Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences (Belgium) - Lucien Cahen Prize for Geology

Lucien Cahen Prize for Geology

For a high-quality academic paper on the geology of regions outside Europe, with a focus on former or current overseas territories, you will receive a one-off prize of 2,500 EUR. The winner will receive the prize money and the title ‘Winner of the Lucien Cahen Prize’. The Royal Academy of Overseas Sciences in Belgium awards the prize every three years. You may submit your paper in French, Dutch, English or Spanish. It must be unpublished or have been published less than three years ago.

Who can apply

• Your paper: You have written an academic paper on geology whilst outside Europe.
• Nationality: You are a Belgian national or a foreign national and have worked at a Belgian university or research institution for at least five years.
• Age and degree: There are no age restrictions and no specific qualifications required. The only thing that counts is the quality of the work.

How to apply

Please send your work, an abstract of no more than 1,200 words, a CV and a personal statement to the Academy’s secretariat by 15 January of the prize year. A committee will assess the submitted entries, and the Academy’s Class for Natural and Medical Sciences will select the prize winner in May. If, after three rounds of voting, no entry receives an absolute majority, no prize will be awarded in that cycle.

How realistic are your chances?

This prize has very narrow criteria. It recognises only outstanding geological research conducted outside Europe and authored by Belgian researchers or long-standing members of Belgian institutions. As a result, the pool of candidates remains small, but the bar is set high: a single prize is awarded to a work of unquestionable excellence. If your research fits the focus and is of outstanding scientific quality, you have a genuine chance. If this is not the case, the committee will not award a prize in this cycle.