Competition for HAVO and VWO students in Curaçao and Sint Maarten: CBCS Best Economic Research Award 2023

Willemstad/Philipsburg – After the second competition this year, the Centrale Bank van Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) announces that the Best Economic Research Award (BERA) will return for its third edition in 2023. Students in their graduating year from all HAVO and VWO schools in Curaçao and Sint Maarten are encouraged to submit an economic research paper (i.e., profielwerkstuk) on a topic that is relevant for the economies of the monetary union. The CBCS will award both the winning student and the school an attractive prize. The deadline for HAVO and VWO students to submit a paper is March 3, 2023.

The CBCS introduced the BERA in 2018. The award is aimed at promoting research on the economies of Curaçao and Sint Maarten. In addition, the CBCS hopes to inspire students to pursue a study in the field of economics through this program.

The award is presented in four categories, i.e., HAVO, VWO, bachelor, and master level. Today, the CBCS launched the competition on the HAVO and VWO levels. The kick-off for the advanced categories will be announced at the beginning of 2023.

The CBCS will award attractive prizes as an incentive for the students and the schools. The winners of the competition on the HAVO and VWO levels will each receive a prize of NAf.2,500 and a trophy. Meanwhile, the winning school in each category will receive a prize of NAf.5,000 and a trophy.

Recently, the CBCS held information sessions for teachers of the HAVO and VWO schools in Curaçao and Sint Maarten. “We are very pleased with the enthusiasm the teachers expressed for this program and their commitment to encourage their students to participate”, says Executive Director Mr. José Jardim. On November 5, 2022, an information session will be held specifically for the students. Students are invited to attend the session at the CBCS in Scharloo or to follow the presentation via Teams. Registration before November 3, 2022, is required. To register visit
www.centralbank.cw/event-registration.

The CBCS hopes that many students from Curaçao and Sint Maarten will be motivated to participate in this competition. Winners will be contacted on April 21, 2023.

For more information on the eligibility to participate, the rules of the competition, and the evaluation criteria, please visit www.centralbank.cw/education/cbcs-best-economic-research-award-2023