Der Preis für die beste Qualifikationsarbeit des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses in der Zukunftsforschung ging im Jahr 2025 an Mando Gloger für seine Arbeit “Zum Kommando eines Zentauren – Eine empirisch-vergleichende Untersuchung zu den Implikationen technischer Autonomie für militärische Entscheidungsprozesse und für die Rolle des Menschen in der Zukunft des Krieges”.
In order to promote young academics in the field of future-oriented research, the Netzwerk Zukunftsforschung awards outstanding master’s theses once a year.
Terms and Conditions for 2026
Master’s theses from all disciplines, especially futurology, will be considered, provided they deal with a question or problem explicitly related to the future and address it scientifically. The research interest directed towards the future can therefore be based on various subject areas or objects. It is crucial that future statements are scientifically created, analyzed and/or criticized in the study. The theses must have already been reviewed and evaluated with an overall grade of 1.7 or better. The peer review must not have taken place more than 2 years ago. Papers may be submitted on an ongoing basis. We have extended the submission deadline for the current contest to June 18, 2026. The date of the postmark applies.
The master’s thesis should be written in German and assessed at a university in a German-speaking country. Exceptions are possible in justified cases, e.g. B. if a thesis was submitted in English at a university in German-speaking countries.
The submitted works are assessed and evaluated by a jury made up of several members of the Netzwerk Zukunftsforschung. Only master theses submitted to the Netzwerk Zukunftsforschung for this purpose can be considered.
The postal package must contain the following:
- an abstract of the work and justification for the submission;
- a brief curriculum vitae of the author;
- a copy of the transcript showing the grade of the master’s thesis;
- one printed copy (simple stapling or binding is sufficient) to the postal address (see below);
- The documents listed above must also be sent in digital form via email to Dr. Marcus John (Marcus.John@fkie.fraunhofer.de).
Postal address:
Dr. Marcus John
Abteilung Innovationsforschung und Technologievorausschau INT
Fraunhofer FKIE
Appelsgarten 2
53879 Euskirchen
Germany
The call for entries for the 2026 Young Talent Award can be downloaded as a PDF document here (in German).
Past Award Recipients
Dhenya Schwarz, 2018
Zur neuen Tiefenschärfe des vermessenen Selbst im Kontext der Digitalisierung
Link to the master’s thesis
Abstract
Even though the currently widespread applications of self-tracking are increasingly found in the areas of fitness, health, and wellness, the principle—and the potential—of digital self-tracking extends far beyond these fields. In principle, everything related to the self can be measured, translated into data, and thus becomes a potential target for quantification. The growing sales and demand for digital self-measurement technologies, the emergence of movements such as Quantified Self, and the plurality of possible applications give rise to a controversial field involving a wide variety of stakeholders and individual users—a field of the utmost relevance to concepts of subjectivation. This study examines, from a sociological perspective, whether these concepts will continue to function in the long term or whether the statistics-based form of modern subjectivation will dissolve through singularization, leaving behind highly unique, incomparable living beings. These questions will be explored using two approaches: Foucault’s concepts of governmentality offer a broad knowledge base and established approaches for dealing with numbers, statistics, and data as they relate to the individual and society. In contrast, Kucklick’s concept of the granular society foreshadows the dissolution of current social structures and the formation of new ones. Through the presentation of technical possibilities as well as the (utopian) visions of the future held by the user avant-garde, combined with sociological analysis, it ultimately becomes clear that despite the disruptive potential of individualized digital technologies—which should not be underestimated—no dissolution of basic social structures is foreseeable; processes of subjectivation can still be understood through the lens of governmentality. Thus, the current development can be described here more as a new high point in the production of statistical knowledge. By elucidating social dynamics and highlighting possible future consequences, the sociological approach contributes to the analysis of social discourse and thereby generates potential knowledge about the future for dealing with individualized digital technologies at the political, organizational, and individual levels.
Dodo Vögler, 2020
Utopian Thinking in Political Practice: An Exploratory Study
Link to the master’s thesis
Abstract
This paper examines the potential of utopias and utopian thinking for creative policymaking. Against the backdrop of growing uncertainties and a constantly changing environment, policymakers are increasingly confronted with questions about the future that cannot be addressed solely through a “business as usual” strategy. To what extent could utopian thinking be integrated into the policy-making process, and what opportunities and obstacles would this entail? This paper is based on interviews with experts from the fields of politics and policy consulting. It becomes clear that utopian thinking influences political decisions but can never replace them. Utopias contain criticism and highlight needs and possibilities. Through their guiding function, they can direct our decisions and actions and serve as a catalyst for political debates.
