Brigitte Bierlein Women's Award
The Award
The Brigitte Bierlein Women's Award honors successful women under the age of 35 for their outstanding entrepreneurial or innovative achievements.
The award is dedicated to two exceptional Austrian women. On the one hand, it commemorates Brigitte Bierlein, who gave the award its name, and on the other, it pays tribute to the life's work of the award's patron, former Federal Minister Maria Rauch-Kallat.
The Award's Name: Brigitte Bierlein
"The first woman has to come along at some point." – Brigitte Bierlein
Original: "Irgendwann muss ja mal die erste Frau her."
A quote that applies well to Brigitte Bierlein's life. She was the first woman in many things.
Brigitte Bierlein was the first female:
- Advocate General in the Procurator General's Office at the Supreme Court (1990 - 2002)
- President of the Association of Austrian Public Prosecutors (2001 - 2003)
- Vice-President of the Constitutional Court (2003 - 2018)
- President of the Constitutional Court (2018 - 2019)
- Federal Chancellor in the history of Austria (2019 - 2020)
With her outstanding achievements as a pioneer, Brigitte Bierlein is a role model for women in Austria and beyond. As role models are of great importance to women, the Brigitte Bierlein Women's Award gives pioneering women of the younger generations the recognition they deserve.
The Award's Patron: Maria Rauch-Kallat
Maria Rauch-Kallat is a prominent figure in Austrian politics who has been committed to equality, social justice and sustainable reforms throughout her life.
As former Federal Minister for the Environment, Youth and Family Affairs and for Health and Women, she has made a significant impact, including the introduction of the Equal Treatment Act, the promotion of women's rights and the reform of the healthcare system. She is particularly known for her consistent advocacy of the word "daughters" in the Austrian national anthem, even in the face of resistance.
As Secretary General of the ÖVP, she shaped her party's political strategy for many years. Even after her active political career, she remains committed to social projects as an entrepreneur, sharing her experiences and promoting social progress.
Objectives of the Brigitte Bierlein Women's Award
Motivation
Women are still underrepresented in entrepreneurial professions in many, often male-dominated, industries. This particularly affects management and leadership positions. Reducing these gender inequalities not only ensures greater justice, but also offers economic advantages. In addition to educational measures, the visibility of role models is an essential step on the road to equality.
Target group
The Brigitte Bierlein Prize is aimed at women under the age of 35 in management positions. They are honored for their achievements for Austria or in an international context.
A special focus is placed on the following areas:
- Entrepreneurship
- Innovation and technology
- Applied, economic-technical research and science
- Family businesses
- Start-ups
The achievements of the applicants must have a connection to Austria. Citizenship or place of residence are not relevant.
Prizes
- Prize money: EUR 5,000
- Wild Card for the executive program Zukunft.Frauen
- One appointment each with the Federal Minister of Labour and Economy and with the former Federal Minister Ms. Maria Rauch-Kallat
- Prize money: EUR 3,000
- One appointment each with the Federal Minister of Labour and Economy and with the former Federal Minister Ms. Maria Rauch-Kallat
- Prize money: EUR 2,000
- One appointment each with the Federal Minister of Labour and Economy and with the former Federal Minister Ms. Maria Rauch-Kallat
- Participation in the club alpha WoMentoring program
- Participation in an event of the European Forum Alpbach
- A meeting with former Federal Minister Maria Rauch-Kallat
Application and Nomination
The guidelines for the Brigitte Bierlein Women's Prize (PDF, 303 KB) (only available in German) can be found here.
Women under the age of 35 can either apply for the Brigitte Bierlein Women's Award themselves ("self-nomination") or be nominated by others ("third-party nomination").
In order to be considered as a candidate, the conditions of participation must be fulfilled in accordance with the guidelines.
Deadlines and dates
The following deadlines and dates must be observed in the context of awarding the Brigitte-Bierlein Prize:
- December 19, 2024 - Kick-off
- April 30, 2025 - Deadline for proposals of female candidates
- May 31, 2025 at the latest - Notification of the 35 nominees
- July 15, 2025 at the latest - Notification of the winners
- Mid-September 2025 - Award ceremony (details to follow)
The Jury
After a pre-selection of 35 candidates, the jury evaluates the submissions based on the criteria according to the guidelines.
The jury consists of 8 people:
- Chair
- Martin Kocher, Federal Minister of Labour and Economy
- Maria Rauch-Kallat, former Federal Minister
- Johanna Pirker, Professor of Games Engineering at the Graz University of Technology
- Herta Stockbauer, Supervisory Board Member & former Chairwoman of the Management Board of BKS Bank
- Johanna Rachinger, Director General of the Austrian National Library
- Ali Mahlodji, Founder and Entrepreneur
- Lisa-Marie Fassl, Managing Partner Fund F
- Markus Fallenböck, Vice-Rector for Human Resources and Digitization, University of Graz
Contact Information
You can contact the Brigitte Bierlein Women's Award organizing team at bbfrauenpreis@wirtschaftsministerium.at.