The Master Theses Exhibition and Awards 

This event, organised by the School, is an opportunity to highlight and officially recognise the best Master theses written by SBS-EM students, as well as their academic achievements. The selected students have the opportunity to present their work to all members of the faculty during an exhibition. The prizes are then awarded during Graduation Day. 

Title of the award / origin of funds

Award amount

Subject of the award
Award Eugène de Barsy 1250 € Best thesis in management
Award Etienne Sadi Kirschen 1250 € Best thesis in economy
Award Fondation Marie Christine Adam 1250 € Excellent performance in finance / international
Award André Farber 1250 € Best thesis in finance
Award Leblanc de Leener of the vice-dean 2000 € Exemplary academic career and thesis on Sustainable Development 
Award Leblanc de Leener of the dean 2000 € Exemplary academic career and exemplary thesis 

Winners of the Best Master's Thesis Awards - 2022 Edition

This edition had 29 candidates for 6 winners
Award Eugène de Barsy

  • Coralie VAN DEN BRINK – M-INGEF - "Festival et l'environnement, comment être durable tout en étant financièrement viable ?"
Supervisor : Jean-Philippe Michaux
Award Etienne Sadi Kirschen

  • Gauthier FONTANIVE – M-ECONP - "How do natural resources affect violence against aid workers ? The case of artisanal and industrial gold in sub-Saharan Africa."
Supervisor : Pierre-Guillaume Méon
Award Fondation Marie Christine Adam

  • Loïc DE MOOR - M-INGE - Excellente performance en cours de Finance
Award André Farber

  • Clotilde BULION - "Detection of Momentum Ignition"
Supervisor : Kim Oosterlinck
Award Leblanc de Leener sur proposition vice doyen.ne.s

  • Joana Maria TRAPELA MARQUES GARCIA – M-ECOER - "Turning down havens’ treasures? Multinational groups, profit shifting and services trade" -
Supervisor Mathieu Parenti
Award Leblanc de Leener sur proposition doyen.ne

  • Basile DABIN – M-GEST - "Arts & culture patronage of French luxury conglomerates: history, drivers and impact on stakeholders"
Supervisor : Kenneth Bertrams

Winners of the Best Master's Thesis Awards - 2024 Edition

This edition had 20 candidates for 6 winners
Award Eugène de Barsy

  • Asma SEBAI – M-ECONB-F - “Gender Diversity in Belgian Boardrooms and Corporate Performance: A Study of the Gender Quota Law”
Supervisor : Paula Gobbi
Award Etienne Sadi Kirschen

  • Victor WESTERGREN – M-ECONE - “Unraveling the Political Polarisation on Twitter in the Aftermath of George Floyd’s Death: a computational text analysis”
Supervisor : Pierre-Guillaume Méon
Award Fondation Marie Christine Adam

  • Escander ADOUNI - M-INGEF - Excellente performance en cours de Finance
Award André Farber

  • Audric NEU AREND - "ESG Integration in Equity Portfolios: An Empirical Study on Financial Performance across US and European Markets”
Supervisor : Hugues Pirotte
Award Leblanc de Leener of the vice-dean

  • Adrien ORCEL – M-ECONB-R - « Analyse économique de l'impact des salissures dans les espaces publics de la commune d'Etterbeek »
Supervisor Mathieu Parenti
Award Leblanc de Leener of the dean

  • Soukaina EL YAGOUBI – M-INGEF - «Aide à la réussite dans l’enseignement supérieur : analyse de trois dispositifs proposés aux étudiant.e.s de première année de bachelier en sciences économiques à la faculté Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management »
Supervisor : Philippe Emplit and Catherine Dehon

Leblanc de Leener Prizes 

Félix Leblanc (1892-1979) is an emblematic figure in the history of the ULB. He was vice-president of the University from 1952 to 1958, and chairman of the board of directors from 1958 to 1968. In 1931, he became the first president of the non-profit organisation "Union des Ingénieurs Commerciales de l'ULB", which aims to strengthen solidarity between former graduates and to promote ULB and its teaching based on the principle of Libre Examen. 
Georges De Leener (1879-1965) was also a major figure in our business school, which he chaired from 1926 to 1948. Recognised for his academic career at the University, he had, as early as 1905, stressed the importance of personal work. For him, the student should not be satisfied with passive teaching but should seek for himself and develop the ability to synthesise problems of all kinds, a position that has profoundly influenced the pedagogy of the school. 
In their honour, the SBS-EM awards two prizes to our students. 

