Margit Stadlober

LExA - Leadership Excellence Award in Research 2023 (Anerkennung für exzellente Leadership-Kompetenzen)
Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.phil. Sonja Rinofner

Talentförderungsprämie des Landes Oberösterreich
Katharina Mitter, BEd MEd

Kardinal Innitzer Studienfonds:
Priv.-Doz. Dr.phil. Ingeborg Zechner, MA.

Viktor-Obendrauf-Preis:
Katharina Mitter, BEd MEd

Lehrpreis der Uni Graz: Fokus "We learn for tomorrow"
Anerkennungspreis Lehre
Philipp Wilfinger, BSc MA

Award of Excellence (Preis des Bundesministers für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung für herausragende Dissertationen im Studienjahr 2022/2023)
Mag. phil. Dr. phil. Anna Graf-Steiner, MA

Forschungspreis des Landes Steiermark (Förderungspreis)
Mag.phil. Dr.phil. Thomas Pölzler, MA
Priv.-Doz. Dr.phil. Ingeborg Zechner, MA.

Seraphine-Puchleitner-Anerkennungspreis
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ursula Renz

Anton-Schelnast-Preise für Leistung und Innovation
FOI Claudia Baumgartner (Engagement Einzel)
Mag. Regina Brunnhofer (Engagement Einzel)
Mag. Kanita Kovacevic (Kooperation Einzel)
FOI Evamaria Schafzahl (Kooperation Einzel)
Hans Scherer, BA (Engagement Einzel)

Husserl-Lecture 2023
Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.phil. Sonja Rinofner

Austrian State Prize for Literary Criticism 2023
Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Klaus Kastberger

Citizen of the City of Graz
A.o. Univ.-Prof. i.R. Dr.phil. Karin Schmiedtlechner-Lienhard

Admission to the Humanities Section of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters Univ.-Prof. Dr. Pekka Kujamäki

"Lorand Chair in Intermediality Studies," 2022-23, at the Centre for Literary and Intermedial Crossings at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Univ.-Prof. Dr.phil. Nassim Winnie Balestrini

Wolfgang-Stegmüller Prize Mag.phil. Dr.phil. Thomas Pölzler, MA

Award of the Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research to the best graduates of diploma or master studies Ines Wukits, BEd MEd

Archduke Johann Research Award of the Province of Styria MMag. Dr. Markus Roschitz

Austrian Humanist Society for Styria (prize for the best thesis): Melanie Reichholf, MEd BEd

Scholarship for the advancement of women of the University of Graz: Kerstin Endes, MA BA BEd Mag. (FH) Sandra Witz, BA MA

Decoration of Honor of the Province of Styria: Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Barbara Stelzl-Marx

Grand Decoration of Honor of the Province of Styria: Ao.Univ.-Prof.i.R. Dr.phil. Helmut Eberhart

Research Award of the Province of Styria (Promotion Award): Priv.-Doz. Dr.phil. Norbert Paulo

Konstantin-Jireček-Medal of the Southeast Europe Society: O.Univ.-Prof. Dr.phil. Karl Kaser

Josef Krainer Sponsorship Award: MMag. Dr. Eva Fauner

Honorary Foreign Membership of the Basque Academy Euskaltzaindia: O.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Hurch

Teaching Award of the University of Graz:Focus "Promoting Critical Thinking"

Main prize: Teaching awarded to Barbara Grabner, Institute for Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology, Events anthropocene thinking

Recognition Award: Barbara Reiter, Institute of Philosophy, Basic Questions of Subject Didactics Ethics Education

Every year, the Faculty of Humanities awards the best master’s and doctoral theses with the GEWI Prize for Academic Theses. Special consideration is given to theses with a subject matter that has high social relevance. From all submissions, the management of the Faculty of Humanities selects the top six theses. The winning graduates receive cash prizes and the theses of the main prize winners are published. The GEWI prizes are presented annually at a ceremony.

Prize money for the best master's theses:

1. Prize: € 1.000 (+ publication of the thesis*)
2. Prize: € 700
3. Prize: € 500

Prize money for the best doctoral theses:

1. Prize: € 1,500 (+ publication of the thesis*)
2. Prize: € 1000
3. Prize: € 750

^{*Publication: Library Publishing Graz (printing cost subsidies for publications in other publishing houses cannot be granted).}

Master's theses

Application documents:

Documents required by graduates of a master’s degree programme:

• A copy of the master’s degree certificate showing that the master’s thesis was assessed as “excellent”.
• An essay on the significance of the thesis for research and society (must be written by the applicant in German and should be approx. 3 pages/1200 words long)
• A letter of recommendation from the supervisor
• A short application statement by the supervisor (max. 1500 characters incl. spaces; reasons why the thesis is suitable for an award; scientific result; (social) relevance of the subject matter; reasons for publication)
• Expert report from a  person with venia docendi close to the subject (professors and habilitated persons); a list of possible persons at the Faculty of Humanities can be found here. (max. 2,500 characters incl. spaces; (second) expert opinion on the thesis)

Applicants should be prepared to have their thesis published.

