The Finnish Society for Environmental Social Science (YHYS) organizes annually a competition to award outstanding Master’s thesis. The aim of the competition is to find and reward distinguished thesis from the field of environmental social sciences. The prize has been named after the society’s long-term chair and Finland’s first environmental policy professor, Yrjö Haila.
In the thesis competition, the research field is understood in broad terms and the disciplines are not limited in advance. There are no limitations on the language of the thesis. Award-winning thesis may deal with, for example, human-environment interactions, the use of natural resources and resulting problems and conflicts, climate change, and species protection. The society’s board decides on the awarded thesis. The selected thesis should be of high quality and address a multidisciplinary research audience, as well as produce environmental social scientific knowledge. In addition to this, we are looking for thesis that are societally important, provide solutions to problems and develop good societal practices.
Thesis submitted to the award competition have to be officially approved by a Finnish university during the last academic year (i.e. 1.8-30.6). Also thesis from non-Finnish universities will be accepted, but in these cases the thesis must have a Finland focus. An informal application can be submitted by the student, or the supervisor of the thesis. The applications are addressed to the society’s secretary (anna.harri@lut.fi). The deadline for applications is this year August 15th.
The application should include:
· a brief statement on reasons for participating in the competition
· thesis abstract
· the thesis examiner’s statement
· the URL of the thesis or another method for accessing the thesis
· the contact details of the Master’s thesis author
· please mention in your application whether or not you agree on your name and thesis to be published in YHYS communications
The submitted thesis will be evaluated by the board of YHYS in the meeting following the submission of theses. The winner will be contacted and the award is delivered at the society’s annual research colloquium in November.