From the Leo Elders Foundation:

The Leo Elders Junior Scholar Award seeks to reward and encourage young scholarship on St. Thomas Aquinas in the spirit of the work of Leo Elders.

Father Leo Elders SVD (1926 - 2019) was a Dutch Thomist active at Nanzan University (Japan), the Center for Thomistic Studies (Texas), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Angelicum and several semi­na­ries. Throughout his life, his dis­tinguished research and teaching was instru­mental in sha­ping Biblical Thomism and ressource­ment Thomism in the 20th century scholarship on Aquinas. His works are characterized by a thoroughgoing interest in the historical background of St. Thomas as well as his sources, most notably Aristotle. This same focus on context also enabled fr. Elders to position the thought of St. Thomas in modern philosophic debates, making clear its mea­ning and highligh­ting its importance.

The Junior Scholar Award is meant as an encourage­ment to those enga­ging with the work of Leo Elders and his sources. It is awarded by the Leo Elders Foundation, which aims to preserve and promote the legacy of fr. Elders and his works.

In 2023 the Foundation will host its first Junior Scholar Essay Contest.

Rules and Additional information

Eligibility

Any scholar who has not attained the rank of associate professor is invited to submit a paper.
Topic: The topic of the essay should engage systematically with the work of Leo Elders and/or the central themes of his wri­tings on the thought of Thomas Aquinas.

Submission

Manu­scripts, written in English, must be submitted electronically by no later than September 1, 2023. The manu­script should not exceed 12,000 words (inclu­ding notes) and should be accompanied by an abstract of up to 150 words and a CV. The cover letter should indicate the author’s academic rank and that the submission is for the essay contest. Papers should be prepared for blind review.

Evaluation

The Board of the Foundation establishes an ad hoc committee. The size of this committee depends on the number of applications received. Scholarly competences that reflect the topics of the received papers will be a factor in selec­ting the committee members.

Notification

The author(s) of the win­ning essay will be notified by November 1, 2023.
Winning essay: The author of a single-authored win­ning paper will receive a $750 award. The win­ning essay will be published in the English Edition of Nova et Vetera and specially designated in the journal as winner of the contest.

Inquiries

Additional inquiries may be directed to:

• Dr. Jörgen Vijgen (Leo Elders Foundation):
  jorgen.vijgen@skynet.be