Lea Ypi receives the 2026 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought
An outstanding political philosopher and writer of our time
Lea Ypi has been awarded the 2026 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought. The internationally renowned political philosopher, political scientist, writer and journalist will receive the prize at Bremen Town Hall on 10 December 2026. The prize, worth €10,000, is awarded by the Hannah Arendt Association for Political Thought. The prize money is provided by the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and the Heinrich Böll Foundations at federal level and in Bremen.
The international jury recognises Lea Ypi as an outstanding contemporary political thinker. Her philosophical, political and literary work addresses fundamental questions at the heart of democratic thought: freedom, truth, justice, human dignity and the conditions for political action. The jury particularly highlights her ability to “connect political experiences under a totalitarian system with philosophical reflection and historical analysis. From this interplay, she develops a distinctive form of public political thought in which experience, memory and critical judgement are brought together.”
Her understanding of political freedom, which regards individual freedom as inseparable from the freedom of others, makes an important contribution to contemporary democratic theory. In the face of new authoritarian challenges, her work has acquired particular relevance and significance.
Lea Ypi – Biographical Information
Lea Ypi (born in Tirana, Albania, in 1979) is a political scientist, philosopher, writer and journalist. She is the Ralph Miliband Professor of Politics and Philosophy at the London School of Economics. Her work examines the foundations of political philosophy and political theory, with a particular focus on freedom, democracy, law, Kant and questions of colonialism. Her other research interests include global justice, migration, territorial rights and forms of political action.
Lea Ypi regularly publishes essays and commentary in international publications, including The Guardian, New Statesman and The Independent. She gained international recognition with her autobiographical book Free: Coming of Age at the End of History (2021), published in German as Frei. Erwachsenwerden am Ende der Geschichte (2022). Her latest book, Indignity (2025), was published in German under the title Aufrecht.
Members of the International Jury
- Filipp Dzyadko, Russian author and supporter of Memorial (Berlin, in exile)
- Alexander Estis, writer, translator and journalist (Switzerland)
- Waltraud Meints-Stender, Professor of Politics and Education, Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences (Krefeld/Hanover)
- Thomas Meyer, Professor of Philosophy, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)
- Ronya Othmann, writer and journalist (Leipzig)
- Cristina Sánchez, Professor of Law, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)
- Facundo Vega, Professor of Philosophy, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago (Chile), Freie Universität Berlin
Hannah Arendt Association for Political Thought
For further enquiries, please contact the Chair of the Association, Prof. Dr Waltraud Meints-Stender: Waltraud.Meints-Stender@hs-niederrhein.de
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