Walter Haslinger Privatstiftung - Walter Haslinger Prize

Walter Haslinger Prize

For outstanding academic work in business law, you will receive a one-off prize of 5,000 EUR. The Walter Haslinger Private Foundation awards this prize in conjunction with the law firm Haslinger / Nagele. The focus is on company and corporate law, as well as the areas of general private law relevant to business. The prize may be shared amongst several authors. If no paper is deemed good enough in a given round, the prize may not be awarded.

Who can apply

• Your paper: You must submit an academic legal thesis in German. This must be unpublished or must have been published only after 1 January 2024. In the case of a doctoral thesis, a diploma thesis or a habilitation thesis (a thesis that qualifies you to teach at a university), the same date applies for the date of approval.
• Subject: Business law, especially company and corporate law. Tax-law work does not count.
• Your link to the region: You are a member or graduate of the University of Linz (JKU) or the University of Salzburg, or you work within the jurisdiction of the Higher Regional Court of Linz (OLG Linz).
• Age: You have not yet turned 38 by the application deadline.
• Nationality: Any nationality can apply.
• Who cannot apply: Employees of Haslinger/Nagele, professors at Austrian universities (with the exception of their habilitation theses), and anyone who has previously won this prize.

How to apply

Send your paper to the Walter Haslinger Private Foundation in Linz by 31 May 2026. Submit it sealed on paper and also e-mail a digital copy. Add a short CV and any academic grades the paper earned. The foundation's board decides based on a recommendation from its academic committee, and the decision is final.

How realistic are your chances?

This prize has very strict criteria. You need to submit a compelling German-language thesis on commercial law with a clear link to Linz, Salzburg or the Linz judicial district, which keeps the pool of applicants small. If you meet these requirements with a high-quality doctoral thesis, undergraduate dissertation or postdoctoral thesis, you have a genuine chance of winning. The prize recognises genuine academic quality; therefore, a well-reasoned work ready for publication will win.