Eugène de Barsy Prize 

Eugène de Barsy is a key figure of Belgium’s 20th century financial sector, having held major responsibilities and contributed to banking regulation, university training, and national economic administration. De Barsy was one of our most renowned students, graduated in 1927 from our Business School and named President of the School twice. Today, the School pays tribute to him with the Eugène de Barsy Prize awarding the best thesis in Management. 
 

Etienne Sadi Kirschen Prize 

Étienne Sadi Kirschen began his studies at ULB, earning distinguished degrees in mechanical-electrical engineering and economics. In 1950, he started teaching at ULB, revolutionised Belgian national accounting, and founded the DULBEA, which he led until 1970. Kirschen taught several courses, became vice-president and later president of our Business School, as well as vice-president and president of the Faculty of Social, Political, and Economic Sciences. His career demonstrates major contributions to both academic and economic development in Belgium. They are particularly recognised through an annual prize bearing his name which rewards the best Master theses in finance.  

Marie-Christine Adam Fund


In honour of Marie-Christine Adam, its former President, the Solvay Business School (former name of the School) created the "Marie-Christine Adam Fund" in 2000 to continue the work she started. 
 
The objective of the fund is to encourage students to take part in international exchange programmes at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, whose development was one of Marie-Christine Adam’s most significant contributions. 
   

André Farber Prize 

The André Farber Prize is a prestigious award granted to a student at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management for submitting the best Master's thesis in the field of finance. The prize recognizes outstanding academic work that aligns with the financial topics and intellectual spirit that Professor André Farber deeply valued. The fund for this prize was established at the initiative of Professor André Farber and was formalized after his passing. André Farber was, among other things, president of the European Finance Association.  
He was an exceptional and influential professor in finance and also known for being the President of the School from 1978 to 1982 and from 1993 to 1997.  
The award committee selects the thesis that exhibits the highest intellectual quality in finance. The evaluation seeks to remain true to the kind of intellectually rigorous financial topics that André Farber favored. 
The André Farber Prize carries a monetary award of €1250 in recognition of the thesis's excellence. This prize is part of SBS-EM’s tradition of encouraging academic excellence and honors the enduring legacy of a professor who made lasting contributions to the discipline of finance. The prize also reflects the school's commitment to fostering high-quality research in the financial domain. 

For any matter related to the Master Theses Exhibition and Awards, please contact our Project Management Officer 

Awards granted by the Université libre de Bruxelles 

Camille GUTT Prize  

The Université libre de Bruxelles launched in 2021 the Camille GUTT Prize, which awards 5.000€ to an outstanding Master’s thesis in the field of economics or public and private finance. 
Created in memory of Camille Gutt (1884-1971) - statesman, former Minister of Finance, and graduate of the Université Libre de Bruxelles - the Camille GUTT Fund honours his legacy and lifelong commitment to serving the public interest through sound management of the country’s economy and public finances. 
The Fund’s mission is to continue Gutt’s work by fostering initiatives in economics, particularly in public and private finance. Its resources are devoted to supporting teaching and scientific research in these fields, through the development of specialised chairs, the granting of scholarships and awards, and the promotion of individual or collective publications. 
All the information related to the Camille Gutt Prize can be found on the UV page “Master Thesis”, section Prizes.  

TRANSFO ULB Prize 

Located on the UCharleroi Campus, TRANSFO - Research Centre for Social Change brings together researchers from all disciplines in the humanities and social sciences around scientific research and collaborative projects on social change.
The TRANSFO Prize aims to reward a Master's thesis in the humanities and social sciences (social and political sciences, economics, history, law, architecture, literature, communication, etc.) distinguished by:

  • An interdisciplinary approach that makes an original contribution to the understanding of contemporary social transformations;
  • Research involving actors in the field and oriented towards action and/or social experimentation;
  • Showing a strong interest in the evolution or development of the city, region or district of Charleroi.

Any dissertation that meets at least two of the above criteria AND has been defended in a French-speaking Belgian university is eligible based on an application.
The prize will be awarded by the members of the TRANSFO Board. The winner will be invited to present the results of his or her research on the UCharleroi Campus. 
 

More information and the application process are available

HERE

External awards granted by other institutions 

HERA Awards 

The Foundation for Future Generations and its partners have created HERA (Higher Education & Research Awards for Future Generations), a group of Awards of Excellence whose goal is to promote academic research leading to innovative solutions for a more sustainable society.

