Call for submissions for the KWG PhD prize 2026
for the best presentation of PhD research in mathematics
Each year the Royal Dutch Mathematical Society (KWG) organizes the KWG PhD prize for the best presentation of PhD research in mathematics. The PhD prize competition is open to PhD candidates in mathematics from all universities in the Netherlands and CWI, provided their thesis defense date is after 28 February 2026.
A jury of mathematicians from various fields chooses a winner, who receives besides the prestige of winning, an exchange trophy and a monetary reward. Former winners can be found here.
You are kindly invited to participate!
Procedure
In order to enter the competition please
1. send an extended abstract (two pages at a maximum) and a short CV (one page maximum) to the following email address: m.kranenburg@tue.nl (using “KWG PhD prize” as the subject);
2. ask your daily supervisor to send a concise letter of recommendation to the same address (m.kranenburg@tue.nl).
The deadline for proposals is Tuesday 31 March 2026.
The jury will review the submissions and will make a short-list of four candidates who will be invited to give a presentation of 10 minutes (+ 5 minutes for discussion) at the KWG Afternoon Session on 8 May 2026 in Amsterdam. From the four invited candidates the jury will select the prize winner. The main criterion for being invited is the quality of the PhD research, the main criterion for winning the prize is the capability to present the research to a broad mathematical audience. A PhD candidate should be well-advanced in her/his research (third/fourth year) to have a good chance of being invited.
Composition of the jury
The jury will consist of representatives of the four mathematics clusters. Oliver Fabert (VUA) will act as the chair.
