Astronomy & Astrophysics Awards 2025

The Board of Directors of Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A) attributes two yearly awards for outstanding research published in A&A by individuals in the initial stages of their careers. With these two awards, the Board aims to recognise and contribute to the enthusiasm of the new generation of researchers who will shape the future of astronomy for decades to come.

A&A Award for Outstanding PhD Article

This award recognises a single individual who has completed a PhD in the last two years and published part of their thesis work as lead author of an article in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Eligibility criteria and required documentation:

• The applicant must have defended their PhD thesis between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024.
• The eligibility period can be extended by 12 months for parental leave or by the duration of any leave of absence, upon submission of an accompanying letter of justification.
• The applicant must be the lead author of an A&A article that forms part of the PhD Thesis on which the application is based.
• The article must have been formally accepted by A&A before the end of 2024.

The application must include:

• The A&A article that is the basis of the application (only one article)
• Summary of the PhD research (one page max)
• Statement explaining why the applicant should receive the award (one page max)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Publication list, with a short description of the applicant’s role in each article
• Two letters of support
• Thesis completion certificate (Any delay in obtaining the certificate should be communicated. It will not invalidate the application at the submission stage)

A&A Award for Outstanding Early Career Researcher Article

This award recognises a single individual who is in an early career stage and has published high-quality, internationally recognised research in Astronomy & Astrophysics as lead author.

Eligibility criteria and required documentation:

• The applicant must have received their PhD between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2022.
• The eligibility period can be extended by 12 months for parental leave or by the duration of any leave of absence, upon submission of an accompanying letter of justification.
• The applicant must be the lead author of the A&A article on which the application is based.
• The article must have been published between 2020 and 2024.

The application must include:

• The A&A article that is the basis of the application (only one article)
• Summary of the research (one page max)
• Statement explaining why the applicant should receive the award (one page max)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Selected list of up to ten publications, with a short description of the applicant’s role in each article
• Two letters of support

Award Description

The A&A Awards will be presented at a ceremony during the European Astronomical Society (EAS) annual meeting. Each awardee will be given a certificate by the Chairperson of the A&A Board of Directors and presented with a cash prize of €2000. The A&A Awards also cover the expenses associated with participation in the ceremony, including a full week at EAS 2025.

Key Dates for the 2025 A&A Awards

• 15 October 2024 – Applications open
• 29 November 2024 – Application deadline
• End of February 2025 – Awardees announced
• 23-27 June 2025 – Award presentation at the European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting, University College Cork, Ireland

SUBMISSION: All applications must be submitted electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as a single PDF file, with the documents organised in the order listed in the eligibility criteria.