More information about the prizes and the programme can be found

HERE

Digital Transformation Dissertation Award 

The Digital Transformation Dissertation Award primarily aims to promote research carried out by students by recognising the best Master’s theses in the field of digital transformation. The selected works must demonstrate a clear understanding, interest, and analysis of the challenges linked to digital transformation in Walloon companies and/or the broader socio-economic developments related to the digital sector in Wallonia. 

The Learn more about the award: Rules and application  

CREG Prize 

The Commission for Electricity and Gas Regulation grants an annual award to the most accomplished and innovative Master’s theses in the energy sector. Eligible works must have a direct connection to CREG’s areas of competence and distinguish themselves through creativity, innovation, and relevance. 

The winner receives a €2,500 prize awarded by CREG. 

BFF Prize in Finance and Economy 

The Belgian Financial Forum aims to foster financial and economic reflection while serving as a meeting point for professionals, public authorities, academia, and businesses. In line with this mission, the Belgian Financial Forum established the BFF Finance & Economy Award to honour the best master’s thesis in two specific fields of study. This award recognises the best thesis on a financial, economic, or monetary topic, written by a master’s student from the faculties of economics, management, or business administration at a Belgian university. 

BVA Essay Award: Master and PhD 

The Belgian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association awards a prize to the best PhD in the field of Venture Capital (VC) and/or Private Equity (PE). 

Youth Start-Up Competition: Empowering Young Entrepreneurs to Shape the Future 

The European Commission presents the Youth Start-Up Competition, a flagship initiative within European SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) Week. The contest aims to spotlight and support young entrepreneurs aged 18 to 25 who are developing bold, creative start-up ideas to help shape a more sustainable, inclusive, and competitive Europe. 

CSEM Prize 

The Final Year Project Award of the Higher Council for Media Education (CSEM) of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, worth 2.000€, is designed to reward a final project in the pedagogical category. Eligible works may address a wide range of topics linked to young people’s and children’s media practices — such as social networks, news media, video games, cinema, or television. The projects are expected to contribute to media education through concrete, age-appropriate teaching approaches, whether discipline-specific or transdisciplinary. 

OEJAJ Prize 

The Observatory for Childhood, Youth and Youth Support (OEJAJ) Master’s Thesis Award aims to promote and highlight a thesis completed by a student in the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. This award recognises work that provides a relevant and original scientific contribution to the reflection on educational, political, sociological, social, socio-economic, psychological, public health, cultural, or legal issues - including matters related to children’s rights as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child - in connection with childhood and youth sectors and policies. 

Observatoire des Politiques Culturelles Prize 

The "Thesis Award" and "Doctoral Research Support" aim to stimulate interest among universities and non-university higher education institutions offering postgraduate courses in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation to initiate and support investment by students and researchers in the cultural field - an approach that can be developed from the perspective of sociology, political philosophy, anthropology, political science, economics (cultural or of culture), psychology, history, law, administration and public policy (particularly from an evaluation perspective), communication, management, or any other scientific discipline within the humanities. 

Philippe Maystadt Prize 

The Prize pays tribute to Philippe Maystadt, Minister of State and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of ARES, who passed away in December 2017, for his active contribution to education and research in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The Master's prize, worth €2,000, rewards a final year project related to teaching. 

The “Unit for Combating Poverty and Reducing Social Inequalities” Prize 

The Unit for Combating Poverty and Reducing Social Inequalities launched its Thesis Award as part of Research Day. The aim of the prize is to reward a Master's thesis dealing with an issue related to the reduction of social inequalities and the fight against poverty in the areas of competence of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The prize is worth €2,000.  

Philippe de Woot Award  

The inter-university "Philippe de Woot Award" is given every two years to promote Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Master's theses which constitute an original contribution to the understanding and thinking about CSR. 

The award-winner will receive a prize of 3.000 euros. 1.500 euros will be directly given to the student and the remaining 1.500 euros will be offered to an environmental or a social project to be chosen by the student. 

“Ingénieurs Sans Frontières” Prize 

These awards aim to highlight the work of engineering students who contribute to the development or adaptation of technologies that are effective in their field, while being in line with the principles of sustainable development, by being concerned about the social, environmental and economic impacts of the environment in which they are located. 

The Engineers Without Borders - Philippe Carlier Award focuses on dissertations proposing technical solutions that meet the needs expressed by developing countries. 

The Engineers Without Borders - Citizen Engineers Award focuses on dissertations proposing technical solutions that meet the Sustainable Development Goals. 


 
Updated on October 7, 2025