Criteria and Jury of the Madame de Staël Prize

Criteria

The Madame de Staël Prize recognizes researchers or intellectuals whose work represents a significant impact to the advancement of Europe. A laureate’s work is ideally of interdisciplinary nature and exhibits a remarkable and demonstrable contribution to existing and emerging common European values, or the processes behind European integration and identity.

Nominations and Jury

The jury is chaired by the President of ALLEA and composed of renowned fellows of European Academies as well as selected past laureates. It collects nominations, evaluates the merits of the candidates and identifies the prize laureates. The jury is also responsible for selecting a laudator.

  • Antonio Loprieno (chairman), ALLEA – Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
  • Ylva Engström, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and ALLEA Board member
  • Andrea Pető, Central European University, 2018 Laureate
  • Neri Salvadori, National Academy of the Lincei and ALLEA Board member

History of the Prize

The Madame de Staël Prize has its origins in 2014 with the introduction of the project ‘New Narrative for Europe’ initiated by then President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso (2004-2014). Artists, intellectuals and scientists were invited to contribute to a reflection on the European story. Inspired by this initiative, the Prize stands for an understanding of Europe as an intellectual and emotional entity based on common yet not necessarily always exactly the same convictions.  

Over the course of the years, the Prize has recognised eminent scholars and intellectuals across Europe whose outstanding work embodies significant contributions to the cultural and intellectual values of Europe and to ideas of European integration.  

Since the inception of the Prize we have counted on the strong support of European institutions in the participation of the award ceremonies. Past personalities who have attended the Prize ceremonies include European Commission President José Manuel Barroso himself (2014); European Commissioner for Science and Research Carlos Moedas (2015); European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Relations and Enlargement Johannes Hahn  (2016); European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel (2018); European Research Council President Jean-Bourgignon (2019), among others. 

The Madame de Staël Prize is part of a larger set of ALLEA activities aiming not only to promote the intellectual and cultural richness of Europe, but also to support and acknowledge scholarly contributions that add to these valuable European assets.