The Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) announces the kick-off of the 5th edition of the Best Economic Research Award (BERA) for students. Final-year HAVO and VWO students from Curaçao and Sint Maarten are invited to submit an economic research paper on a topic relevant for the economies of the monetary union. Additionally, bachelor’s and master’s level students can compete by submitting a thesis written between 2023 and 2025, related to small island economies. All winners will receive
attractive prizes, and the schools of the winners on the HAVO and VWO level will also receive
a reward.
The main objective of the BERA is to promote economic research among students in Curaçao and
Sint Maarten, with a special focus on small island economies. In addition, the CBCS hopes to
inspire HAVO and VWO students to pursue higher education in the field of economics through
this program. “Over the past years, we have seen a consistent rise in the number of participants
from both students and schools, along with a notable improvement in the quality of the entries.
The topics addressed in the last competition were particularly engaging, reflecting students’
awareness of current economic trends and their eagerness to investigate and analyze them,” says
CBCS executive director Dr. José Jardim.
The winning project(s) of the competition at HAVO and VWO levels will each receive a prize of Cg.
2,500 and a trophy, while the winning school in each category will receive a prize of Cg. 5,000
and a trophy. Meanwhile, the winner at bachelor level will receive a prize of Cg. 5,000, while the
winner at master level will receive a prize of Cg. 7,500. Both winners will also receive a trophy. It
should be noted that the competition at the bachelor’s and master’s level is open to students from
universities in Curaçao, Sint Maarten and abroad.
Soon, all HAVO and VWO schools in Curaçao and Sint Maarten will receive an official invitation to
participate in the BERA. In addition, the schools may request an information session about the
competition to be held at their location, conducted by CBCS’ staff. In Curaçao, the information
sessions will be held in the coming weeks, while in Sint Maarten, they are planned for early
December. The goal of these sessions is to encourage and engage student participation. In the
first quarter of 2025, representatives of the CBCS will visit the universities on both islands to
provide graduating students with relevant information about the award.
For more information on the rules of the competition, including participation and evaluation
criteria, please visit www.centralbank.cw/education/best-paper-award.
