Collège de France Award - 2025 Edition

The Collège de France Award for Young Researchers 2025 will be awarded in the fields of law, history and philosophy.

The theme of the prize is: "Knowledge and democracy".

The proper integration of knowledge into politics is a long-debated issue. It is also a highly topical issue in contemporary national and international democracies, whether we are talking about political knowledge or other, more technical forms of knowledge. The
the complementary question of the place of democratic values within this knowledge, or at least in its organization and production, is just as relevant. By rewarding the work of a young researcher on these issues, the Collège de France hopes to contribute to the debate by revealing a new voice.

The prize is worth 20 000 euros. The winner is also invited to give a public lecture at the Collège de France on his or her work.

Applications will be received from March 1 to April 30, 2025, exclusively by electronic means. The winner will be notified in early July 2025.

The 2025 jury, comprising four professors from the Collège de France and one external member, will be co-chaired by Samantha Besson, jurist, holder of the International Law of Institutions chair at the Collège de France, and Antoine Lilti, historian, holder of the History of the Enlightenment, 18th to 21st century chair.

The other members of the jury are :

• for Collège de France professors: Patrick Boucheron and Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge.
• for the external member: Lorraine Daston (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and University of Chicago).

Candidates currently working in a public research laboratory in France are required to contact an active university professor or research director, who will support their application with a letter of introduction and recommendation. The application must be submitted by the candidate via a dedicated digital platform.

Before submitting their application, candidates are invited to carefully read the full prize regulations, available below.

Submission of applications will open on this page^on march 2025 and will close on april 2025 at midnight.

Every year, the Collège de France Award is presented to a young researcher chosen for the excellence of his or her career and the innovative nature of his or her contributions to public research.
The prize consists of a cash award of 20 000 euros and an invitation to give a public lecture at the Collège de France.

Article 1 - Eligible candidates

Eligible candidates must, at the time of submitting their application :

• have their administrative residence in France ;
• hold a permanent or contract position in a research laboratory, unit or team in one of France's public higher education and research establishments.

Candidates must also :

• have successfully defended their thesis in a French or foreign university less than seven years previously ;
• have an outstanding research record, as evidenced by publications and contributions to scientific events.

If candidates :

• have direct family ties with one of the members of the jury ;
• have collaborated or published jointly with a member of the jury within the last seven years, either as part of their thesis or since obtaining it.

The jury member concerned will withdraw while the dossier is examined.

Article 2 - Prize endowment

The prize is awarded at a ceremony by the Administrator of the Collège de France and is endowed with 20 000 euros.

It also includes :

• an invitation to give a public lecture at the Collège de France by the winner ;
• communication and promotion of the winning research on the Collège de France website and social networks ;
• the award of the Collège de France medal engraved with the winner's name.

The winner agrees to be present at the award ceremony and to comply with any requests from the Collège de France concerning communication and public appearances.

Article 3 - Eligibility requirements

• The thesis must have been defended in a French or foreign university for less than seven years at the time of the closing date of the call for applications, i.e. April 30 2025.
  The eligibility period indicated may be extended beyond seven years in the following circumstances, duly documented : maternity leave (extension of eighteen months for each child born after obtaining the doctorate), paternity leave, adoption leave, long-term illness (extension equivalent to the period of leave).
• Reside in France and be employed (tenured or contract) by a laboratory of a French public higher education and research institution.
• The application must be accompanied by a detailed letter of introduction and recommendation from a university professor or research director working in a public research or higher education establishment in France.

Article 4 - Evaluation criteria

• The research work must be in line with the annual theme proposed by the Collège de France. For the 2025prize, the theme will be " Knowledge and democracy: The appropriate integration of knowledge in politics is a long-debated issue. It is also a highly topical issue in contemporary national and international democracies, whether in terms of political knowledge or other, more technical forms of knowledge. The complementary question of the place of democratic values within this knowledge, or at least in its organization and production, is just as relevant. By rewarding the work of a young researcher on these issues, the Collège de France hopes to contribute to the debate by bringing a new voice to the fore ".
• Scientific excellence (track record and publications).
• Innovative nature of the work.

Article 5 - Submission of applications and selection procedures

Completed applications must be submitted by the deadlines indicated, and must be accompanied by a letter of introduction and recommendation from a university professor or tenured staff member belonging to a body assimilated to university professors within the meaning of article  1of the decree ofJune15 1992 establishing the list of bodies of civil servants assimilated to university professors, in active employment.

The application is submitted by the candidate on a dedicated platform, open during the annual submission dates on www.college-de-france.fr/prix-2025

The following documents must be enclosed, in French or English only :

• curriculum vitae ;
• cover letter (maximumtwo pages) describing the main contribution of the candidate's work to the award criteria and the theme of the year ;
• list of publications, patents and prizes ;
• abstract (maximum page) ;
• published article or chapter representative of the candidate's work on the theme of the year's prize (maximum 30 pages) ;
• letter of introduction and recommendation from the candidate's current university professor or research director (one letter, two pages maximum). This person may not be a member of the selection panel, nor be related to the candidate ;
• document attesting to the position held within a laboratory or research unit.
• Optional : document justifying the extension of the eligibility period beyond seven years.

No other document will be taken into consideration.

A university professor or research director may support only one application.

Applications are accepted exclusively via the digital platform. No paper applications will be considered. In the event of multiple applications, whether intentional or accidental, only the last application submitted will be considered.

At the time of submission, all candidates acknowledge that they have read the present regulations and accept their provisions in full.

An internal committee at the Collège de France will check the administrative admissibility of applications against these rules. Any application which is incomplete, completed after the closing date, submitted after the deadline or which does not meet the conditions of these rules will not be evaluated.

Article 6 - Jury composition

A scientific jury will examine the eligible applications and select the year's winner.

This jury is made up of five members : four professors from the Collège de France appointed by the administrator after consultation with the extended Bureau of the Collège de France assembly, and one outside personality appointed by these four professors.

The jury for the 2025 edition is as follows : Samantha Besson (co-president, Collège de France); Antoine Lilti (co-president, Collège de France); Patrick Boucheron (Collège de France); Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge (Collège de France); Lorraine Daston (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and University of Chicago).

Candidates will not be notified of their application evaluations. The jury is sovereign and does not justify its decisions.

Article 7 - 2025 Prize timetable

• Submission of entries : between March¹ march 2025 andApril30 2025 before midnight, Paris time, the date of submission of the complete file on the platform being taken as proof.
• Announcement of the winner : September 2025.
• Presentation of the awards by the Administrator of the Collège de France at a public ceremony : November 2025.

Article 8 - Contact and information :

Collège de France
11, place Marcelin-Berthelot
75231 Paris Cedex 05

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