~Competition for HAVO and VWO students in Curaçao and Sint Maarten~
Willemstad/Philipsburg – The Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) announces the kick-off of the sixth edition of the Best Economic Research Award (BERA) at HAVO and VWO level. Graduating students from all HAVO and VWO schools in Curaçao and Sint Maarten are invited to submit their economic research paper on a topic that is relevant for the economies of the monetary union before March 31, 2026. The CBCS will award both the winning student(s) and the school(s) an attractive prize. In the second quarter of this year, the CBCS will launch the BERA for Bachelor's students.
The BERA’s goal is to promote research on the economies of Curaçao and Sint Maarten among students at HAVO, VWO, and Bachelor's level. In addition, the CBCS hopes to inspire HAVO and VWO students to pursue a study in the field of economics through this program. All HAVO and VWO schools in Curaçao and Sint Maarten will shortly receive an official invitation to participate in the BERA. In addition, the schools may request an information session about the competition to be held at their location.
The winning papers of the competition at HAVO and VWO levels will each receive a prize of Cg 2,500 and a trophy, while the winning school in each category will receive a prize of Cg 5,000 and a trophy. Meanwhile, the winner at bachelor level will receive a prize of Cg 5,000 and a trophy. It should be noted that this year’s competition will not be held at the master’s level and is not open to international students, but only to students from universities in Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
The CBCS has been greatly impressed by the outstanding research papers submitted in previous years and looks forward to receiving equally strong, inspiring work from this year’s participants. For more information on the eligibility to participate, the rules of the competition, and the evaluation criteria, please visit https://www.centralbank.cw/education/cbcs-best-economic-research-award-2026
Willemstad, February 26, 2026
CENTRALE BANK VAN CURAÇAO EN SINT MAARTEN
