Every year, a jury awards the prestigious HZ Stern graduation prize to the student who submits the best final project. The departments nominate students who are eligible for this award. This year, for the first time, two Sterns will be awarded: one for the best bachelor's thesis and one for the best associate degree thesis.

These students have been nominated for HZ Stern 2025:

Bachelor

  • Johannes Bimmel (Social Work): 'Giving direction to recovery: the power of e-health in empowerment'
  • Veerle Coomans (Pedagogy): ‘Gifted, who am I? Research into supporting self-image and identity development in gifted clients in adolescence at Educonsult Youth Care Workers in Middelburg’

  • Ryan Karelse (Commercial Economics): “The world of first-party data”
  • Theresa Auer (Tourism Management): “At the Crossroads: Empowering Indigenous Communities to shape the Future of Tourism”

  • Lars Höhner (Chemistry): “Imaging of phase transitions in single levitated model sea-spray particles using digital in-line holography”
  • Marie Czwielung (Water Management - Aquatic Eco Technology): ‘Policy Advice Paper on the protection of Coralligenous Habitats in Greece: identifying Policy Gaps and Opportunities for Effective Marine Conservation’
  • Shirel Snopik ter Steege (HBO ICT): ‘Understanding Public Engagement Through Visual Education: An Eye-Tracking Study of Behavioural Decision-Making in Sustainable Energy Transitions’

Associate degrees

  • Forrien Weststrate (Ad Pedagogical Educational Professional): “Playful Tidying Up: Working on Executive Skills in Toddlers”
  • Aafke van Gool (Ad Social Work): “Effective support for informal carers in grief and loss”

  • Floor van Stratum (Ad Food, Business & Innovation): “From vision to reality: the foundation of Flow”
  • Marijke Nelis (Ad Business Administration): “Auditing Accountability Document Baseline measurement of quality areas and standards at secondary school level”

  • No nominees for HZ Stern

Announcement of winners

The juries will be deliberating on the best graduation projects in the coming period and will announce the winners on Wednesday 3 December. The award ceremony will take place in the HZ Café at the Edisonweg location in Vlissingen.

The jury for the bachelor's graduation prize consists of HZ lecturers. The new chair of this jury is Wies Buysrogge. The graduation prize for the best Associate degree graduation project is new and this jury is currently being assembled. This jury consists of various representatives from the professional field.

Winners will receive the bronze sculpture “HZ Stern”, a cash prize of €1,000 and a certificate from the Executive Board. Nominees will receive a cash prize of €500 and a certificate from the Executive Board.