Call for applications for the “Elmar Altvater” Doctoral Thesis Prize 2026

Until June 30, 2026

The call for applications for the 2026 “Elmar Altvater” Doctoral Thesis Prize is now open . This international award honors the academic career and political commitment of the German critical economist Elmar Altvater (1938–2018), a central figure in the Marxist critique of political economy and in studies on capitalism, ecological crisis, and energy.

The prize aims to stimulate and recognize outstanding doctoral research that contributes to a theoretically grounded and ecologically expanded critique of political economy , in dialogue with major contemporary debates on global capitalism, socio-environmental crisis and emancipatory alternatives.

📌 Language of the theses
Are accepted doctoral theses written in Spanish and Portugueseas well as in English, German and Italian.
Theses that are not written in English must include a lengthy summary in English (between 3.000 and 6.000 words).

📌 Suggested topics
Among other areas, work related to the following will be considered:

• The crisis and disorder of the global capitalist mode of accumulation
• Oligarchic globalization
• Theoretical approaches to an ecological critique of political economy
• Material economy of energy and natural resources
• Extractivism and its social, economic and environmental consequences
• Grassroots initiatives against human rights violations in the Global South
• Political alternatives of a social, socializing, or socialist nature

Interdisciplinary approaches that combine political economy with social sciences, natural sciences, geography, anthropology, and history will be especially valued .

📌 Requirements and eligibility
Doctoral theses may be submitted approved from 2023 onwards.
The prize has an endowment of 2.000 Euros.

📅 Application deadline
30 June, 2026
Applications must be submitted exclusively in electronic format.

📎 Required documentation

• Presentation letter
• A 500-word summary linking the thesis to the work of Elmar Altvater
• Complete doctoral thesis
• Extended summary in English (where applicable)
• CV
• Academic evaluations of the doctoral process

(I.e. International Jury
The jury is made up of prominent figures in the field of critical political economy and social sciences, from universities in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.

???? Award delivery
The awards ceremony is scheduled for the Global Labour University Conference, in December of 2026.

👉 The complete document of the call for applications for the “Elmar Altvater” Doctoral Thesis Award 2026 is attached , with detailed information on requirements, topics and application procedure.