Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences - General Manager Fernand Suykens Prize for Port Studies

What you get

You receive a one-off prize of 2,500 EUR for an outstanding piece of research on ports or maritime transport. The prize comes from the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences in Brussels, Belgium, and is awarded once every three years. You also receive the title "Winner of the General Manager Fernand Suykens Prize for Port Studies". If your work is not yet published, the Academy may publish it.

Who can apply

• What you submit: A research work of high scientific value on port economy, port management, port techniques or maritime transport. It should be particularly relevant to developing and emerging countries.
• Publication status: Your work is either unpublished or was published within the last three years.
• Language: You write it in English, French or Dutch.
• Nationality: Any nationality can apply.
• One exclusion: Members of the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences cannot win.

How to apply

Send your work to the Academy's secretariat in Brussels by 1 February of the award year. Include a summary of up to 1,200 words, a CV and a covering letter. A committee of port and maritime experts reviews the submissions and proposes a winner, who is then chosen by vote.

How realistic are your chances?

This prize is cut very narrowly. It rewards a single strong research work in a specialist field: ports and maritime transport, with a focus on overseas countries. The pool of eligible work is therefore small. If you have produced genuine research in this area, especially a thesis linked to port studies, your prospects are real. Recent winners come largely from the University of Antwerp. Note that the prize is awarded only once every three years. If no work reaches an absolute majority in the vote, no prize is given that cycle.