Study and thesis awards

Study and thesis awards from VU Amsterdam

• Bachelor thesis award

  Bachelor's theses are eligible for the Bachelor's thesis award, which are preferably marked with a 9 or higher. The theses are nominated by the Faculty Board. When the closing date is known, it will be published here. The winner is chosen by emeritus professors. The winner receives € 2,000. 

• Master thesis award

  The Master's theses are eligible for the Master's thesis prize and are preferably assessed with a 9 or higher. The theses are nominated by the Faculty Board. When the closing date is known, it will be published here. The winner is chosen by emeritus professors. The winner receives € 2,000. 

• Student Talent Award

  Every year, the StudenTalent Prize goes to a student who not only gets good grades, but who also knows how to put the concept of academic development into practice in a groundbreaking way. The StudenTalent Prize is intended for students who provide special social or cultural activities, have a groundbreaking attitude and are involved with VU Amsterdam. Each faculty board can nominate one student. The closing date is June 1. The winner will receive € 4,000.

  Requirements
  To be eligible for the StudenTalent Prize, the nominated student must at least meet the following conditions:

  • final year bachelor or master student;
  • registered as a full-time VU Amsterdam student;
  • not older than thirty years;
  • no more than one year of study delay;
  • an average mark of at least 7.0.

  Criteria
  To be eligible for the StudenTalent Prize, the nominated student will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

  • The student makes a special social or cultural contribution;
  • The student has organizational talent, managerial talent, creative talent and / or sports talent;
  • The student is groundbreaking, entrepreneurial, intrinsically motivated, resilient and wants to use all her / his talents;
  • The student has characteristics that enable her / him to act as a role model for (VU Amsterdam) students;
  • The student is a bridge builder and involved with VU Amsterdam. 

• Kuyper Award

  As of the Kuyper year 2020-2021, VU Amsterdam  organizes an annual competition for the best business plan for VU students, PhD students or alumni. After the New Year's gala in January, three nominees compete for the Kuyper Award, which will be presented during the Kuypernacht in June.

  Have you been around for a while with a great idea for a startup, but could you still use some help? Convince the jury of the Kuyper Challenge and win starting money and coaching.
  
  VU Amsterdam is buzzing with innovative ideas, ideas that can grow into successful companies. VU Amsterdam stimulates its entrepreneurial students, alumni and (former) PhD students. With the Kuyper Challenge, we are taking a new step towards VU Amsterdam as a breeding ground for startups and we are living up to what has been in our DNA since our foundation in 1880. Because enterprising founder Abraham Kuyper started not only a university, but also a newspaper, a new religion and the first Dutch political party.

  Submit your startup

  Are you just as enterprising? Then sign up for the Kuyper Challenge. You might win the Kuyper Award this year! Having a start-up is not a requirement, innovative ideas are also welcome.
  How to sign up: send a one-page business plan plus a one-minute video with the pitch of this plan to kuyperchallenge@vu.nl. Signing up for this year's challenge is no longer possible. Find this year's nominees here.