VPR/VPR-A Thesis Prize Regulations 2024

The Privacy Law Association (VPR) and the Privacy Lawyers Association (VPR-A) aim to promote high-quality legal master's theses in the field of privacy and data protection law and bring them to the attention of a broad and knowledgeable audience.

Procedure
The VPR/VPR-A Thesis Prize is open to master's theses in the field of privacy and data protection law, which have been assessed with at least an 8.0 at a Dutch university or university of applied sciences (hogeschool) between July 1, 2023 and August 31, 2024.
You send us a summary of your thesis in pdf format with the completed application form (below) and the thesis assessment, i.e. a document showing that the thesis has been assessed with the grade 8.0 or higher.
Your thesis is on a topic in the field of privacy and data protection law.
You fill out the application form and send it with the abstract of your thesis in pdf format to scriptieprijs2024@verenigingprivacyrecht.nl. This must be done by August 31, 2024, or as much later as the jury determines.
The summary (in pdf-format) is written in Dutch or English and comprises a maximum of four A-4 pages or 2000 words. In the summary, you will set out the reasons behind your research, the problem and question, research methods and the main conclusions and recommendations.
The jury will assess the summaries on originality and relevance of the problem and question, the way the research was conducted and on comprehensibility and readability. You can make a new summary for the thesis award. So you do not have to use the version that was part of your thesis, but of course, you may.
The application form with the summary and assessment must be submitted to scriptieprijs2024@verenigingprivacyrecht.nl by August 31, 2024. The jury may extend the submission deadline once. In that case, it will be announced on the VPR website and via social media.
The jury will assess the abstracts and select a maximum of six theses that it considers eligible for the thesis prize. If your thesis passes this first selection round, we ask you to send the full version, together with your concise curriculum vitae (approx. one A4 page or 500 words).
The jury will then evaluate the submitted theses and select three nominees. The nominees will be invited to the award ceremony in the Lorenz Room of the Leiden Law School building on the Steenschuur in Leiden at the end of September or the beginning of October. In this meeting, the three nominees will give a 15-20 minute presentation of their masterthesis. Then the prizes will be awarded.
The winner will receive an amount of € 5000 (five thousand euros). The other two nominees will each receive € 500 (five hundred euros).

In short, the rules…
You have written a master's thesis at a Dutch university or university of applied sciences (hogeschool) that was assessed with at least an 8.0 between July 1, 2023 and August 1, 2024.
Your thesis deals with a topic in the field of privacy and data protection law.
You fill out the registration form and send it with the abstract of your thesis in pdf format to scriptieprijs2024@verenigingprivacyrecht.nl. This must be done by August 31, 2024 or as much later as the jury determines.
The summary (in pdf format) is written in Dutch or English and comprises a maximum of four A-4 pages or 2000 words.
If your abstract passes the first selection, we ask you to send in your full thesis to.
If your thesis is nominated, you agree that the VPR/VPR-A may use your thesis for publicity and non-commercial purposes.
You indemnify the VPR/VPR-A from all third-party claims such as for infringement of copyright.
The jury’s assessment is binding and non-debatable.
The jury will consist of:
• Prof. Gerrit-Jan Zwenne (chair) (Leiden University and Open University)
• Prof. Aline Klingenberg (University of Groningen)
• Prof. Anna Berlee (Open University)
• Sippe van der Tas (Capgemini Invent)
If a juror's relationship to the thesis or the author may give the impression that such juror is unable to assess the thesis impartially, that juror will not review the thesis. This might apply inter alia if the juror served as the thesis supervisor or examiner.
Participants are deemed to be aware of these regulations and agree to them.
In cases not covered by these rules, the chairperson will decide.

Assessment
The jury will evaluate your thesis on qualitative aspects such as originality, social relevance, analytical level and readability. The jury assumes the following assessment criteria
• the legal content;
• the problem, question and research method;
• a critical approach to, and an original and creative contribution to, the subject dealt with;
• the relevance to theory and practice;
• the quality and persuasiveness of the argumentation and the formation of one's own theory or opinion;
• the way in which relevant literature, case law and other sources have been incorporated, and
• a consistent and grammatically correct treatment of the Dutch or English language.