science prize for ai
Award ceremony 2026
In 2026, Deggendorf Institute of Technology will once again award the Anton Fink Science Prize for Artificial Intelligence. The prize is intended to contribute to strengthening teaching and research in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
The prize, worth €10,000, will be awarded to individuals who have made groundbreaking contributions to AI as part of their doctoral research. Contributions from both basic AI research and applied AI research will be considered.
All doctoral topics with a clear and strong AI relevance are eligible for application, e.g. from the following fields of application:
- AI in industry
- AI in services
- AI in medical technology
- AI in creative and media technology
Other thematically relevant fields are also welcome.
The award is intended to recognise practical research innovations and promote their further development.
Contact: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus Mayer
applications
Doctoral students and doctoral graduates who have completed their doctorate or officially submitted their written doctoral thesis in 2024 or 2025 are eligible to apply. Applications are accepted from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The application deadline is 20 December 2025. The application must include (in German or English):
- A 3-4 page summary of the doctoral thesis topic and research results. The summary of the doctoral thesis may be used.
- A 1-2 page explanation of the innovation created and its potential future impact, written in a manner that is generally understandable.
- A short CV of the applicant (1 page).
The number of pages refers to A4, font size 12.
Please send your application to: ki-preis@th-deg.de
Prize money: €10,000. The prize money of €10,000 may be divided among several equally outstanding entries.
Schedule: The winners will be announced in March 2026. The award ceremony will take place in May 2026 at DIT
the jury
The jury consists of DIT President Prof. Waldemar Berg, former DIT President Prof. Dr. Peter Sperber, DIT Professor Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus Mayer, two other DIT professors and the founder, pharmacist Anton Fink. Practical research achievements in the field of AI and scientific quality are evaluated.
conditions of participation
Individuals aged 18 and over who are resident in Germany, Austria or Switzerland are eligible to participate. Participants are aware that the presentation of their doctoral thesis topic may remove protection of novelty insofar as industrial property rights exist. Participants are responsible for this themselves. In particular, it is the responsibility of participants to protect the novelty of their research and inventions by filing any necessary patent applications before publication in the context of the competition. The jury accepts no liability in this regard. The jury undertakes to treat all confidential information made available to it in the context of the competition as strictly confidential and to use it solely for the purpose of conducting the competition. Applicants agree to the creation of image and sound recordings at the award ceremony. Applicants agree to give a scientific presentation on their doctoral thesis topic at the award ceremony. The winner(s) will be announced by name. Participation in the competition is not subject to legal recourse. The jury reserves the right to exclude applicants. The jury also reserves the right to cancel the entire competition at any time without giving reasons. Participants assure that the submitted documents do not violate any legal regulations or the rights of third parties. This includes, for example, copyrights, trademark rights, design rights, registered design rights or patent rights.
past award ceremonies
2023 Ceremony
On 11 May 2023, the Deggendorf Institute of Technology hosted the "Anton Fink Science Prize for Artificial Intelligence" for the second time in a festive setting.
2022 Ceremony
On 28 June 2022, the Deggendorf Institute of Technology hosted the "Anton Fink Science Prize for Artificial Intelligence" for the first time in a festive setting.
Impressions
