The Carl Menger Essay Contest Prize Committee & Society for the Development of Austrian Economics (SDAE) will invite two award winners to present their essays at the Southern Economic Association (SEA) 95th Annual Meeting, November 22-24, 2025 at the Tampa Marriott Water Street in Tampa, FL.
About the Carl Menger Essay Contest
The purpose of the Carl Menger Essay Contest is to recognize and encourage undergraduate scholarship in the Austrian tradition and the broadly catallactic approach to social science which it represents, an approach common also to the Scottish Enlightenment of Smith and Hume, the French Liberal School of Say and Bastiat, the Virginia School of Buchanan and Tullock, the UCLA price theory of Alchian and Demsetz, and the Bloomington School of Vincent and Elinor Ostrom, among others.
Accordingly, the Carl Menger Essay Contest Prize Committee invites essays that explore, advance, challenge, or apply the ideas of these and related schools of thought.
A panel of judges selected by the Carl Menger Essay Contest Prize Committee will review all eligible submissions. The two winners will be notified in early October and invited to present their essays at the SEA 95th 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. Contact the Chair of the Prize Committee with any questions at carlmengeressaycontest@gmail.com.
Rules of Eligibility
Undergraduate Student or Recent Graduate Status
The Carl Menger Essay Contest is open to undergraduate students and recent graduate from any discipline. Entrants must be enrolled in undergraduate coursework at some point during the contest year (i.e. 2025 for 2025 Carl Menger Essay Contest), and must not hold a Bachelor’s or equivalent degree as of January 31 of the contest year (i.e. January 31, 2025 for the 2025 Carl Menger Essay Contest). Students graduating at the end of the spring or summer of the contest year are eligible. Past winners are not eligible. Past entrants are eligible, but must submit new essays. Papers coauthored with faculty or graduate students are not eligible.
Participation in the SEA 95th 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 Sunday, August 31, 2025 as an email attachment sent to carlmengeressaycontest@gmail.com.
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. Essays may either be written specifically for the contest or arise from previous coursework (e.g., term papers, research projects, senior theses, etc.). On the first page, please include the following identifying information:
Essay Title,
Author Name,
Author University,
Author Contact Information - (Mailing Address, Email Address, and Phone Number), and
Essay Word Count.
The author’s name, university, and contact information should appear only on the first page of the document so that submissions may be evaluated anonymously. The essay title and abstract should appear on the second page. Essays shorter than 4,000 words or longer than 12,000 words will be excluded from consideration.
Prizes
Conditional on renewed funding, two winners selected by the prize committee will each receive the following prize:
$500 and an award certificate,
SEA/SDAE Conference Registration/Membership,
Round-trip economy class airfare (or mutually agreed alternate transportation) to Tampa, FL, and
Up to three nights lodging (likely a double occupancy room shared with another contest winner) at the Tampa Marriott Water Street.
2025 Contest Judges
Vincent Geloso, George Mason University
Caleb Fuller, Grove City College
Gabriel Benzecry, Northwood University
Prize Committee
Audrey Redford (Chair), Hampden-Sydney College
Daniel D’Amico, Wabash College
Colin Harris, St. Olaf College
Jeremy Horpedahl, University of Central Arkansas
Adam Martin, Texas Tech University
Emily Skarbek, Brown University
Past Winners of the Carl Menger Essay Contest
For a listing of past winners, including links to recent winning essays, please visit the following page: Carl Menger Essay Contest.
Contact
Please contact the Chair of the Prize Committee at carlmengeressaycontest@gmail.com to address any questions about the contest.