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Early Career Researcher Prize

9 September 2025

We are delighted to announce a new publishing opportunity for our early career researchers, made possible through the sponsorships of four of our journals: Humanities, Philosophies, Publications and Social Sciences. One proposal per journal will be selected and receive full editorial support and a complete waiver of Book Processing Charges (BPCs), enabling open access publication at no cost to the author(s) . 

This opportunity is open to all researchers within 6 years of their first academic appointment or completion of their PhD. Funding opportunities for open access books are limited, particularly at the beginning of an academic career, yet publishing a monograph can be a decisive step in building visibility, credibility, and future funding prospects. 

This prize offers a unique opportunity to springboard a research career by providing full editorial support, open access visibility. By enabling early career scholars to share their work widely, we aim to strengthen both individual careers and the broader fields of the social sciences, arts, and humanities. 

 

Important Dates and Forms

 

Who can apply and what proposals are eligible? 

  • The competition is open to early career researchers within 6 years of their first academic appointment or award of their PhD.
  • Proposals must be within the scope of the participating journal the author has chosen to submit to. 
  • Only monograph proposals with a clear and coherent concept are eligible. PhDs and extended PhDs are not eligible for submission. If you would like to publish your PhD, please contact us at bksubmission@mdpi.com. 
  • Proposals can be submitted by individuals or teams of authors.  
  • There are no restrictions based on geographic location, institutional affiliation, or publication history. 
  • All proposals must be original, unpublished, and intended for open access publication under a CC BY license with MDPI Books. 
  • The resulting monograph should be around 150–250 pages and must successfully complete peer review for publication.
  • Proposals must be submitted to the application form by 16 November 2025. 

 

What each selected proposal will receive. 

  • Full waiver of Book Processing Charges (worth up to CHF 10,000). 
  • Complete editorial and production support, including peer review, copyediting, typesetting, and layout. 
  • Global visibility and indexing through MDPI Books’ Open Access platform. 

 

What information do I need to include in my proposal?  

  • The author’s affiliation, background and stage of the project (new idea or completed draft). 
  • A concise abstract, topic & approach. 
  • A comprehensive chapter outline.  

The evaluation committee is making their decision solely on the material submitted with the proposal so this is the only opportunity to promote how the book would impact the field.  

 

How will the proposal be evaluated?  

  • Proposals must be submitted to one of the four sponsoring journals.  
  • Each journal will have an independent evaluation committee composed of its Editorial Board Members, and each committee will select one winner. 

 

Where should the proposal be submitted? Proposals must be submitted online by filling out a form outlining the author’s background, intent and approach. Submit your proposal here: application form.

For any questions about the prize, please contact the MDPI Books Editorial Team at bksubmission@mdpi.com.