Young Academics Award

THE TOPIC

This edition of the Alpine Convention’s Young Academics Award focuses on ‘The Alpine water cycle and cryosphere in a changing climate: dynamics, impacts, and responses’ and in particular, these related sub-topics: 

• Dynamics
  • Water cycle: changes in seasonal and regional water availability, including risks of water scarcity, shifts in runoff regimes, altered melting patterns
  • Cryosphere: glacier retreat and loss, permafrost thaw, snow cover dynamics, climate projections and future scenarios for the Alpine cryosphere
• Impacts
  • Nature and ecosystems: impacts on biodiversity and species composition, habitat loss for cold-adapted species, emergence of post-glacial ecosystems and new lakes, ecological succession 
  • Natural hazards: reduced slope and rockface stability, water-related hazards, glacial and periglacial hazards, impacts on infrastructure and settlements, changing frequency and intensity of hazard events, compound and cascading risks
• Responses
  • Technical measures: monitoring and forecasting systems, mitigation and resilience measures, prevention and adaptation strategies, nature-based solutions
  • Social dimensions: integrated governance and stakeholder participation, education and awareness-raising, policy frameworks, community-based adaptation

THE PRIZES 

Three main prizes will be awarded to works with Alpine-wide relevance:

• 1^st prize: €1.000 
• 2^nd prize: €750 
• 3^rd prize: €500 

Nine additional prizes will be awarded by our partners. 

The Infopoint prizes will be awarded to works that are thematically relevant and have a main and/or specific focus on the areas where the following Infopoints of the Alpine Convention are situated and active: 

• Infopoint Chamonix (FR): €500 awarded by the Community of Communes of the Valley of Chamonix Mont-Blanc;
• Infopoint Domodossola (IT): two nights for two persons with half-board in Domodossola (IT) awarded by the association ARS.UNI.VCO;
• Infopoint Koroška (SI): €500 awarded by the Regional Development Agency for Koroška; 
• Infopoint Mojstrana (SI): three nights for two persons with half-board in the Aljaž Hut in the Vrata Valley (SI) awarded by the Slovenian Alpine Museum;
• Infopoint Ötscher-Tormäuer (AT): two nights for two persons at the Schutzhaus Vorderötscher (AT) awarded by the Ötscher-Tormäuer Nature Park; 
• Infopoint Sonthofen (DE): €750 awarded by the city of Sonthofen ;
• Infopoint Tolmin (SI): €500 awarded by the Soča Valley Development Center;
• Infopoint Villach (AT): €600 and one overnight for two persons with breakfast in the Dobratsch Gipfelhaus (AT) awarded by the Infopoint of the Dobratsch Nature Park.

Additionally, a special prize of the Virtual Alpine Observatory will be awarded to a thesis focusing on measurements and observations at mountain stations (e.g. monitoring, forecasting, early-warning systems, etc.). This award entails an overnight stay at the Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus at Zugspitze (DE) and exchange with their resident researchers. 

THE CALL

The full requirements and submission criteria as well as an overview of the selection process are available in the full call (EN).  

Submissions must be made by filling out the online application form (in English).

THE DEADLINE

All applicants must complete the application form and submit the required documentation by 31 July 2026. Early-bird applicants (until 31 March 2026) are also eligible to receive one of ten free admissions to the ForumAlpinum Summer School.

For any questions, please contact: yaa@alpconv.org