Every year, the Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council (Handelsrådet) and the Hakon Swenson Foundation (Hakon Swenson Stiftelsen) award student essay prizes aimed at students specializing in retail at colleges and universities. The essay prizes seek to stimulate student interest in retail and serve as an incentive for continued knowledge development in the field.

Retail is a broad research area encompassing various interesting research questions and perspectives. A guiding principle in the assessment is that the essays should have practical relevance for retail and be based on a solid theoretical foundation.
Each year, two essays are selected as winners of the Student Essay Prize. The winning essays each receive a scholarship of SEK 25,000. The Hakon Swenson Foundation and the Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council each award a prize.
Who may apply?
Essays eligible for the Student Essay Award include bachelor's, master's, and doctoral theses written during the spring or fall semester of 2024 and must be approved by February 2025 at the latest. Students apply for the essay prize by submitting their essay for evaluation, along with the essay grade.
Submit applications for the Student Essay Award from the Commerce Council through our application portal.
Timeline
The first application deadline is December 13, 2024; the last day to apply is March 4, 2025. Only essays submitted via the Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council's application portal will be processed.
More information is available on the Swedish Retail and Wholesale Council website.