Umeå sustainability prize for theses in business administration
Research Institute for Organization and Business in Sustainable Transitions (ROBUST) at Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics in collaboration with Umeå Energy award an annual thesis prize to encourage business students to become interested in and immerse themselves in sustainability. Eligible to apply for the prize are students in business administration who have written a thesis on the bachelor or master levels where the main focus is sustainability.
Nomination of theses written and published in 2025 is open now!
To be considered for the prize the thesis shall be written for obtaining a degree in business administration at a Swedish university or university college. This means that theses that treat issues related to organization, leadership, finance, accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, innovation, and similar topics can be nominated only if they also focus on some aspect of sustainability.
Sustainability here means "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Within this, foremost ecological, social and cultural aspects are considered, but also economic and ethical based on the sustainable development goals and Agenda 2030.
How to nominate a thesis?
Director of studies, thesis responsible or similar at each business administration department at Swedish universities and university colleges have the right to nominate one exceptional thesis to represent each business school/department.
The thesis must be written and approved during the nomination year. It must also be plagiarism controlled and published in full text in the respective department's public thesis database (DiVA or similar) at the time of nomination.
Nominations are made by filling in the form in accordance with the instructions.
Assessment
All nominated theses are assessed by a jury consisting of academic experts in relevant subject areas and representatives from Umeå Energi AB.
The following criteria are considered in the assessment:
(1) Contribution to knowledge in business administration and sustainability;
(2) Originality regarding the subject and/or methods used;
(3) Academic quality and rigor; and
(4) Practical anchoring with relevance and importance for society.
Prize winner
The winners will be announced on the ROBUST website no later than three months after the nomination deadline.
The prize is awarded in the form of a scholarship of SEK 25,000. The second and third place winners will receive an honorary mention by the jury.
The winners will be invited to Umeå Energy and Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics to present their thesis in connection with the prize ceremony.
