Call for Submissions
Friedrich A. Hayek Fellowships
1776: Liberty in Conversation
2026 Biennial Congress and General Meeting
Indianapolis, Indiana – October 11-15, 2026
The Mont Pelerin Society (MPS) invites submissions for the 2026 Hayek Essay Contest, hosted in conjunction with its 2026 Biennial Congress and General Meeting, October 11-15, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America. Essays should address one or more of the quotes from Hayek and/or the questions below.
- “Nowhere has democracy ever worked well without a great measure of local self-government, providing a school of political training for the people at large as much as for future leaders.”
– Hayek, Friedrich (1944, 2007). The Road to Serfdom. University of Chicago Press. p. 234. - “Liberal or individualist policy must be essentially long-run policy; the present fashion to concentrate on short-run effects, and to justify this by the argument that “in the long run we are all dead,” leads inevitably to the reliance on orders adjusted to the particular circumstances of the moment in the place of rules couched in terms of typical situations.”
– Hayek, Friedrich (1948). “Individualism: True and False.” Individualism and Economic Order. University of Chicago Press. p. 20. - “The conception of a higher law governing current legislation is a very old one. In the eighteenth century it was usually conceived as the law of God, or that of Nature, or that of Reason. But the idea of making this higher law explicit and enforceable by putting it on paper, though not entirely new, was for the first time put into practice by the Revolutionary colonists.”
– Hayek, Friedrich (1960, 2011) The Constitution of Liberty. University of Chicago Press. p. 266
What beliefs and habits tend to motivate citizens to act in ways that respect liberty and accept personal responsibility? Does a representative government that respects individual liberty depend on a citizenry that holds to political and economic views of this sort? Are the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations reliable guides for answering these questions?
Submissions structured as a professional scholarly journal article addressing the above quotations and/or questions related to the meeting theme 1776: Liberty in Conversation are especially encouraged. More information on the conference theme can be found at https://www.mps2026.org/.
Submission Review and Fellowship Information
An international panel of three members of the Society will judge the submissions. The panel will select three winners of Friedrich A. Hayek Fellowships to attend and participate in 2026 Biennial Congress and General Meeting:
- First prize: 2,500 USD cash award + travel grant*
- Second prize: 1,500 USD cash award + travel grant*
- Third prize: 1,000 USD cash award + travel grant*
*Travel grant includes coach class airfare, registration fee, and most meals. Hotel and other food and incidental expenses will be the responsibility of the awardee. Please contact the MPS at mps.youngscholars@ttu.edu for more information.
Rules of Eligibility and Submission Guidelines
The Hayek Essay Contest is open to all individuals 36 years old or younger on the date of the submission deadline: Friday, May 15, 2026. Submission must be written in English and must not exceed 5,000 words (excluding references). Electronic versions should be sent in PDF format to the MPS Young Scholars Program Committee at mps.youngscholars@ttu.edu. All submissions will be blinded for anonymous review by the judging committee. Winners will be announced by Tuesday, June 30, 2026. Authors of winning essays must present at the 2026 Biennial Congress and General Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana to receive the award.
The Mont Pelerin Society 