TUV Austria Academy - TÜV Science Award

What the TÜV AUSTRIA Science Award gives you

You will receive a one-off cash prize for an outstanding technical or scientific thesis. The total prize money amounts to 15,000 EUR and is divided into three categories: 6,000 EUR for the best doctoral thesis (dissertation), 5,000 EUR for the best diploma or Master’s thesis, and 4,000 EUR for the best final project from an HTL (an Austrian higher technical secondary school). The winners will be announced at a public ceremony. The 2026 event will take place on 24 November in the Kuppelsaal at TU Wien. The prize is organised by the TÜV AUSTRIA Group and awarded once a year.

Who can apply

• What you submit: A completed, formally recognised final dissertation or an HTL final project. For the 2026 round, this must have been completed between 2024 and 2026.
• Level: A doctoral thesis, a diploma or Master’s thesis, or an HTL final project.
• Where you studied: You have a degree from an Austrian technical university, a university of applied sciences or a higher technical college (HTL).
• Field: Your degree subject falls within the field of engineering or the natural sciences.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply. The key requirement is that you have carried out the work at an Austrian institution.
• What the jury looks for: The quality, originality, sustainability and practical relevance of your work.

How to apply

You should submit your own work via the online form, together with a brief statement of intent, a description and your project documentation. The deadline for the 2026 round is 26 August 2026. A jury will then draw up a shortlist, and the winners will be announced at the awards ceremony.

How realistic are your chances?

This is an annual award with just three winners, and in the 2025 round, 172 entries were received – so competition is fierce. However, the entry criteria are quite narrow: only technical and scientific final-year projects from Austrian universities, universities of applied sciences and HTLs are eligible. If your project fits well into a category and stands out for its innovation and practical utility, you have a genuine chance of success in a relatively small field of entrants.