Hakon Swenson Foundation - Trade Essay Prize

Trade Essay Prize (Handelns Studentuppsatspris)

You will win a one-off cash prize of 25,000 SEK (about 2,270 EUR) for a final-year dissertation you have written on the retail and trade sector. Two prizes are awarded each year, one by the Hakon Swenson Foundation and one by the Swedish Trade Council (Handelsrådet). Each winning thesis receives the full amount of 25,000 SEK. This is a prize for a completed thesis and not a monthly scholarship: you submit a thesis that you have already completed and had marked.

Who can apply

• What you submit: A bachelor's, magister or master's thesis about trade and retail. The topic can be anything linked to the sector, for example logistics, sustainability, equality, ethics, consumer behaviour or business models.
• Quality: Your dissertation should be of practical use to the retail sector and be based on a sound theoretical foundation.
• Field of study: Any topic is suitable, provided the dissertation deals with trade.
• University: You study at a university or university college.
• Timing: You wrote your final dissertation during the current spring or autumn semester, and it was marked and approved before submission.
• Nationality: All nationalities can apply.

How to apply

You enter yourself by submitting your thesis and its grade certificate through the Trade Council's application portal. Only entries sent that way count. For the 2027 round, applications open in early December 2026, with a deadline on 4 March.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a single annual prize, subject to one condition: the dissertation must actually deal with the topic of trade. Only students who have written on this topic are eligible to enter, and only two prizes are awarded each year. If your dissertation demonstrates clear practical benefits for the industry and a sound theoretical basis, you have a genuine chance of success, as the assessment prioritises content over form. The clearer the link to the retail sector, the more you will stand out from the rest.