Call for Applications and Nominations: Philipp Sandner Memorial Award in Digital Finance Research 2026

This award commemorates Prof. Dr. Philipp Sandner, a renowned blockchain and digital finance expert and founder of the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center. Prof. Dr. Philipp Sandner has been instrumental in shaping the digital finance community and he is most vividly remembered as a champion and mentor of young scholars in the field. His academic and practical work continued until his untimely passing in January 2024, leaving a lasting impact on the community.

The Philipp Sandner Memorial Award in Digital Finance Research seeks to foster excellence in digital finance research, encouraging the next generation of scholars to explore and expand this vital field of study. It is made possible with the generous support of the WM Gruppe and is awarded annually by the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. The award carries an honorarium of EUR 10,000.

Young scholars in the broad area of digital finance can either apply themselves or be nominated by colleagues, whereas:

1. “Young scholars” are those who have not yet taken up a tenure-track or tenured position at a university or policy institution, on or before the date of submission.
2. The broad area of “digital finance” includes, but is not limited to, research in blockchain and digital assets, machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as payment systems and financial platforms.
3. Applications must include:
   1. A research paper of which the young scholar is a lead, or corresponding author.
   2. A recent CV of the young scholar.
4. Furthermore, nominations of young scholars must include a brief letter of motivation.

Applications must be submitted no later than 15 December 2025 to fsbc@fs.de. The winner will be selected and informed by 1 February 2026. The award will be presented, in person, at the Crypto Assets Conference, hosted at Frankfurt School of Finance and Management on 25 March 2026. Travel and accommodation costs of the awardee will be covered by Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

Applications will be evaluated by the scientific committee, consisting of Andrea Barbon (Hochschule St Gallen), Jean-Edouard Colliard (HEC Paris), Martina Fraschini (Uni Luxembourg), Co-Pierre Georg (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management), Alfred Lehar (U Calgary), Jiasun Li (George Mason University), Cyril Monnet (University of Berne), Maarten van Oordt (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Tarik Roukny (KU Leuven)