Recognising the Full Breadth of European Studies: UACES Awards 2026

For a long time, the answer has been shaped in relatively narrow ways. Publications, major research outputs and senior recognition have often taken centre stage. These contributions remain vital to the field, but they do not capture the full picture.

European Studies is also built through teaching, through public and policy engagement, through leadership, mentorship and collaboration, and through the often unseen work that sustains academic communities.

This is the thinking behind the UACES Awards 2026.

Expanding what we recognise

This year, the UACES Awards have expanded to include eight categories, each reflecting a different way that people contribute to contemporary European Studies.

The aim is not simply to increase the number of awards, but to better reflect the reality of the field itself. European Studies is collaborative, interdisciplinary and outward‑facing. The awards are designed to recognise that full range of activity and contribution.

What does this look like in practice?

The eight awards reflect different kinds of contribution across the field. For example:

• The Excellence in Teaching Award recognises colleagues making a real difference in how students experience and engage with European Studies
• The Mid‑Career Research Excellence Award highlights sustained, field‑shaping research at a pivotal stage in an academic career
• The Public Engagement and Impact Award brings work that reaches beyond academia into focus, including influence on policy and practice
• The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award recognises efforts to make the discipline more inclusive and equitable
• The Contribution to European Studies Community Prize highlights the often unseen work that sustains networks, collaboration and support

Each award captures a different way of contributing to the field, making it more likely that people will recognise their own work, or that of colleagues, within the programme.

Where recognition happens

Award recipients are formally recognised at the UACES 56th Annual Conference in Prague, where they become part of the conference programme and are acknowledged in front of the wider European Studies community. Recipients attend the conference with travel and accommodation provided.

Recognition does not stop there. Award recipients also contribute to the UACES Award Winner webinar series and are featured across UACES platforms. In this sense, the awards are not only about acknowledgement, but about bringing work into the centre of the community’s ongoing conversations.

Opening up the process

A key feature of the 2026 awards is that applications are open to all.

You do not need to be a UACES member to apply. Self‑application is encouraged and colleagues can also put forward others work they believe deserves recognition. Award recipients must be members of UACES at the point of receiving the award, but the process of application itself is open.

This allows excellent work to be recognised wherever it is taking place, and ensures that the awards are as inclusive and representative as the field itself.

Why applying matters

Recognition does not happen by default. It happens because someone takes the time to put work forward.

That might be:

• a piece of teaching that is transforming how students engage with the subject
• a research programme that has developed into something sustained and influential
• work that has reached policymakers, practitioners or wider audiences
• contributions that are making academic spaces more inclusive
• or the consistent, often unseen work that strengthens the community

The awards provide a way to bring that work into view.

A moment to take stock

For many people, the question is not whether their work is “award‑winning”, but whether it fits into a category.

With the expanded programme, there is a strong chance that it does.

Taking a moment to look through the awards is often enough to recognise that fit, either in your own work or in the work of someone you know.

Apply or put someone forward

Applications for the UACES Awards 2026 are now open and will close on Monday 25 May 2026 at 23:59 BST.

If you have been considering applying, this is a good moment to do so. If a colleague’s work comes to mind, it is equally worth putting it forward and ensuring it is recognised.

You can explore all eight awards and apply here:
👉 https://www.uaces.org/awards

Recognition plays an important role in shaping what is valued in a discipline. The UACES Awards are an opportunity to ensure that the full range of contributions that sustain European Studies is recognised and celebrated.