Essay Award
The Society for Analytic Philosophy e.V. and Grazer Philosophische Studien annually award the Essay Award to up to three students. Up to three prizes will be awarded (since 2023: 1st place 750 EUR, 2nd place 500 EUR, 3rd place 250 EUR; for unranked entries the prize money is 500 EUR). The essays are published in Grazer Philosophische Studien.
GAP and GPS Essay Award 2024
The 2024 prize question is:
Can we be responsible for what is not up to us?
Submissions of essays of up to 3,000 words are possible until 31 October 2024. Please note the conditions of participation and submission instructions in this document. A poster on the current essay prize can be found here.
Jury decision on the 2023 joint essay prize of the GAP and GPS
The Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) and Grazer Philosophische Studien (GPS) are pleased about the interest in the essay question: What, if anything, will AI never be capable of?
31 submissions were received (eleven of which were from women). A jury consisting of eleven experts thoroughly considered the contributions, which were rendered anonymous. After careful deliberation, the jury has awarded the prizes to:
- 1st Prize: –
- 2nd Prize: Marius Mumbeck (Universität Duisburg-Essen): »Is there a domain of linguistic competence AI cannot grasp?« (abstract)
- 3nd Prize: Julian Braunwarth (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen): »Was eine KI niemals können wird, wird auch der Mensch niemals können« (abstract)
Members of the jury were Martina Fürst, Gregor Hörzer, Siegfried Jaag, Giacomo Giannini, Mario Günther, Kristina Musholt, Christoph Schamberger, Eva Schmidt, Sebastian Speitel, Corina Strößner und Eva Weber-Guskar. The winning essays will be published in the Grazer Philosophische Studien in the second half of 2024. We congratulate the winners and thank all participants for their contributions!
june 1, 2024
Jury decision on the 2022 joint essay prize of the GAP and GPS
The Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) and Grazer Philosophische Studien (GPS) are pleased about the interest in the essay question: You can’t argue about taste, can you?
20 submissions were received (eight of which were from women). A jury consisting of nine experts thoroughly considered the contributions, which were rendered anonymous. After careful deliberation, the jury has awarded the prizes to:
- 1st Prize: –
- 2nd Prize: Aline Dammel (Georg-August Universität Göttingen): »Warum sich doch sinnvoll über Geschmack streiten lässt« (abstract)
- 2nd Prize: Matthias Luxenburger (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main): »Streiten über Geschmack – eine Frage des Maßstabes« (abstract)
- 3rd Prize: –
Members of the jury were Larissa Berger, Jochen Briesen, Elke Brendel, Alexander Dinges, Martina Fürst, Markus Kneer, Lisa Schmalzried, Markus Schrenk and Julia Zakkou. The winning essays will be published in the Grazer Philosophische Studien in the second half of 2023. We congratulate the winners and thank all participants for their contributions!
april 11, 2023
Jury decision on the 2021 joint essay prize of the GAP and GPS
The Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) and Grazer Philosophische Studien (GPS) are pleased about the interest in the essay question: What did Plato, Kant or Arendt grasp better than current analytic philosophy?
15 submissions were received (five of which were from women). A jury thoroughly considered the contributions, which were rendered anonymous. After careful deliberation, the jury has awarded the prize to:
- 1st Prize: Nils Neuhaus (Technische Universität Berlin): »Die Herausforderung historisch kontingenter Begriffe für die analytische Philosophie am Beispiel der Menschenwürde« (abstract)
Members of the jury were Claudia Blöser, Martina Fürst, Geert Keil, Sebastian Odzuck, Ariane Schneck und Anna Schriefl. The winning essay will be published in the Grazer Philosophische Studien in the second half of 2022. We congratulate the winner and thank all participants for their contributions!
Jury decision on the 2021 joint essay prize of the GAP and GPS
The Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) and Grazer Philosophische Studien (GPS) are pleased about the interest in the essay question: What did Plato, Kant or Arendt grasp better than current analytic philosophy?
15 submissions were received (five of which were from women). A jury thoroughly considered the contributions, which were rendered anonymous. After careful deliberation, the jury has awarded the prize to:
- 1st Prize: Nils Neuhaus (Technische Universität Berlin): »Die Herausforderung historisch kontingenter Begriffe für die analytische Philosophie am Beispiel der Menschenwürde« (abstract)
Members of the jury were Claudia Blöser, Martina Fürst, Geert Keil, Sebastian Odzuck, Ariane Schneck und Anna Schriefl. The winning essay will be published in the Grazer Philosophische Studien in the second half of 2022. We congratulate the winner and thank all participants for their contributions!
Jury decision on the 2020 joint essay prize of the GAP and GPS
The Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) and Grazer Philosophische Studien (GPS) are pleased about the interest in the essay question: Are there moral experts?
26 submissions were received (five of which were from women). A jury of six experts thoroughly considered the contributions, which were rendered anonymous. After careful deliberation, the jury has awarded the prize to:
- 1st Prize: Jakob Lohmar (University of Cologne): »Future Selves and Present Moral Philosophers« (abstract)
The winning essay will be published in the Grazer Philosophische Studien in the second half of 2021. We congratulate the winner and thank all participants for their contributions!
