Prize Committee Members
Click above to view the members of the Erik Olin Wright Prize Committee.
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
2022 Recipient
2023 Recipients
2024 Recipient
Erik Olin Wright (1947-2019) was an inspiring teacher, devoted colleague, astute critic and brilliant scholar in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison for 42 years. His intellectual preoccupations ranged from the analysis of class to the study of real utopias. He engaged theories of the state, economic sociology, and social inequality, always motivated by an explicit commitment to social justice. In all these areas he made substantial contributions to the Marxist tradition as well as to sociology.
The Erik Olin Wright Prize ($1,000) is awarded annually by the Havens Wright Center for Social Justice for a paper by a graduate or professional student that best exemplifies the concerns that animated Wright’s work. The inaugural award was made in 2022.
Eligible submissions can come from any of the social sciences, history, or philosophy, and any professional discipline. Submissions are welcome from universities outside the U.S., but they should be submitted in English. One submission is allowed per applicant. Two documents are required.
- The student work to be considered. This can be no more than 15,000 words (excluding references but including footnotes). Published works may be considered so long as they were completed within the previous calendar year (i.e., between April 16, 2023 – April 15, 2024).
- A nominating letter from a faculty member familiar with the student’s work.
Submissions, in whole or in part, may be sent between March 1 and April 15 each year and should be sent to wrightprize@ssc.wisc.edu. Submissions received after April 15 will not be considered. The winner will be announced publicly on the Havens Wright Center website and via the Havens Wright Center mailing list each August.
To contribute to the funding of the prize, please click on this link and under “Gift Options,” check the box “I’m making this gift ‘In Memory’ or ‘In Honor’ of a person or pet.” A box will appear at the right, where you will be asked to indicate the nature of your gift and enter the name of the tributee (Professor Erik Olin Wright).
Please check this page periodically for prize competition updates. All news will be posted here as it becomes available.