Deadline: 1st Mar 2026
The Board of the European Association for Chinese Studies is pleased to announce again the EACS Early Career Scholar Award (formerly Young Scholar Award). The purpose of this award is to encourage research in Chinese studies among young scholars, especially, but not exclusively, scholars studying and working at European institutions.
The Early Career Scholar Award is made possible through the generous support by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange. It was first awarded during the 2004 EACS biennial conference in Heidelberg. Many papers submitted by shortlisted candidates in previous competitions have now appeared as peer-reviewed publications. The next ECSA will be announced at the 26th Biennial Conference of the EACS in Venice, Italy, 20-25 July 2026.
Eligibility: Early Career Scholar Award (formerly Young Scholar Award)
Candidates for the ECSA (formerly YSA) should be PhD students working towards their degree or PhD holders who have obtained their degree no more than 10 years prior to the year of the EACS conference AND their rank of academic employment should be below that of Associate Professor or Senior Lecturer (i.e. untenured), or the equivalent ranks in other systems. Candidates whose rank changes to a tenured position after submission of the paper are kindly requested to inform the President of the committee immediately. ECSA candidates must be registered as EACS members at the time of paper submission.
The jury welcomes papers of high scholarly promise engaging primary sources, secondary scholarship, and innovative research methodologies relevant to the field of Chinese studies. Papers should be written in English; only single-authored papers will be accepted. Papers should not have been previously submitted for publication.
Each applicant may submit only one paper of a maximum of 8,500 words (approximately 50,000 characters), with a one-page abstract. The word limit includes footnotes but not bibliography. The submission should include the author’s full name, institution, email and postal address on a separate page. The author’s name and any other self-references should be removed in the main body of the paper as the manuscript will be assessed anonymously.
Papers submitted for the ECSA should be original in contents, structure and style. The use of artificial intelligence is only accepted in case of relevant specific research-related purposes and should be declared by the candidate and clearly acknowledged in a separate statement.
The ECSA jury nominates 3 finalists who are expected to attend the 2026 EACS Biennial Conference in Venice in person. The three nominees receive a reimbursement of up to 800 Euros to cover their travel and accommodation expenses. At the conference, the finalists are presenting their papers during a special dedicated session. The winner of the ECSA is announced during the conference. All three finalists receive a certificate and the winner is, in addition, awarded a prize of 500 Euros. All finalists agree to commit themselves to participate in the conference and deliver their paper in person. Also, the finalists commit themselves by a signed declaration to submit their revised papers for publication in the Journal of the European Association for Chinese Studies (JEACS).
Candidates who have not been selected as one of the three finalists can participate in the EACS conference with the paper that was submitted for the ECSA, should they have applied for the conference. Candidates are also allowed to submit a different abstract (i.e. present a different paper if accepted) at the general conference.
Winning the ECSA (formerly YSA) is a unique and one-time experience. ECSA winners are not allowed to compete a second time.
Submission:
The deadline for submission is 17:00 CET on 1 March 2026. Please send the following material by e-mail to Mathieu.Torck@UGent.be before the deadline:
(1) Paper and abstract (PDF format)
(2) Proof of academic status, confirming that the applicant is either: a PhD student, a postdoctoral or junior researcher who obtained their PhD no more than 10 years prior to the year of the conference, or an independent scholar who meets the same post-PhD timeline. All applicants must be untenured at the time of submission.
(3) EACS membership number
Only complete and timely submitted applications will be considered. The three finalists will be notified around May 2026.
Please remember to anonymize your paper. Please pay attention to the PDF format, otherwise author information can be extracted from it. Usually, this is done in Word before the PDF is created, using the function Tools > Protect Document > Remove Personal Information.
We very much hope you will consider submitting your work and look forward to reading your papers!
Download this announcement’s official .docx: