The call for applications
UiO:Democracy, one of the University of Oslo's interdisciplinary initiatives, will be awarding up to 5 prizes of NOK 20,000 to master's students in 2026. The students must belong to UiO and be in the initial phase of writing a master's thesis (between 30 to 60 credits) related to UiO:Democracy's main goals and themes, as outlined in the foundational document.
UiO:Democracy is a broad democracy initiative that seeks to explore five thematic tracks:
- Democracy as a form of governance and the institutions of democracy
- Citizens, diversity and inequality
- The role and function of knowledge
- Democracy and crisis management
- Democracy in everyday life
Who can apply for the award?
Master's students at all UiO's faculties and centres can apply. The award is aimed at students who are in the start-up phase of their master's project. Applications and projects can be in either English or Norwegian.?
The purpose is to create new knowledge and understanding of democracy by approaching the topic from different academic perspectives and across disciplines.
The application must include:
- Project description:
- A precise and clear description of the project (incl. research question, theory and methodology and data to be used) on a maximum of 3 A4 pages, single-spaced. You must state how the project relates to UiO:Democracy's main goals and themes, and, if applicable, how the project may be relevant to interdisciplinary research.
- A confirmation from the supervisor that the applicant has been admitted to a master's program at UiO as a full-time student. The confirmation should also state the expected date for submission of the thesis.
- Transcript of grades from higher education.
The following criteria must be met:
- The applicant must be a full-time student on an master's programme at the University of Oslo.
- Recipients commit to presenting the project and/or master's thesis for UiO:Democracy in a seminar or other event organised by our research groups.
The assessment will emphasise:
- Academic quality and relevance to the programme's main objectives and thematic tracks.
- The committee may also emphasise the project's interdisciplinary dimensions.
Application deadline 30 September.
Contact
If you have any questions regarding UiO:Democracy or the call, please contact the initiative's administrative coordinator Mona Grydeland.