The European Society for Catholic Theology launches a call to award two prizes for outstanding theological books at the Congress of the European Society for Catholic Theology in Dublin, Ireland, August 20th to August 23rd 2025. The prizes are to be awarded in the categories “Established Scholar’s Theological Book” and “Emerging Scholar’s Theological Book”.
General Stipulations
1. The book must have a theological theme and be a monograph.
2. A book can be proposed by its author or any ESCT member.
3. It must be a European book, either regarding its topic, or with regard to its sources, or because its author comes from Europe or is working in Europe.
4. Applicants can be established or emerging scholars. Applicants are considered emerging scholars until five years after earning their Ph.D. degree. Two separate book prizes can be awarded: one for a book written by an established scholar, and one for a book written by an emerging scholar.
5. The current and former members of the ESCT Presidium cannot apply for this award.
6. The book must be written in a European language.
7. The book must have been published between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024. Acceptance of the adjudicating panel’s decisions regarding the application of the above criteria is a condition of application.
Application Procedures
1. The proposer must present a short biography of the author and a summary of the book that sets out the central thesis and main arguments in 3,000 to not more than 5,000 words. This text must be in one of the official languages of the European Society for Catholic Theology (English, French, German).
2. The person nominating the book must also submit clear reasons why the book should be considered for the prize and how it fulfills the general conditions for a submission. This explanation must be in one of the official languages of the European Society for Catholic Theology (English, French, German).
3. A pdf-file of the book and the application documents, and one copy of the book must be sent to the President of the evaluation committee, Prof. Dr. Margit Eckholt, by 30 April 2025. The books will not be returned to the sender. Prof. Dr. Margit Eckholt Professur für Dogmatik mit Fundamentaltheologie Institut für Katholische Theologie Universität Osnabrück Schlossstrasse 4 49074 Osnabrück Margit.Eckholt@uni-osnabrueck.de
Evaluation Criteria
The book must meet the standards of quality expected of the academic discipline to which it belongs. Over and above that, a proposed book will be judged by whether it fulfils at least one or all of the following criteria:
1. The book should contribute to raising the interest of a broad public in theology.
2. The book should bring theological research into dialogue with current public issues, such as social, political, or economic problems.
3. The book should make a clear and significant contribution to the scholarly development of theological research.
Evaluation Committee and Prize
The committee will make a recommendation to the ESCT Presidium, the Presidium normally confirms these recommendations. The prize consists of €1,500 in the category ‘Established Scholar’s Theological Book’ and of €1,000 in the category ‘Emerging Scholar’s Theological Book’. In addition, the prize winners will be the Society’s guests with all costs covered at the next International Congress (Dublin 2025).