Since 2007 the WZB grants the A.SK Award and Fellowships biannually: "The 100,000 Euro A.SK Social Science Award is one of the best-endowed awards in the social sciences. The endowment capital has been donated by the Chinese entrepreneurs Angela and
Shu Kai Chan. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to social and political reform." In German media award and fellowships were compared with internationally recognized prizes, such as the
Johan Skytte Prize and the
Balzan Prize. In 2007 all laureates for the Award and Award Fellowships were nominated and chosen by a selection committee consisting of: Prof.
Jutta Allmendinger, Prof.
Werner Abelshauser, Prof.
Stefano Bartolini, Prof. Lord
Dahrendorf Prof.
Peter Katzenstein and Prof.
Kai A. Konrad. Since 2009 the WZB also publishes Calls for Nominations for the A.SK Fellowship. In 2015 the selection committee includes: Prof. Jutta Allmendinger, Prof. Werner Abelshauser, Prof.
Kurt Biedenkopf, Prof.
Dorothea Kübler, Prof.
Orlando Patterson and Prof.
Shalini Randeria. The A.SK Award and Fellowships are handed over in a public ceremony, honoring the laureates and including leading politicians or scholars as speakers, in Berlin. In 2009 the ceremony was part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the WZB with the German president
Horst Köhler as one of the speakers. Since 2023, the A.SK Bright Mind Award has been awarded to promising young researchers, replacing the fellowships.
Recipients of the A.SK Social Science Award, A.SK Social Science Award Fellowships and the A.SK Bright Mind Award Source:
2007 Sir Anthony Atkinson (Award) Andreas Leutzsch Felix Kolb Janine Leschke
2009 Martha C. Nussbaum (Award) Arolda Elbasani Alexander Petring Juan Fernandez
2011: Transparency International (Award) Yaman Kouli Thamy Pogrebinschi Martin Schröder
2013 Paul Collier (Award) Daniel Tischer
Rami Zeedan Olga Ulybina Josef Hien Theresa Reinold
2015 Esther Duflo (Award) Robert Lepenies Juliana Silva Goncalves Mahnaz Zahirinejad Varnosfaderani
2017 John Ruggie (Award) Philipp Hacker Alexander Horn
2019 Raj Chetty 2021 James C. Scott 2023 Daron Acemoglu (A.SK Social Science Award) Filiz Garip (A.SK Bright Mind Award) Stefanie Stantcheva (A.SK Bright Mind Award)
2025 Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg (A.SK Social Science Award) Vicente Valentim (A.SK Bright Mind Award) == People affiliated with WZB ==