Applications for this year’s edition are closed.
Applications for the 2024 edition will open in autumn 2023.

EUPRERA (European Public Relations Education and Research Association) has run the Master Thesis Award competition since 1995. EUPRERA wants to honour and reward master theses (MSc, MA and MPhil) in any language that make a significant professional/practical or academic contribution to the field of public relations in Europe. The call is open to any student studying public relations in Europe, regardless of the location.

Chair of the Jury

Dr. Martina Topić, Leeds Beckett University

Aim

The award is a celebration of the PR academia and of the role performed by European Higher Education Institutions in the evolution of knowledge of this field.

Rewards

There are up to two categories of thesis awarded each year. The winner of each category will receive a certificate and they will also be invited to present their thesis at the EUPRERA Annual Congress, the main gathering for public relations scholars in Europe. Travel expenses and accommodation will be paid (up to € 350 for each winner).

Shortlisted applicants, their supervisors and their universities will be featured on the website during the pre-announcement period. All nominees will receive a “Merit Diploma”. Winners, supervisors and their universities will be featured on the EUPRERA website for one year.

Conditions

• All theses in any language from all countries that research problems within the PR academic field and that contribute to the consolidation and/or evolution of the public relations body of knowledge will be eligible for entry.
• All eligible theses should have been assessed and classified by the university of origin up to 13 months before the date of submission of the abstract to the jury and never have been a candidate to this same award.
• The theses, at the time of application, must be accompanied either by a statement from the supervisor of the applicant, jury or other body of the university of origin, indicating the date of completion and/or assessment.
• The award may comprise two categories (the jury reserves the right to vary the award categories according to applications received):
  • Practical Impact Award – Theses following an applied research approach in which research is undertaken to solve practical problems rather than to acquire knowledge for knowledge sake.
  • Theoretical Impact Award – Theses following a basic experimental research approach, and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge without looking for long-term benefits other than the advancement of knowledge.

Requirements

The applicant will complete an application form and submit this with their thesis abstract and supervisor statement (see details in “Procedure”).

Jury

There are two bodies involved in the procedure:

• The Abstract Committee: responsible for analysing the submitted abstracts, it will be composed of 3-5 academics from universities across Europe; each submission will be evaluated by at least 2 members of the committee; each submission shall have clearance from at least 2 of the committee members assessing it.
• The Jury: will be composed of selected members from universities across Europe.

The manuscripts are to be submitted to double-blind review by two independent jurors. The composition of the jury is to be known only by the Board of EUPRERA to ensure independence.

Procedure

1. Candidates should submit to the chair of the jury:
   1. A 400/500-word abstract of their thesis in English, using the template file available in the Downloads box and including:
      • Title
      • Purpose (research objectives and questions)
      • Theoretical context and scope of the research
      • Design/methodology/approach
      • Main findings
      • Implications and outcomes for theory and/or practice
      • Originality/value
      • References
   2. The fully completed registration form (see Downloads box)
   3. A statement from the supervisor, jury or other body of the university of origin, indicating the date of completion and/or assessment.
   4. Except for applicants coming from soft-currency countries (see the list on www.euprera.org/membership), the proof of payment of € 20,00 as entry fee. Accepted payment methods:

Bank transfer
Bank: KBC Bank NV, Havenlaan 2, 1080 Brussels, Belgium
Branch: KBC Brussels Berchem, Chaussée de Gand 1179, 1082 Berchem Ste Agathe, Belgium
IBAN: BE79446021174133 – BIC/SWIFT: KREDBEBB
Ref.: MA award application

PayPal
Addressee: treasurer@euprera.org

2. The committee will consider the general quality and eligibility of the abstract (topic within the PR field).
3. Accepted applicants will be asked to submit within one month:
   1. A summary of the thesis in English (expanded abstract, 2000-3000 words), using the template file available in the Downloads box.
   2. A copy of the original thesis (in the original language).
4. Each thesis submitted to the chair of the jury will be blind reviewed by two jurors following a common criteria list (to be distributed by the coordinator). The jurors, using this common criteria list, will score each entry and produce a two paragraph statement.
5. Scores are averaged and the winner determined.
6. The results are communicated to the EUPRERA Board and every applicant is contacted either to inform them they whether they have made the shortlist. The shortlist as well as the winner(s) are announced.

Timeframe and deadlines

The timeframe will be structured as follows:

• February 27: Deadline for submission of abstracts and formal documentation.
• March 30: Abstracts assessment finished. Communication of the results to the authors of the accepted abstracts.
• May 1: Submission of 10-page summary, other formal documents and original theses.
• August 5: Results of the jury and presentation of the results to the Board.
• August 15: Feedback to the applicants and information on their inclusion in the shortlist. Publication of the shortlist on the website.
• August 15 or at least 1 month before the congress: Winner is informed and travel arrangements are made.

Contact

Potential applicants should not hesitate to contact the chair of the jury for additional information. Enquiries and submissions should also be directed to the chair of the jury: Dr. Martina Topić, M.Topic@leedsbeckett.ac.uk / martinahr@gmail.com.

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