In 2006 the Austrian-Canadian Society established the "Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" as an academic initiative that has been going strong ever since. The Society awards this prestigious award and monetary prize to an outstanding scientific paper in the fields of Canadian studies. The students' thesis should ideally have a link to Austria and should be categorized into one of the following areas:

• Law and Economics

• Political Science and Sociology

• Literature and Linguistic Studies

• History and Geography
   

Papers are judged by a panel of academic professionals from esteemed universities, both national and international, who constitute the members of the Scientific Board. The winning admission is honoured and the prize awarded to the recipient at the annual Christmas celebration at the Canadian Ambassador’s residence.

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The winner of the "14th Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" for the year 2019 is Dr. phil Julia Obermayr for her outstanding paper "Female Identities in Lesbian Web Series – An Online Medium for Transnational Community Building in Anglo-, Hispano-, and Francophone Contexts" (PDF)

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Dr. phil Julia Obermayr completed her Doctoral studies (Romanistik) at the Karl-Franzens-University in Graz with distinction in Romance Cultural Studies (compulsary subject) and American Cultural Studies (optional  including an analysis of Canadian web series.  

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The winner of the "13th Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" for the year 2018 is Doris HEILIGENBRUNNER for her outstanding paper "Cross-cultural differences in the consumers’ perception of Corporate Social Responsibility - A quantitative study among Austrian, Canadian and Taiwanese customers” (PDF)

 

Doris HEILIGENBRUNNER studied at Johannes Kepler University in Linz and did a joint Masters Program in Global Business an a Masters Studies in General Management.

 

 

The winner of the "12th Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" for the year 2017 is Mag. Martin Zankl, LLM, LLB. oec for his outstanding paper "The Precautionary Principle and the effects of CETA on its continuous implementation within the European Union" (PDF)

 

Mag. Zankl studied International Business Law at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, as well as, Law and Economics at Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg (Austria). 

 

Der Preisträger des "11th Scientific Award der Österreichisch-Kanadischen Gesellschaft" für das Jahr 2016 ist Julien LINDNER für seine Arbeit "Joindre l'infiniment grand et l'infiniment quebecois », Le langage familier et populaire dans la bande dessinée québécoise" zu einen Einblick in die Welt der Quebecer bande dessinée, also des Comics aus der Region Quebec in Kanada, zu geben. Das Hauptaugenmerk richtet sich auf die unterschiedliche Verwendung von familiärer und populärer Sprache durch moderne franko-kanadische Comicautoren.

 

Julien Lindner studierte Geschichte Sozialkunde und Politische Bildung/Französisch Lehramtsstudium an der Universität Innsbruck sowie Forschungsaufenthalt (WS 2014/15) in Montreal, Kanada.

 

Der Preisträger des "10th Scientific Award der Österreichisch-Kanadischen Gesellschaft" für das Jahr 2015 ist Sabrina THOM, MAfür ihre Arbeit  "Psychological Aspects in Contemporary Canadian Narratives of First Nation Writers" zu psychologischen Aspekten in der erzählenden Literatur indigener kanadischer AutorInnen.

 

Sabrina THOM studied English and American Studies and the combined degree program "Europa" at the University of Graz and graduated with a MA in 2015. She is also a Teaching Associate at Williams College, Massachusetts.

 

Der Preisträger des "9th Scientific Award der Österreichisch-Kanadischen Gesellschaft" für das Jahr 2014 ist Rebekka SCHUH für ihre Arbeit  '"Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You'": Alice Munro and the Epistolary Mode" der Nobelpreisträgerin 2014, Alice Munro". In ihrer hervorragenden narratologischen Studie zu Munros Kurzgeschichten ist sie dem besonderen Wirkungspotential der Briefform auf der Spur.

 

Rebekka SCHUH studierte am Institut für Anglistik /Amerikanistik an der Universität Graz und absolvierte mit einem Masterstudium mit Schwerpunkt Literaturwissenschaft mit Fokus auf nordamerikanischer Literatur, wo sie auch Projektassistentin ist.

 

Der Preisträger des "8th Scientific Award der Österreichisch-Kanadischen Gesellschaft" für das Jahr 2013 ist Mag. Melanie BRAUNECKER für ihre Arbeit "Inversions of the 'Survival Myth' in Contemporary Canadian Narratives" mit ökokritischen Fragestellungen, indem sie zeigt, wie der sich der Überlebenskampf der kanadischen Siedler im 19. und frühen 20, Jahrhundert umgekehrt hat und es nun die Natur ist, die ums Überleben kämpft.

 

The winner of the "7th Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" for the year 2012 is Elisabeth GIESSAUF for her outstanding paper  "The Representation of Family in the Contemporary Realist Novel of the Canadian Maritimes" (PDF).

 

Elisabeth GIESSAUF studied British and American Studies at the University of Graz and graduated with a MA in 2012. She specialized in Canadian literature and carried out research at the University of New Brunswick where she also studied for one semester. Elisabeth has met Canadian writers such as David Adams Richards and Joan Clark as well as important critics of Canadian literature.

 

The winner of the "6th Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" for the year 2011 is Veronica M. KRUIJEN for her outstanding paper  "Le véritable sport national des Québécois consiste à parler de la langue." La question de la norme du français au Québec dans ses dimensions historique, contemporaine et pédagogique (FLE)(PDF).

 

Veronica M. Kruijen studied French and History at the University of Innsbruck and studied also in Besancon, France as well as the Universite Laval in Quebec.

 

The winner of the "5th Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" for the year 2010 is MMag. Stefanie RUDIG for her outstanding paper  "Encounters  avec l'Autre: Aspects of Francophone-Anglophone Interactions in Montreal Literature at the Turn of the New Millennium" (PDF).

 

MMag. Stefanie RUDIG studied English Philology and American Studies as well as French at the University of Innsbruck where works as an Assistant Professor. Moreover, she is currently working on her PhD thesis.

 

The winner of the "4th Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" for the year 2009 is Mag. Martina RÖSSLER for her outstanding paper  "The Coming-of-Age Narrative by Indigenous Writers in Canada: Eden Robinson's Monkey Beach and Lee Maracle's Ravensong" (PDF)

 

Mag. Martina Rössler studied at the Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik at the University of Vienna.

 

The winner of the "3rd Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" for the year 2008 is Dr. Eugen BANAUCH for his outstanding paper  "'HOME' AS A THOUGHT BETWEEN QUOTATION MARKS, The Fluid Exile of Jewish Third Reich Refugee Writers in Canada 1940-2006" (PDF)

 

Dr. Eugen Banauch, MA (Sussex) studied English and German at the Universities of Sussex, Vienna and Ottawa. His current teaching activities include courses at the Language Center of the University Vienna, Cultural Studies, ILSS. His research interests are: American Ethnic Literatures (esp. Jewish Canadian and German Canadian Literatures), Transatlantic Relations, Bob Dylan, Literary and Cultural Theory.

 

The winner of the "2nd Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" for the year 2007 is Georg MÖST for his outstanding paper "Die Auswanderung aus Österreich nach Kanada 1945-1962" (PDF)

 

Georg Möst studied history and political science at the University of Innsbruck.

 

The winner of the "1st Scientific Award of the Austrian-Canadian Society" for the year 2006 is Falk Florian BORSDORF for his outstanding paper "Indigenous Rights Recognition in Federal Systems - Nunavut: The "good news" case?" (PDF)

 

Falk Borsdorf studied political science, social psychology and education at the University of Innsbruck, Loughborough University (UK), Carleton University and the University of Toronto.