Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium - Ernest Discailles Award

Benefit

You will receive a one-off cash prize for the best academic work in a specific field. The Academy has not yet confirmed the amount of the prize for the 2026 round. In the previous cycle, it amounted to 1,250 EUR. The prize is sponsored by the Royal Academy of Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts of Belgium. It is awarded every five years and alternates between two themes: the history of French literature and contemporary history. The cycle from 2022 to 2026 is open for submissions on the topic of contemporary history. Should your award-winning work still be an unpublished manuscript, the Academy will publish it in one of its own series.

Eligibility

• Degree: You have obtained a degree from a French-speaking Belgian university.
• Your work: You are submitting a written piece on contemporary history. This may already have been published or may still be an unpublished manuscript.
• Language: You are writing the work in French, Dutch or German.
• When you wrote it: You finished the work within the last ten years.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply, provided they meet the qualification requirements.

How to apply

You should submit your work to the Academy in Brussels, both in paper and digital form. The deadline for submissions for the current cycle is 15 December 2026.

You can find more scholarships in our guide Scholarships in Belgium.