Best PhD Thesis Award
Launched in 2025, the Histories Best PhD Thesis Award is to recognize young scholars for producing outstanding PhD theses in the field of historical research, 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. The applications will be assessed by an evaluation committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Matteo Valleriani.
The Prize:
– CHF 1000;
– An electronic certificate;
– A voucher to waive the Article Processing Charges (APCs) for one submission in the journal (subject to peer review)— valid for one year;
– The opportunity to publish your PhD thesis with MDPI Books free of charge.
Number of Winners: 1
Histories Best PhD Thesis Award
Eligibility and Requirements
– The PhD thesis must be their original work;
– The date of the PhD thesis defense must fall between 1 May 2025, and 1 May 2026.
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).
Past Winners
- OYOkcan YildirimturkOkcan YildirimturkFreie Universitat - Berlin
Matteo VallerianiProf. Dr. Matteo VallerianiMax Planck Institute for the History of Science, GermanyChairman
Jon MathieuProf. Dr. Jon MathieuDepartment of History, University of Lucerne, Switzerland
Daniele MacugliaProf. Dr. Daniele MacugliaPeking University, China

