The 2026 election was organised by the supporting academies of Die Junge Akademie. In accordance with the rotation schedule, responsibility for the selection process lay with the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Potential candidates could be nominated until the end of October 2025. Self-nominations were not permitted. The new members were officially admitted on 27 June 2026.

The 2027 selection will be organised by Die Junge Akademie. The call for applications is expected to open in early September 2026. Direct applications will be accepted. If you have any questions about the process, please contact Luise Beddies at Die Junge Akademie at dja-zuwahl@diejungeakademie.de.

Die Junge Akademie stands for the promotion of outstanding young scientists and artists, interdisciplinary collaboration, and work at the intersection of science, art and society. It offers its members access to a wide-ranging, constantly growing network, as well as financial resources to jointly realise interdisciplinary projects.

The members of Die Junge Akademie are united by their passion for collaborative intellectual work and interdisciplinary exchange, of engaging with as yet unsolved problems, and of trying out new approaches and adopting different perspectives. They belong to a wide range of academic disciplines and the arts and are elected for a term of five years. They have a research budget, which is used for joint scientific and artistic projects, as well as a personal budget that can be used for individual development.

Membership of Die Junge Akademie is intended to outstanding researchers and artists who have completed a doctorate or artistic qualification. The date of the final examination of this work should be at least three, but no longer than seven years ago by the end of the application deadline, which must be proven by the doctoral certificate or a comparable document. Any periods of parental leave, care leave or sick leave declared by the applicant will be taken into account.

In addition, at least one further outstanding academic/artistic achievement is expected or that the applicants have achieved visibility with an independent academic or artistic profile after graduation. Members should represent their subject with a desire for innovation, passion and the ability to engage in interdisciplinary discourse and have the time capacity for active membership.

Die Junge Akademie benefits from having diverse perspectives and views flowing into its work. It is thus its goal to acquire members with experience that is as diverse as possible. Neither German citizenship nor main place of residence in Germany are necessary requirements for acceptance. However, members must have good knowledge of the German language. Furthermore, Die Junge Akademie expects its members to actively participate in the academy’s events, which take place primarily in Germany. The willingness and ability to participate must be credibly demonstrated.