Graduation Competition

About the Competition

The Graduation Competition rewards the best Bachelor and Master graduation work in advertising or commercial communications among students from edcom member school. The winners receive a 400 euros cash prize, an edcom Certificate, publication of their entry summary on the edcom website and the possibility to be published in a European advertising journal or magazine.

3 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ENTER

1. What do you have to lose?

Other than submitting an abstract and a poster in English, there is literally nothing left for you to do, so why not give it a shot? Meanwhile, we’ll work hard on promoting your work to our international network, sharing constructive feedback from the jury and making sure your name looks good on that certificate you will receive at the end.

2. Pimp that CV

Here is the boring truth: your CV can always improve. Being a finalist of our competition means recognition on a European level, a step closer to the commercial communications working field and a chance to add value to your degree.

3. Amazing prize to win!

You will be rewarded with a €400 euros cash prize, an edcom Certificate, publication of their entry summary on the edcom website and the possibility to be published in a European advertising journal or magazine. This year, the winners can choose an alternative prize: a trip to Brussels for the edcom meeting and the Effie Europe Forum & Awards Gala on 4 & 5 December.

3 simple conditions to apply:  

Jury: Papers are evaluated by edcom's Research Committee.

Participate Now
Previous Winners

USEFUL INFORMATION

Call for Entries

Judging Criteria

Do's & Dont's

WINNERS' TESTIMONIALS:


"Everyone always told me that I should choose a Master thesis topic that interests me deeply, both professionally and personally, because I will spend a lot of time on it. With my master thesis about the influence of digital storytelling on the customer journey for vacation trips of the Austrian generation Y I found exactly that.
I look back at the time of writing my master thesis as a challenging but rewarding time. It was oddly satisfying to watch the raw pieces of information I gathered and the research I conducted fit together into one paper. I worked full-time while writing this paper and poured all my remaining time and energy into it, so being first rewarded by my university by nominating me and also on a European level by edcom Graduation Competition is a great honor and proves me that hard work always pays off.”

-Rebecca Daul, FH Wien, 2023 Winner


"When I wrote my bachelor’s I never thought about using it for a competition. My thesis was accompanied by an internship where I also produced 50 videos for their internal and external corporate communication channels. The research of my thesis was therefore immediately of value for my own work. But to have my work recognised and appreciated on an international level in the Edcom Graduation Competition is truly amazing. I am currently taking a master’s and this is a great boost of confidence. Thank you very much!”

-Jassie Van Balkom, Breda University of Applied Sciences, 2023 Winner

“Writing my Master thesis is a period of time that I look back on very fondly. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to further explore the research field of Augmented Reality Marketing with my supervisor, Milena, supporting me every step of the way. This field one that I am so incredibly passionate about, and researching it changed my career goals, and refined what I am passionate about. To have my work not only recognized, but also appreciated on a European level is something that I did not expect, and I could not be more thrilled about. This competition is a phenomenal initiative that shines a bright light on and rewards students who put all of their thought, time and energy into their research. ”

-Rosie Slayter, Breda University of Applied Sciences, 2022 Winner

“As we see more and more brands getting involved in social issues, there was a need to understand how Millennials reacted to such activism. The amalgamation of Millennials’ willingness to voice their opinions and their awareness of social issues has been overlooked in previous studies. This study looked at their opinions towards brand activism to understand what factors catalyse asymmetry in their attitudes, with the aim of assisting brands in mitigating any negative effects. To be awarded by edcom and the EACA for this paper is a great honour, and something I’ll take with me throughout my career. I’d encourage any student to get involved with the competition.”

-Jonathan Shaw, Bournemouth University, 2022 Winner

“As Covid-19 spread across the world, I capitalised on this as an opportunity to explore Millennials' susceptibility to nostalgia during such unprecedented times. The contextual opportunity fell on my lap and I was really excited to be able to conduct some 'original' research on something that has never been done before! I wanted to get my research out there so I entered the EACA graduation competition. I was so thrilled to hear I got through to the next round, let alone hearing that I won the competition! I am so proud of what I have achieved.” 

-Aisling Hoban, TU Dublin, 2021 Winner

“I didn't know about the edcom Graduation Competition until I was told that my thesis had been picked to take part in the contest, which took me by surprise. This competition is truly an excellent initiative that offers students the opportunity to exhibit their work on a large scale. 

Personally I saw it as a great way to develop my ability to synthesise and reflect on the work I had previously done. It was certainly an extremely rewarding experience.”

-Luísa Perdigão, IADE, 2021 Winner