Target group: Graduates of the following Faculty of Humanities master’s degree programmes:

• Ancient History and Classical Antiquities
• English Studies / American Studies
• Archaeology
• Bosnian/Croat/Serbian
• Digital Humanities
• European Ethnology
• German Language and Literature
• Historical Science
• Greek
• Conference Interpreting
• Art History
• Latin
• Musicology
• Philosophy
• Political, Economic and Legal Philosophy (PELP)
• Romance Studies
• Russian
• Slovene
• Linguistics
• Translation
• Translation & Dialogue Interpreting

Graduates of the following joint/double/interdisciplinary master’s degree programmes:

• European Joint Master's Programme in English and American Studies
• Joint Master's Programme in South-Eastern European Studies (Master's theses with a focus on humanities)
• Joint Master's Programme Translation
• Joint Master's Programme Jewish Studies – History of Cultures of the Jewish
• Joint Master's Programme History of South-Eastern Europe
• Joint Master's Programme Medieval and Early Modern German Studies
• Double Degree Programme Political, Economic and Legal Philosophy (PELP)
• Applied Ethics
• Global Studies (Master's theses with a focus on humanities)
• Interdisciplinary Gender Studies

Important! Only applications will be accepted from graduates:

• who were primarily enrolled at the University of Graz and
• who had a supervisor from the Faculty of Humanities.

Information on the applicable privacy policy is available here. Only theses submitted for the first time will be considered for awards. Submission of the same thesis in two or more award periods is not permitted. Only theses that have not received other awards or prizes will be awarded. There is no legal entitlement to the GEWI Prize.

Doctoral Theses

Application documents:

• An essay on the significance of the thesis for research and society (must be written by the applicant in German and should be approx. 3 pages/1200 words long)
• Assessment reports of both supervisors (grade awarded by both evaluators must be “excellent”)
• A short application statement by a supervisor (max. 1,500 characters incl. spaces; reasons why the thesis is suitable for an award; scientific result; (social) relevance of the subject matter; reasons for publication)

Applicants should be prepared to publish their thesis.

Target group: Graduates of the following doctoral degree programmes at the University of Graz

• Doctoral Programme of Philosophy
• Doctoral Programme in Ancient and Modern Cultures and Societies in the European Context

Important! Only applications will be accepted from graduates:

• who were primarily enrolled at the University of Graz and
• who had a supervisor from the Faculty of Humanities.

Information on the applicable privacy policy is available here. Only theses submitted for the first time will be considered for awards. Submission of the same thesis in two or more award periods is not permitted. Only theses that have not received other awards or prizes will be awarded. There is no legal entitlement to the GEWI Prize.

2024

1st prize dissertations: Rutger Guillaume Lazou
"What is Owed to the Losers of the Energy Transition? The Case of Fossil Fuel Reserve Owners"

Essay.
Interview.

1st prize master thesis (ex aequo): Julia Maria Aigner
"Loving, Talking, Being Music: Fan Discourse and Its Role in Identity Construction in Different Music Genres"

Essay.
Interview.

1st prize Master's thesis (ex aequo): Hannah Stein Angèle Van Reeth
"On Dynamics, Dichotomies and Reality. Historical-epistemological investigations into Jörn Ruesen's "Grundzüge einer Historik" (1983-1989)"

Essay.
Interview.

2nd prize Master's thesis (ex aequo): Antonia Gösweiner
"Facial Expressions and Gestures in Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition"

Essay.
Interview.

2nd prize Master's thesis (ex aequo): Eva Present
"August Klingemann's "Nachtwachen. Von Bonaventura". An investigation into the satirical style of writing and the novel's network of themes and motifs"

Essay.
Interview.

3rd prize Master's thesis: Hanna Wäger
"Wiped away? A cultural anthropological approach to the invisibility of women* in the cleaning industry"

Essay.
Interview.

2023

1st prize dissertations: Markus Seethaler
"Ethical Intuitionism and Moral Dissent"(Graz University Library Publishing, 2023)

Essay.
Interview.

2nd prize dissertations: Sally Baumann
"quantae miracula pompae vidimus - On the form and function of ekphrastic colorations in the political and historical poems of Claudian"

essay
Interview.

