Call for applications: Maritime Cultural Heritage Award wanted

For the second time, the German Maritime Museum (DSM) / Leibniz Institute of Maritime History and the Friends of the Museum are offering the Maritime Cultural Heritage Award. Interested parties can submit scientific work on the topic until April 15, 2025.

Ships have many roles. They can be places of longing or delivery vehicles, warmongers or escape helpers, environmental disruptors or repositories of knowledge. One thing is certain: without ships, our world would be different. Because ships move people and goods, ideologies and information. At the German Maritime Museum, we always research our global present, future and past from the sea.

Together with the Association of our Friends and Supporters, the German Maritime Museum/Leibniz Institute for Maritime History wants to actively promote the research and communication of our maritime heritage. We are looking for outstanding dissertations as well as master's and bachelor's theses or diploma theses that deal with maritime topics and link history and the present. Submissions from fields not specifically related to the humanities or history are expressly encouraged, provided they take into account an aspect of maritime heritage or the maritime past.

The prize money is EUR 5,000 for dissertations, EUR 2,500 for master's and diploma theses and EUR 500 for bachelor's theses.

In addition to the actual final thesis, a summary of 800-1,000 characters (including spaces), a cover letter and a CV listing the most important scientific stages (maximum 1 page) should be submitted. Submissions will be accepted electronically to schilling@dsm.museum until April 15, 2025 or by post to Prof. Dr. Ruth Schilling, Scientific Director, German Maritime Museum/Leibniz Institute for Maritime History, Hans-Scharoun-Platz 1, 27568 Bremerhaven, Germany.

The award ceremony will take place on September 5, 2025 as part of the ceremony to mark the museum's fiftieth anniversary in Bremerhaven.