Jury decision on the 2019 joint essay prize of the GAP and GPS
The Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) and Grazer Philosophische Studien (GPS) are pleased about the great interest in the essay question: Can it be rational to accept contradictions?
52 submissions were received (seventeen of which were from women). A jury of seven experts thoroughly considered the contributions, which were made anonymous. After careful deliberation, the jury has awarded the following essays:
- 1st Prize: –
- 2nd Prize: Simon Hollnaicher (Berlin):
Eine Kantische Begründung individueller Klimapflichten (Abstract)
- 3rd Prize: Adriano Mannino (Bern):
Why should I leave the car at home, if that does not save the climate? (Abstract)
The winning essays will be published in the Grazer Philosophische Studien in the second half of 2020. We congratulate the winners and thank all participants for their contributions!
Jury decision on the 2018 joint essay prize of the GAP and GPS
The Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) and Grazer Philosophische Studien (GPS) are pleased about the great interest in the essay question: Can it be rational to accept contradictions?
28 submissions were received (seven of which were from women). A jury of six experts thoroughly considered the contributions. After careful deliberation, the jury has awarded the following essay:
- Konstantin Weber (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg):
Accepting Inconsistency (abstract)
The winning essay will be published in the Grazer Philosophische Studien in the second half of 2019. We congratulate the winner and thank all participants for their contributions!
Jury decision on the 2017 joint essay prize of the GAP and GPS
The Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) and Grazer Philosophische Studien (GPS) are pleased about the great interest in the essay question: Does freedom of speech permit lying in public?
19 submissions were received (eight of which were from women). A jury of five experts thoroughly considered the contributions: each essay was reviewed by at least two jurors, and a final selection of essays by all five. After careful deliberation, the jury has awarded the following essay:
- Jonas Pöld (Münster University):
Lying and freedom of speech
The winning essay will be published in the Grazer Philosophische Studien in the second half of 2018. We congratulate the winner and thank all participants for their contributions!
Jury decisions on the 2016 essay prize of the GAP and GPS
The Society for Analytical Philosophy (GAP) and Grazer Philosophische Studien are pleased about the interest in the essay question: »Is it always good to be rational?« There were 20 submissions (including four from women). A jury of six experts thoroughly considered the contributions. Each essay was reviewed by at least two jurors, a final selection of essays from all six. After careful consideration, the jury awarded the following two articles as fully equivalent:
- 1st Prize: Sebastian Schmidt
(University of Erlangen-Nuremberg):
Why we should promote irrationality (abstract)
- 1st Prize: Konstantin Weber
(University of Erlangen-Nuremberg):
Is it always good to be rational? (abstract)
These two decorated essays will be published in the Grazer Philosophische Studien in the second half of 2017.
We congratulate the winners and thank all participants for their contributions!
Jury Decision on the Essay Award 2015 of GAP and GPS
The Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) and Grazer Philosophische Studien are pleased about the great response to the essay question for students »Can we decide what to believe?«. There were almost 30 submissions. A jury consisting of five experts has thoroughly considered the submissions; every essay was reviewed by at least two jurors, a selected number of essays then by all five jurors. After careful consideration, the jury awarded the following two, equally prize-worthy essays:
- 2nd Prize: Sebastian Schmidt (Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) for his essay »Können wir uns entscheiden, etwas zu glauben? Zur Möglichkeit und Unmöglichkeit eines doxastischen Willens«
- 2nd Prize: Simon Walgenbach (Universität Duisburg-Essen) for his essay »Können wir uns entscheiden, etwas zu glauben?«
The two distinguished essays will be published in Grazer Philosophische Studien in the second half of 2016. We congratulate the winners and thank all participants for their contributions!
Essay Award 2014
The essay question was: A pill to make us more moral: Is it possible and should we take it?
The following essays were awarded:
- 1st Prize: Dorothee Bleisch:
Die Moralpille – über Risiken und Nebenwirkungen denken Sie eigenständig nach und fragen Ihren Philosophen oder Ihre Philosophin
- 2nd Prize: Philip Fox:
Agency and the pill that makes us moral
- 3rd Prize: David Christian Heering
Breaking Good: Is there a patent recipe for cooking up the moral pill?
Essay Award 2013
The essay question was: Can I imagine to be another person?
The following essays were awarded:
- 1st Prize: Tammo Lossau:
Was heißt ›sich vorstellen, eine andere Person zu sein‹?
- 2nd Prize: Eva Lucia Backhaus:
Kann ich mir vorstellen, eine andere Person zu sein?
- 3rd Prize: Viktoria Knoll:
Kann ich mir vorstellen, eine andere Person zu sein?
Essay Award 2012
The essay question was: Are we allowed to eat animals?
The following essays were awarded:
- 1st Prize: Salim Hirèche / Sandra Villata:
Eating Animals and the Value of Non-Human Suffering
- 2nd Prize: Simon Gaus:
Moralischer Vegetarismus: Folgt aus dem Unwert der Tierhaltung ein Verbot des Fleischkonsums?
- 3rd Prize: Jens Tuider:
Dürfen wir Tiere essen?