The 2026 Berggruen Prize Essay Competition Topic: ‘A New Axial Age?’

Noema reports on the Berggruen Prize's latest essay competition, which has announced its 2026 topic: "A New Axial Age?" The question draws on German philosopher Karl Jaspers's concept of the Axial Age — roughly two thousand years ago, when the world's major religions and philosophical systems emerged nearly simultaneously across cultures: Confucianism in China, Buddhism in India, Greek philosophy, and the Hebrew prophets. The Berggruen Foundation is asking whether we stand at a similar inflection point today. The stakes are framed in terms of recent scientific leaps — genetic engineering, synthetic biology, artificial intelligence — combined with existential pressures like climate change and the erosion of institutional trust. The competition awards fifty thousand dollars for the winning essay and is accepting creative fiction for the first time. Submissions close August seventeenth; entries must be original and disclosed if they use AI assistance.

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