The Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Humanities honours pioneering work and research excellence across the humanities. The prize encompasses (art) history, philosophy, cultural studies, linguistics and related humanities disciplines.
Every two years, the prize is awarded to a renowned researcher who has made groundbreaking contributions to the field. The prize consists of an unrestricted cash award of EUR 300,000 and a trophy, funded by the Alfred Heineken Fondsen Foundation.
History of the prize
Alfred Heineken established the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for History in 1990 as an expression of his appreciation of researchers helping to improve the understanding of our common history.
In 2026, the Alfred Heineken Fondsen Foundation renamed the prize the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Humanities, broadening its scope to reflect the breadth of contemporary humanities research.
Notable laureates
Laureates of the prize include some of the world’s leading scientists. Among them are Jonathan Israel, who brought a vitally new perspective on the history of the Enlightenment; Aleida Assmann, who made a groundbreaking contribution to the study of the cultural memory of societies; and Lorraine Daston, whose new perspectives on truth and objectivity transformed the field of the history of science.