Latvijas Banka announces its annual Student Scientific Research Paper Competition

To promote research and analysis of macroeconomic issues in the economies of Latvia and the euro area by involving the most talented young economists in this work, Latvijas Banka has announced its annual Student Scientific Research Paper Competition.

The competition is being organised for the 24th consecutive year. Participation is open to citizens and non-citizens of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, as well as foreign nationals who, at the time of the competition, are registered as students of higher education institutions accredited in the Baltic States and are enrolled in Bachelor's or Master's degree programmes. This also includes residents from the Baltic States who are studying abroad.

The submitted competition papers should address topics relevant to the economies of the Baltic States and the euro area (suggestions for topics and a list of award-winning papers from previous years are available on the website: https://www.macroeconomics.lv/konkursi/latvijas-banka-announces-competition-student-scientific-research-papers).

Papers may be submitted to Latvijas Banka from 13 May to 31 May 2026. The winners of the competition will be determined by a specially appointed jury of Latvijas Banka's economists. The award-winning papers will be published on Latvijas Banka's website http://www.macroeconomics.lv. Their authors will receive monetary awards (including EUR 2500 for the first-prize-winning paper, EUR 1750 for the second-prize-winning paper, and EUR 1000 for the third-prize-winning paper. In the case of co-authored papers, the award will be divided among the authors.

29 papers were submitted for the competition organised by Latvijas Banka in the academic year 2024/2025. Their authors were students from 6 higher education institutions in Latvia and abroad (the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, BA School of Business and Finance, and Frankfurt School of Finance & Management). In the competition, the first prize was awarded to Aigars Langins, a student of the University of Latvia, for the paper "European Central Bank Interest Rate Transmission in the Euro Area".

The Regulation for the Competition, the papers of the previous prize-winners, and other materials are available on the website www.macroeconomics.lv under the section For Students.