Honoring Excellence in Buddhist Studies: Nomination Window for KF Dissertation Award Opens October 1, 2023

The Khyentse Foundation Award for Outstanding PhD Dissertation in Buddhist Studies is given annually to the author of a doctoral dissertation in the field of Buddhist studies, defended during the previous 2 academic years. The dissertation must be based on original research in the relevant primary language or languages and should significantly advance the understanding of the subject or Buddhist texts studied.

The award, which carries a US$8,000 prize, is traditionally granted for Asian and European dissertations in alternate years. Starting in 2021, a new zone was added for the Asian dissertation award. The new Southeast Asia and Pacific zone includes the following regions: Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. These are in addition to the original Asian regions of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

This year, submissions from the Asia-Pacific region will be considered.

Accredited institutions in any of the Asian and Pacific regions listed above that offer PhD programs in Buddhist studies or religious studies are invited to nominate one dissertation completed between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2023. Only dissertations written in English or Chinese will be considered. The nomination period is from October 1 through December 31, 2023. The winning dissertation will be announced by June 30, 2024.

All nominations must be accompanied by four separate documents:

• A letter of recommendation by a faculty member and/or the chair of the department or institution
• A summary of the dissertation (two pages maximum)
• One representative chapter of the dissertation
• Full contact information for the department and for the author of the dissertation

These documents should be submitted as email attachments to [email protected].

A four-person committee will select three dissertations to be read in their entirety by all committee members, who will select the winning dissertation.

A list of past award winners can be found on the KF awards page.

For inquiries, please contact the dissertation award coordinator.