Matthias Koning, 2021
Traces of Heteronormativity and Queer-Inclusive Thinking in Visions of the Future of Urban Life
Link to the master’s thesis
Abstract
This research paper examines the extent to which visions of the future city can be shaped by heteronormativity. Visions of the future city reproduce current, implicit norms. If these norms are not explicitly questioned, visions of the future city may tacitly reflect heteronormative assumptions that are marked as immutable by the dominant society. These assumptions limit the development of alternative futures. The study analyzed visions of the future city on display at Futurium in Berlin. Queer individuals were confronted with the exhibition artifacts in a group discussion. Their statements were qualitatively evaluated using structured content analysis. The results show that queer individuals could not identify with the presented visions of the city’s future. Seven thematic clusters were identified that, from a queer perspective, are constrained within these visions by the limits of heteronormative thinking. Furthermore, queer processes of appropriation and queer spaces were identified; integrating these could make the visions of the future more queer-inclusive. Queer individuals should be structurally integrated into the processes of shaping the future of the city. This also applies to other marginalized groups.
Louisa Kastner, 2023
Reframed Futures as a Counterfactual Context for Transformative Learning: A Critical Reflection on the Possibilities for Constructing and the Principles for Shaping the “Reframe” in Futures Literacy Laboratories
Link to the master’s thesis
Abstract
This paper develops theory-driven design possibilities and principles for the “reframe” that apply across the board to Futures Literacy Laboratories (FLL). From a didactic perspective, the “reframe” within FLL serves as the linchpin for acquiring Futures Literacy (FL)—defined as the ability to imagine multiple futures: The reframe is intended to invite FLL participants to overcome their anticipatory routines and expand their imagination by confronting them with an unfamiliar vision of the future—one that is neither probable nor desirable. Despite the central role of the reframe in fostering FL, a systematic approach to its practical creation has been lacking thus far. The objective of this study is therefore to critically examine this research gap and to attempt to identify fundamental rules for generating reframes. To this end, we draw on two complementary theoretical frameworks—transformative learning theory and counterfactual history—which have proven relevant for a deeper understanding of the reframe. Transformative learning theory provides a foundation for the real-world, sometimes unsettling processes that participants undergo in FLL. Counterfactual history, in turn, offers a springboard for the concrete construction of thought experiments that go beyond prevailing consensuses in thinking about the future. With the help of the theories examined, an ideal-typical framework can be developed that offers the FLL facilitator step-by-step guidance for generating reframes, thereby ensuring an explicit participant-centered approach while simultaneously translating Riel Miller’s demanding call for a non-deterministic use of the future.
Dr. Naomi Shulman, 2024
Times of crisis. How a Sociopolitical Crisis Narrative Shapes the Future: An Analysis of the First Speech on the “Zeitenwende”
Link to the master’s thesis
Abstract
This paper analyzes the concept of crisis and its significance for the sociopolitical framework of visions of the future. As an introduction, the paper examines the implications of the concept of crisis and describes how it exerts particular influence in public narratives. A hermeneutic interpretation of the first “Speech on the Turning Point,” in which Olaf Scholz addresses the far-reaching implications of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, illustrates both the opportunities and the challenges of a vision for the future grounded in the concept of crisis. In particular, the interpretation shows that Scholz reformulates the concept of crisis as a “turning point” in order to narratively anticipate the successful resolution of the crisis and to suggest that the future after the crisis is secure in both a normative and an epistemic sense.
This paper pursues two main objectives. First, it aims to demonstrate the extent to which the concept of crisis establishes the epistemological framework for conceiving possible futures and thereby shapes a particular understanding of time. Second, it aims to examine the sociopolitical implications of such crisis-driven thinking about the future. By asserting that a crisis has already been overcome, the narrative of a “turning point in history” illustrates, on the one hand, that certainty about the future—in the form of a single possible and universally desired future—becomes the legitimizing foundation of national interpretive sovereignty and political agency. On the other hand, such a narrative—which emphasizes future-proof capacity for action and shaping as a response to the crisis—not only excludes alternative future developments but even renders them unthinkable. In conclusion, this paper therefore critically examines the limitations of the conceptual framework underlying narratives with significant public influence, which use the crisis as a starting point for a vision of the future in the name of a specific and unified community.
Mando Gloger, 2025
On the Command of a Centaur: An Empirical-Comparative Study of the Implications of Technical Autonomy for Military Decision-Making Processes and for the Role of Humans in the Future of War
Abstract
Not yet available