Excellence Award Banking & ESG 2025
Competition
Tue
30
Sep
Call For Submissions
Have you written an outstanding Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis that addresses a complex topic in the field of Banking & Finance or Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)?
Then take your chance and apply for the Excellence Award Banking & ESG!
The Sparkasse Kufstein, in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol, is offering the Excellence Award Banking & ESG. Outstanding academic theses will be honored in two categories:
Excellence Award Banking
- for theses in the field of Banking & Finance.
Excellence Award ESG
- for theses in the field of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG).
Only Bachelor’s and Master’s theses submitted for assessment between September 30, 2024, and September 30, 2025, and graded as “Very Good” or “Good” are eligible for consideration.
Excellence Award Banking
- Recent developments in banking, including marketing, customer communication, human resource management, sales, and digitalization
- SME financing, including the rise of modern financing instruments
(Credit) risk management in banks and companies - Money and capital markets (instruments), including commodities and currencies
- Management accounting in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- Family businesses (e.g. business succession, digitalization, internationalization, etc.)
Excellence Award ESG
ENVIRONMENTAL
- Climate protection: Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency, and promote renewable energy
- Climate change
- Resource conservation: Sustainable use and protection of natural resources, including water, soil, and oceans
- Biodiversity and ecosystems
- Waste and environmental management: Effective waste reduction, recycling, and reuse of materials (circular economy)
- Environmentally friendly products and services: Development and marketing of products that are environmentally sustainable
SOCIAL
- Employee rights and working conditions: Promotion of diversity, gender equality, inclusion, fair working conditions, and occupational health and safety
- Community engagement and social inclusion: Projects and initiatives that benefit local communities or address social issues
- Customer responsibility: Consumer protection, including data privacy and product/service safety
- Human rights: Commitment to upholding and promoting human rights throughout the entire supply chain
GOVERNANCE
- Corporate governance and ethics: Transparent and responsible business conduct, anti-corruption efforts, and ethical behavior
- Risk management: Strategies and practices for identifying, assessing, and managing ESG-related risks
- Stakeholder engagement: Dialogue and cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, and civil society
- Reporting and transparency: Comprehensive and transparent reporting on ESG practices and performance
Awarding Process
Expert Jury
All submitted theses will be evaluated by an expert jury according to a standardized assessment scheme. The jury consists of four members from the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol and Sparkasse Kufstein. Participants will be informed of the results afterward.
Confirmation of Participation / Certificate
All participants will receive a confirmation of participation. Students who place in the top three will also receive a certificate indicating their ranking.
Award Ceremony
The official ceremony for awarding the certificates and prize money to the winners will take place in November/December 2025. The exact date will be announced separately.
Submission
Please note that only complete applications will be considered for review.
-
Deadline
by 30. September 2025 Submission
Required documents:
- Copy of the Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis
- CV of the applicant (including photo)
- Short summary of the thesis (please use the relevant submission forms)
Please send all documents as PDF files by email to Prof. (FH) DDr. Mario Situm:
Partner
