DGPuK

The German Communication Association awards its Dissertation Award every two years, endowed with €3,000. Winners are chosen from outstanding dissertations that make an important contribution to communication and media research. Eligible are dissertations — cumulative ones included — in German or English that were submitted and assessed at universities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and whose doctoral procedure was completed no more than two years before submission. Works may be put forward by the candidates themselves or by their supervisors.

The DGPuK division for PR and organisational communication and the publisher Springer VS honour an outstanding dissertation in the field of PR and organisational communication every two years. The prize consists of a public tribute, a free publication with Springer VS and books of the winner's choice from the whole Springer list worth €300. Dissertations from the field that are no more than two years old at the deadline are eligible; the cut-off is the hand-in date recorded by the examination office. Candidates or their supervisors may submit. The award is given at the division's annual conference.

The dissertation award “Medien – Kultur – Kommunikation” of the DGPuK division for the sociology of media communication and the publisher VS honours an outstanding dissertation in the field of the book series of the same name every year. The prize consists of a public tribute at the division's annual conference and publication of the thesis with the costs carried by the publisher and the series editors. The submission deadline is 31 December of each year.

The DGPuK division for international and intercultural communication honours an outstanding dissertation in the field of international and/or inter- and transcultural communication every two years. The prize carries €2,000 and the chance to present the work at the division's annual conference. Ideally the topic advances a comparative, cosmopolitan and/or transcultural understanding of communication research, and the work should be written in clear language. Theses in German or English submitted at a university in the German-speaking area (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) are eligible. The prize is supported by the Ludwig-Delp-Stiftung.

The DGPuK division for communication and media ethics runs a doctoral prize to support early-career researchers; for 2026 it carries €500. Eligible are articles on questions relevant to communication and media ethics published between 1 January and 31 December 2026; unpublished full papers with a publication commitment are considered too. For co-authored articles, first authorship is required; each doctoral candidate may submit one contribution, in German or English. The prize is awarded at the division's annual conference in Vienna in February 2027.

The early-career body of the DGPuK, together with the publisher Herbert von Halem, calls for applications for a promising dissertation project; the call has gone out annually since 2014. The prize is a publication of the funded dissertation with Herbert von Halem at no cost to the author — copy-editing, typesetting, cover design and printing included — plus €1,000 in prize money. An application consists of a letter of motivation, a project description, a letter of recommendation from the supervisor and a tabular CV; a jury of researchers holding a doctorate assesses the submissions.

The Paul-Lazarsfeld-Gesellschaft e.V. supports the DGPuK Methods Division's early-career work and honours up to three students or graduates of communication studies each year for outstanding studies or theses (Bachelor's, Master's, Diplom or Magister) with a particular focus on research methods. Each stipend carries an earmarked €1,000 meant to pay for attending the division's annual conference, where the recipients present their work in a student panel. The call goes out every year alongside the call for the conference. For 2026 up to three stipends of €1,000 were offered for the conference in Cologne, 30 September to 2 October 2026; supervisors nominate, and the full thesis, an abstract and a review or letter of recommendation are submitted.

The Theory Prize has honoured outstanding theoretical work in every odd-numbered year since 2015. It rewards contributions that have advanced theory-building in communication research in an extraordinary way and enriched the theoretical debate in the field with original approaches. All forms of text may be submitted — monographs, chapters in edited volumes, journal articles, and theory chapters from publications that are primarily empirical. Texts may be written in German or English. The next Theory Prize will be given in 2027.