In order to get articles that are particularly important or interesting for our portal, we occasionally announce contests. We are interested in texts that fulfill their function well, are pleasant to read and fill an important gap on the portal. Ideally, they are expandable, give rise to further texts and provide inspiration for other authors. Language does not matter: our portal is quadrilingual and texts in all languages are welcome. To enter a contest, simply send your text to info@philosophie.ch. We reserve the right to publish all submissions, even those that do not win a prize. Our competitions offer students the opportunity to try their hand at writing philosophical texts and to compete somewhat playfully.
Current competitions
To introduce and popularise our new feature "Let the Dead Speak for Themselves", we are happy to announce an essay competition!
You receive the login-data of a dead philosopher, for example Gottlob Frege, and then write an article in that Philosopher's spirit and style!
Deadline: 30.08.2025
What does it mean to be the first in your family to pursue an academic path? What hopes, conflicts, challenges, and perspectives come with it? How does it change the way you see origin, education, and identity?
Only individuals who are the first in their family to enter academia are eligible to participate.
Language: german
Deadline: June 30, 2025
Philosophy.ch would like to take part in the Long Night of Philosophy 2025 and submit a concept for an event. This year's theme: Love of Wisdom.
To develop our concept around the love of wisdom, we are launching a writing competition—hoping your essays will bring us the muse!
Deadline: June 28, 2025
What philosophical question is burning in your mind? What topic won’t let you go, wakes you from your dreams, follows you on the tram and into the bathtub? Tell us about it and win 100 Swiss Francs in our new essay competition!
Deadline: June 28, 2025
Your Philosophical Question (BA)
What philosophical question is burning in your mind? What topic won’t let you go, wakes you from your dreams, occupies your thoughts on the tram and in the bathtub? Tell us about it and win 100 Swiss Francs in our new essay competition.
Competition for BA Students.
Deadline: 28.6.25
Your Philosophical Question (MA)
What philosophical question is burning in your mind? What topic won’t let you go, wakes you from your dreams, occupies your thoughts on the tram and in the bathtub? Tell us about it and win 100 Swiss Francs in our new essay competition.
Writing Contest for MA students
Deadline: 28.6.25
Writing contest on philosophical topics for people under 15. Join in and win CHF 50!
language: german or french
Deadline: 05.07.2025
Past competitions
How should we discuss this topic, which spans philosophy, psychology, sociology and theology? What role do individual experiences and cultural contexts play in our view and understanding of suicide? How might a deeper exploration of this topic influence our personal and societal notions of freedom, autonomy and ethics?
Submissions in any language, by November 01, 2023!
Essay competition: Philosophy of Psychology
What are the many multiple-choice exams actually preparing me for? Are there any research methods other than quantitative statistics? Why have we never actually read anything by Freud, Jung or Adler? Submissions in any language by November 01, 2023!
What do philosophy and music have to do with each other? What do you hear when you read your favourite philosopher, what do you think philosophically when you listen to your favourite music? Submissions in any format, any language, any medium until 31 August 2023!
Philosophie.ch has organised an essay contest for philosophy students in order to get more contributions in philosophy of virtual reality for other students or non-philosophers. Contributions in French, English, German or Italian were sent to info@philosophie.ch by the 1st of July 2023.
Essay Contest in Medieval Philosophy
Philosophie.ch did an essay contest for philosophy students in order to get more contributions in philosophy of the Middle Ages for other students or non-philosophers. The essays should serve as an introduction to the various topics. The essays could be written in any language.
Philosophie.ch launched a marketing contest. Students were asked to send their most creative ideas on the question: "How can we get more philosophy students in Switzerland?" The deadline for submissions is the 31st of January 2023. The winner will receive a 10% job at Philosophie.ch for three months.
Competition Ancient philosophy
Philosophie.ch hosted an essay competition for philosophy students in order to have more content in ancient philosophy for other students or non-philosophers. The essays should serve as an introduction to the various topics and can be written in English, German, French or Italian. All submissions will be published on philosophie.ch, the three best authors win 100CHF each. Learn more about the competition here.
In 2020, Philosophie.ch organized a trilingual essay contest on the topic of digitization. The initial question was "How does digitalization challenge the traditional notion of the individual?"
In 2014, Philosophie.ch organized an essay contest on the topic of human dignity (in German). It was aimed at 15-21 year olds to promote philosophical thinking among young people.
