MET JP2318

The Heinz Kaempfer Fund Thesis Award

The Heinz Kaempfer Fund Thesis Award is presented biennially and carries a prize of 1000 Euros for the author of an outstanding Master’s thesis in the field of Japanese art and visual culture, written in the context of a Master programme provided by a European university.

In addition the winner is given the opportunity to publish their findings in Andon, the journal of the Society for Japanese Art. The necessary coaching and assistance is part of the Award.

The thesis may be written in Dutch, English, German or French. Since Andon is an English-language journal, the resulting publication must be written in English.

The jury panel

The winner is chosen by a panel of distinguished scholars and curators. The jury chair is Menno Fitski, Head of Asian Art at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The panel retains the right to contact the applicant’s thesis supervisor(s) for reference and, if necessary, consult relevant specialists.

The 2026 Heinz Kaempfer Fund Thesis Award

In order to qualify for the 2026 Heinz Kaempfer Fund Thesis Award, applicants must submit a Master’s thesis that was approved by the applicant’s supervisor(s) during the academic years 2023-2024 or 2024-2025. Theses may be submitted until 15 December 2025. The winner will be announced in April of 2026.

Please note!

Application implies acceptance of the Heinz Kaempfer Fund Thesis Award regulations and of the fact that the applicant’s name and the title of their thesis may be mentioned in the context of publicity for the Heinz Kaempfer Fund and its activities.

For submission of a thesis and/or more information: heinzkaempferfund@societyforjapaneseart.org