1st prize Master's thesis: Gerlinde Gangl
"Deutsche Rechts-WortSchätze
Onomasiological, project-oriented analysis of a formative area of imagery in contemporary German language"

Essay.
Interview.

2nd prize Master's thesis: Julia Kaidisch
"Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, a Pioneer of Artistic Research? The Aesthetica and the contemporary discourse on knowledge through the arts in comparison"

Essay
Interview.

3rd prize master's thesis: Natalija Milovanović
""Auf Unsrisch". Goran Vojnović in translation.
An analysis of the German translation of Father's Land."

Essay
Interview.

2022

1st Prize Dissertations: Susanne Katharina Christ
"Fictions of Dementia: Narrative Modes for Presenting Dementia in Anglophone Novels" (de Gruyter, 2022)
Essay
Podcast

1st prize dissertations: Dimitri Smirnov
"Auditory Violence. Literary Sounds in Postcolonial Prose Fiction" (Graz University Library Publishing, 2022)
Essay
Podcast

1st prize master's theses: Christina Sophie Bäck
"Memory Cultures within Italophone Migration Literature. An analysis of memories in the literary works of Shirin Ramzanali Fazel and Igiaba Scego"(Graz University Library Publishing, 2022)
Essay
Podcast

1st prize master thesis: Marco Patrick Jandl
"Universitäre Erinnerungskultur in Österreich nach 1945 am Beispiel der Universität Graz" (Clio Verlag Graz, in press)
Essay
Podcast

The Excellence in English and American Studies Award was established in 2003 by Ao.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Kettemann to honour extraordinary achievements for the students in their studies, to make these visible and at the same time to create additional motivation. It is awarded to the best graduates each year.

The winners are selected and notified by the department. Independent application is not possible.

Information about the award and the previous winners.

Contact:
Department of English Studies
anglistik(at)uni-graz.at
+43 316 380 - 2475

Once a year, the Humanistische Gesellschaft Steiermark awards a prize for the best thesis in the subjects of Classics, Archaeology, Ancient History, Ancient Legal History and related disciplines. The prize is endowed with € 250. Applicants may apply themselves or at the suggestion of the supervisors.

All required documents (thesis, résumé, curriculum vitae) must be sent to the chairperson.

Further information and announcement.

Contact
Humanistische Gesellschaft Steiermark
Chairperson: Univ.-Prof. Dr.phil. Ursula Gärtner
ursula.gaertner(at)uni-graz.at
+43 316 380 - 2432

Once a year, the Humanistische Gesellschaft Steiermark awards a prize for the best pre-academic writing by a pupil in the subjects of Classics. The prize is endowed with € 100. Applicants may apply themselves or at the suggestion of the supervisors. The paper may not be submitted simultaneously to another comparable institution.

All required documents (thesis, résumé, curriculum vitae) must be sent to the chairperson.

Further information & announcement

Contact:
Humanistische Gesellschaft Steiermark
Chairperson: Univ.-Prof. Dr.phil. Ursula Gärtner
ursula.gaertner(at)uni-graz.at
+43 316 380 - 2432

This year, the Network for Didactics of Foreign Languages (SPRADI Network) of the University of Graz awards a prize for the best pre-academic paper written in a foreign language in addition to the already existing JuniorAcademic and Hans-Riegel prizes. This project is supported by KinderUni Graz and aims to motivate students to write their pre-academic secondary school papers in living foreign languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish, etc.). The winner will receive a book voucher worth € 400 and the school will be additionally supported with a book voucher worth € 100.

Accepted subjects
All students who have written their pre-academic paper in one of the following humanities subjects can apply for the SPRADI prize:

• History
• Foreign languages
• Philosophy/psychology
• Music

Submission
Applications for the competition must be submitted online via the website of the KinderUni Graz.

The following documents must be submitted:

• PDF of the pre-academic paper
• Completed and signed statement of the supervising teacher (in German)
• Signed declaration of consent of the legal guardian (for underage applicants, in German)

Evaluation criteria
The submitted papers will be reviewed by our jury consisting of experts in the respective foreign languages, and evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Originality of the topic
• Comprehensive and logically coherent discussion of the topic
• Clear and scientifically correct language use with special focus on the suitable use of the respective foreign language
• Objective, non-emotional presentation
• Use of suitable graphs and images
• Correct use of citations and references
• Self-initiative in academic research, study of specialist literature and/or self-gathered sources (e.g., transcription of interviews)

We would like to thank our sponsors at the University of Graz!
Faculty of Humanities
Department for English Studies
Department for Romance Studies
Department for Slavic Studies
Malvinenstiftung