The Birnstiel Award nomination procedures aim to be straight-forward and welcoming. Nominations are possible from late spring until 30 June of each year, when calls are broadly advertised.
The next call for the Birnstiel Award will be announced here and via the IMP's social media channels in May 2025.
Profile and eligibility
The International Birnstiel Award targets doctoral students at an advanced stage of their PhD research, ideally with outstanding publications (including preprints) or recently graduated students, provided that they graduated after 30 June of the previous year (the submission deadline of the previous call).
Nominations are to be submitted by an authorised person, typically an intitute's director or PhD programme manager. Only one nomination per department or programme will be considered. The submission deadline is 30 June.
Students who completed their PhD research at Austrian institutions are exempted from the Birnstiel Awards, as they are eligible for other awards in Austria. Students with direct links to the IMP (e.g. alumni or students of research collaborators) are also exempted.
A nomination will comprise the nominee’s CV, a description of the PhD research project, and one recommendation letter by the student’s supervisor (see below for details).
Nomination materials
Nominations must be submitted online by the department or programme chair. The nomination materials are as follows:
- Nominator’s name, postal address, email, and telephone number
- Supervisor’s name, postal address, email, and telephone number
- Student’s name, thesis title/research topic, postal address, email, and telephone number
- Student’s graduation date, if applicable
From the student’s supervisor:
- Letter of recommendation (up to 600 words, via form)
From the student:
- Student Curriculum Vitae (via form)
- Summary of thesis research project by the students (up to 600 words)
- PDF of single most important publication (preprints explicitly allowed!)
All nominators are notified as to the selection committee’s decision by 30 September of the relevant year.
Questions regarding the International Birnstiel Award should be addressed to Benedikt Mandl, IMP Head of Communications, via email: benedikt.mandl[at]imp.ac.at.