Dirk J. van de Kaa Award for Population Studies (mid-career)

This Award honors outstanding contributions by an individual scholar to demography and the interdisciplinary study of population.

The Award is dedicated to the groundbreaking contributions of Dirk J. van de Kaa to the study of population, including his work on the Second Demographic Transition. It also celebrates his efforts to co-found and build the European Association for Population Studies and serving it as its first President.

The Award is sponsored by the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) where Dirk van de Kaa was founding director in 1970.

Nominations for this Award can be made up to two months before the start of a European Population Conference. The next deadline 1 April 2026!

Rules of Play

• Candidates should have at least 10 and not more than 20 years of experience since their PhD.
• Candidates should be a member of EAPS at the time of nomination.
• Candidates should be nominated by a member of EAPS; nominations should be supported by at least 3 additional members of EAPS residing in at least 2 different countries.
• Candidates may also nominate themselves; self-nominations should be supported by at least 3 additional members of EAPS residing in at least 2 different countries.
• The Jury may invite nominations as well.
• Nominations should include a short (maximum one page) explanatory statement, a curriculum vitae of the candidate, and a list of members who support the nomination.
• The Council of EAPS appoints an independent Jury for this award.
• The Jury consists of at least three members of EAPS, one of whom will act as Chair.
• The Jury is free to organize its work as it deems appropriate and follows generally accepted scientific principles and criteria.
• The Jury will explicitly account for years of experience and justified (parental) leave periods*.
• Jury proceedings are confidential. The Jury submits a written report to the EAPS Council indicating the successful candidate and the motivation of the Jury.
• The Award will be presented at the European Population Conference.
• The Dirk J. Van de Kaa Award comes with a cash benefit of Euro 1000 and a Certificate.

*Parental leave

The eligibility period for the early- and mid-career grants can be extended beyond 10- and 20-years following ERC rules.

Laureates

2024

Aart C. Liefbroer, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI-KNAW), Netherlands

2022

Tomas Sobotka, Vienna Institute of Demography, Austrian Academy of Sciences / Wittgenstein, Austria

2020

Daniele Vignoli, University of Florence, Italy

2018

Anna Matysiak, University of Warsaw, Poland

2016

Brienna Perelli-Harris, University of Southampton, United Kingdom

2014

Arnstein Aassve, Bocconi University, Italy