Kohli Award Ceremony

Join us in honoring the laureates of the Kohli Prize for Sociology as well as the Infrastructure Prize at our festive award ceremony.

The Kohli Prize for Sociology is endowed with 50,000 euros and honors exceptional achievement in and contributions to the field and profession of sociology. In 2026 the award goes to Raewyn Connell (University of Sydney). Her pioneering approach to gender as a social structure – especially her research on masculinities – and her perspectives on “southern” sociology have made her internationally renowned and deeply influential across diverse intellectual traditions and global contexts.

The Infrastructure Prize for Sociology is endowed with 10,000 euros and honors substantial infrastructures that advance sociological knowledge. It goes to the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). As a data infrastructure, SOEP is a leading force in supporting the quality, originality, significance, and rigor of sociological research.

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026

4:45 p.m. Registration

5:00 p.m. Award Ceremony

• Welcome addresses
  • Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln, President of the WZB
  • Martin Kohli, founder of the Kohli Foundation for Sociology 
• Presentation of the Infrastructure Prize
  • Laudation by Michaela Kreyenfeld, Professor of Sociology, Hertie School
  • Reception speech by Sabine Zinn, Director of the SOEP
• Presentation of the Kohli Prize
  • Laudation by Aeneas Zi Wang, Associate Professor of Sociology, Nanjing University
  • Public lecture by Raewyn Connell, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Professor Emerita at the University of Sydney
• Music by Jonas Timm (piano)

7:00 p.m. Reception

Wednesday, November 4th, 2026

12– 1:30 p.m. Lunch lecture by the laureate Sabine Zinn, director of the SOEP

The data protection notice on photo and film recordings can be found here.

The venue is wheelchair accessible. Please let Christine Gutmann (christine.gutmann [at] wzb.eu) know if you need special assistance.