The Society for the Development of Austrian Economics (SDAE) will invite two award winners to present their essays at the Southern Economic Association (SEA) 96th Annual Meeting, November 21-23, 2026 at the Marriott Marquis Houston in Houston, TX.
The SDAE invites essays by doctoral students nearing the completion of their degrees in economics or related disciplines that engage with, advance, challenge, or apply the ideas of Austrian economics and related schools of thought.
A panel of judges consisting of SDAE executive committee members will review all eligible submissions. The two winners will be notified in early October and are expected to present their essays at the SEA 96th Annual Meeting in November. Winners will be acknowledged at the SDAE Annual Dinner and Business Meeting. Please continue reading for more information about the prizes, rules of eligibility and submission, and other submission guidelines. Please direct any questions to SDAE@ttu.edu.
Rules of Eligibility
Dissertation Chapter
The essay contest seeks to reward and encourage work related to Austrian economics by emerging scholars. As such, submitted essays should be chapters of a doctoral dissertation in progress by students that have or will soon advance to candidacy. Papers coauthored with faculty are not eligible.
Participation in the SEA 96th Annual Meeting
Presenting the paper at the conference is a key component of the contest. Students unwilling or unable to attend the conference in November are discouraged from submitting an entry.
Submission Rules and Guidelines
Submissions are due by Monday, September 14, 2026 as an email attachment sent to sdae@ttu.edu.
Essays must be the sole and original work of the entrant and not previously published. Essays should be in the format of a scholarly article, with any standard citation format. On the first page, please include the following identifying information:
Essay Title,
Author Name,
Author University,
Degree in progress,
Author Contact Information - (Mailing Address, Email Address, and Phone Number), and
Essay Word Count.
Prizes
Conditional on renewed funding, two winners selected by the prize committee will each receive a $500 honorarium.
2026 Contest Judges
Mark Pennington, King’s College London
Audrey Redford, Hampden-Sydney College
Bryan Cutsinger, Florida Atlantic University
Past Winners of the Graduate Essay Contest
For a listing of past winners, including links to recent winning essays, please visit the following page: Graduate Essay Contest.
Contact
Please contact sdae@ttu.edu with any questions about the contest.