The Swedish Waste Management and Recycling association - Swedish Waste Management and Recycling association scholarship

Swedish Waste Management and Recycling association scholarship

For an outstanding dissertation on the subject of waste and recycling, you will receive a one-off prize of up to 50,000 SEK (about 4,400 EUR). Avfall Sverige (the Swedish Association for Waste Management and Recycling) awards a total of 100,000 SEK each year, which is usually divided between two prizes of up to 50,000 SEK each. If several people have co-authored the thesis, they will share the prize. The association will also cover the conference fee, as well as travel and accommodation costs, so that you can attend the awards ceremony. This takes place as part of the annual conference in late May or early June.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are studying at a Swedish university or university of applied sciences.
• Degree level: You have written a Bachelor’s thesis (15 credit points) or a Master’s thesis (30 credit points).
• Topic: Your dissertation focuses on waste and recycling: prevention, resource management, collection, recycling or the circular economy.
• Timing: You submitted your final thesis in the calendar year prior to your application, and it was approved.
• Nationality: Applicants of any nationality are welcome to apply, provided they are studying in Sweden.
• Quality: The prize is awarded for the best final-year projects, which are assessed on the basis of originality, relevance to waste management, practical utility and clarity of expression.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted by email using the form on the Avfall Sverige website. Please attach a Swedish summary of your thesis (maximum two A4 pages) and the full thesis as a PDF file. The deadline for applications is 31 January of the year following the approval of your thesis. A preparatory group will review the submissions, and the association’s Development Committee will make the final decision, which is not subject to appeal.

How realistic are your chances?

This prize has very strict eligibility criteria. You must have submitted a completed dissertation on the subject of waste or recycling to a Swedish institution; consequently, the pool of eligible candidates is small, and only around two prizes are awarded each year. If your thesis clearly fits within the subject area and is also accessible to a non-academic audience, your chances are good. As the committee may allocate the prize money differently or withhold it, a strong, practical topic is of the utmost importance.