Launched in 2025, the Geotechnics Best PhD Thesis Award aims to recognize young scholars for producing outstanding PhD theses in the field of geotechnics and to encourage the continuation of their outstanding work and further contribution to their field. The application process for this award is open from November to May every year, and winners are announced in July.

Prize:

• CHF 500;
• A certificate;
• A voucher to waive the Article Processing Charges (APCs) for one submission in the journal (subject to peer review)—valid for one year.

Number of Winners: 1.

Eligibility and requirements:

• The candidate must be a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced an outstanding PhD thesis;
• The PhD thesis must be their original work;
• The PhD thesis must be defended in 2025.

List of documents for application:

• An executive summary of the PhD thesis in English of around 3000 words;
• A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award;
• The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications connected with the thesis;
• An electronic copy of the PhD thesis;
• A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student going to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).

Please submit your applications for the Geotechnics Best PhD Thesis Award online by 31 May 2026 through the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/geotechnics/awards/3718.

Prizes will be awarded at the end of July 2026 and announced on the Geotechnics (ISSN: 2673-7094) website. If you have any questions about this award and the application, please feel free to contact the Editorial Office at geotechnics@mdpi.com.