Thesis awards

Today’s students are tomorrow’s competition lawyers and economists. In light of its goal of raising awareness of competition law and competition policy developments in the Netherlands, the Foundation awards prizes to the year’s three best Master’s theses dealing with European and/or domestic competition law. Both law students and economics students may apply.

The prizes are awarded for theses of outstanding academic quality that show originality in their choice of topic and/or research method, which contribute to developing law and/or the legal practice. 

The winners of the Best Competition Law Theses of the Year receive cash prizes of EUR 1,000 for first place, EUR 500 for second place and EUR 250 for third place. The winning theses are announced during the conference. The Foundation subsequently publishes them online.  

Requirements
Only theses which meet the following requirements will be accepted:

  • written by Master’s degree students at Dutch universities;
  • written during the preceding year;
  • awarded a grade of 8 or better; and
  • written in Dutch or English.

Check the rules for further details of the conditions for entry and how to submit your thesis.

Click here to download the entry form.

All entries will be reviewed by the Foundations Awards Committee composed of:

  • Herman Speyart (chairman), Raadsheer, Gerechtshof Den Haag
  • Pablo Amador Sanchez (member), Senior Legal Counsel, ACM
  • Jan Kees Winters (member), Senior Advisor, Strategy& PwC

Previous recipients of the Foundation Awards are listed below:

2023:

1. Lois Elshof
Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and EU Competition Law
2. Alek Kahn

Distinguishing Genuine Sustainability Agreements
from Disguised Cartels under Article 101(3) TFEU

3. Sophie Devogele
Algorithmic Tacit Collusion: a Threat to the Current
EU Competition Law Framework?

2022:
1. Patrick Legros
Cartel and champagne solidarity: peircing the veil on UEFA’s hold over European football
2. Emine Bilsin
Bonding the Two Universes: Data Protection Considerations in the EU Merger Control – Can Merger Remedies Be a Way Out?
3. Niels Wessel
The Netherlands as a Cartel Damages Hub and Private Law Enforcement Paradise?

2021:
1. Merel Livestro

Doorrekenen na doorberekening
2. Sergiu Petrişor
Nurturing business customers for slaughter? Data leeching of non-public business customers’ data performed by dual role online platforms – an abuse of a dominant position?
3. Tatiana Podstolna
New Competition Tool inspired by the CMA: a project worth revisiting

2020:
1. Maurits Michon
The essential facilities doctrine requirement of indispensability and access to vertically integrated gatekeeper online platforms for downstream competitors
2. (shared) Lousine Hovhanisian
Access to Competitively Sensitive Information of the Target
Company: Ancillary to Corporate Transactions or a
Violation of Article 101(1) TFEU?

2. (shared) Mia Monas
‘Legal Sci-Fi’ – Interaction between algorithms, AI systems and competition law in the e-commerce sector

2019:
1. Leah Peeters

Precarious workers and competition law
2. Rasmus Geertsema
The Great Competition Debate
a systematic inquiry

3. Sylwia Kalaska
Equivalence of rights of defence in competition
proceedings before the Commission and the Polish
Competition Authority

2018:
1. Maureen Schrijen
Excessive prices in the
pharmaceutical sector

2. David Makkink
The effects of European competition law on healthcare and national healthcare systems in the EU
3. Astrid Dorigny
The introduction of minimum harmonisation in the leniency application procedure for
stakeholders filing in multiple jurisdictions

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