The prize was created in 2003 in memory of Jarl Gallén (1908–1990), Professor of History at the University of Helsinki. His studies, such as La province de Dacie de l’Ordre des Frères Prêcheurs and Nöteborgsfreden och Finlands medeltida östgräns, are classics of Scandinavian history writing.
The Jarl Gallén Prize, funded by Thure Galléns Stiftelse, is one of the richest prizes in the field of medieval studies. It comprises a personal award, funding for a seminar on a subject chosen by the prize-winner, and for a course of research open to doctoral students and early-career researchers handpicked from Finland and abroad. Additional seed money is included to enable further collaborative research with the participants in the research course.
The seminar and course activities are hosted by the Centre for Nordic Studies (CENS) at the University of Helsinki.
The prize-winner is requested to give a lecture on his or her work. The lecture will be published in Historisk Tidskrift för Finland, a journal which was Jarl Gallén’s preferred venue for the publication of his own research.
Jarl Gallén (1908–1990)