Deadline: October 15, 2025
Applications are open for the Philippe Maystadt Prize for Tomorrow’s Education 2024-2025. The aim of the award is to reward the best final projects, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral theses by students in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (Belgium) that cover the various dimensions of education, with a particular focus on higher education, and which are potentially transferable to the Wallonia-Brussels Federation as a whole.
The Award pays tribute to Philippe Maystadt, Minister of State and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of ARES, who died on 7 December 2017, for his active contribution to education and research in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
Award
- Baccalaureate Prize: The “Bac” prize, worth €2,000, rewards a final thesis at the end of the 1st cycle of studies defended in a course of study at a higher education institution, a higher school of arts or a higher education institution for social advancement (short bachelor’s degree and specialized bachelor’s degree).
- Master Prize: The “Master’s” prize, worth €2,000, rewards a 2nd cycle end-of-studies thesis defended in a course of study at a university, college, school of arts or a higher education institution for social advancement (master’s, master’s degree in specialisation, doctor, veterinary doctor and upper secondary education teacher).
- Doc Award: The “Doc” prize, worth €4,000, rewards a doctoral thesis defended with a view to obtaining the academic degree of doctor.
Eligibility
To be eligible, the work submitted must:
- be personal, original and unpublished works, and presented to the Prize by their author(s), hereinafter referred to as “the candidate”.
- have been successfully presented and/or defended, during the 2024-2025 academic year, in a recognised higher education institution in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
- for the “Bac” and “Master” prizes, be end-of-studies work within the meaning of Article 126 of the “Landscape” Decree.
- for the “Doc” prize, be doctoral theses within the meaning of Article 71, § 3 of the “Landscape” Decree.
- for the “Bac” and “Master” prizes, have obtained a minimum score of 16/20 (80%), attested by a transcript of grades, diploma or achievement.
Evaluation Criteria
The works are evaluated by the jury on the basis of the application files and according to the following criteria:
- the theme addressed and the intensity of the link with education and in particular with higher education;
- the originality and the innovative and prospective nature of the subject and/or its treatment,
- the theoretical framework, methodological and scientific rigor,
- the clarity of the arguments and the possibility of popularization,
- the quality of the analysis and the results obtained.
The following two criteria may also be used, if necessary:
- the potential benefits of the work for education in general, and their possible transposability to the level of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation,
- the societal dimension (contribution to social emancipation, sustainable development, improved well-being, etc.).
Application
You will be asked to submit the following documents in PDF:
- the final thesis or the doctoral thesis,
- official proof of the result obtained for this work (transcript, certificate of diploma or achievement, thesis report – no screenshot),
- a summary of the work (1 page maximum), in French, specifying the subject matter, the theoretical and methodological framework, the limits, conclusions and perspectives of the research,
- a summary of popularization (10 lines maximum), in French, explaining what the research carried out can bring to the reflection on teaching (on educational policies, pedagogical practices, etc.). This text will allow the jury to evaluate the potential for popularization of the work. He will necessarily make the link with the objective of the prize.
For more information, visit Philippe Maystadt Prize.
