Essay competition for students at Swedish universities and university colleges 2023

Sweden’s gender equality policy is broad in its scope and includes a multitude of sectors and societal domains. The essay could therefore be written in any discipline. It should, however, have a clear connection to Sweden’s gender equality policy. The essay could be written in, but is not limited to, disciplines such as political science, business, economics, sociology, social work, pedagogy, environmental studies, medicine, public health science or gender studies.

The core criterium is that the essay contributes to knowledge about Sweden’s gender equality policy, or the societal development based on the ambitions of Sweden’s gender equality policy. Furthermore, the essay could contribute to issues on governance, such as government performance management, gender mainstreaming or government grants to address gender inequality. International or comparative perspectives on these themes are also encouraged. In addition, the essay should be marked with the highest possible grade, which should be certified by the student when entering the competition. The relevance of the essay from the realm and scope of the competition should briefly be motivated by the student.

The prize money of SEK 25,000 will be distributed between the winning entries. Any taxes are paid by the winners.

How do I participate in this year's competition?

In order to participate in the competition, your essay should:

• Be graded with the highest possible grade at a Swedish university or university college between September 1st 2022 and August 31st 2023.
• Be at the Master’s level1.
• Be written in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English.
• Include a summary/abstract of no more than three pages.
• Include an attested examination certificate that the essay has been rewarded with highest possible grade, from the Swedish student register Ladok with your application. This means pass with distinction (VG or AB) regarding grading scales with three or four grades and A or B regarding the ECTS scale with seven grades.
• Include a short letter (2,000 characters, including blanks) from the author explaining in what way the essay contributes to knowledge of relevance to Sweden’s gender equality policy.

The essays are anonymised before assessment. Therefore, please only type the author’s name and university on the title page of the essay.

Employees of the Swedish Gender Equality Agency, or persons who have been employed by the Agency during 2022–2023, cannot participate in the competition.

The essay, including the examination certification and the letter of motivation shall be received by the Swedish Gender Equality Agency no later than August 31st, 2023.
All materials are to be sent electronically to uppsats@jamstalldhetsmyndigheten.se. Please write "Uppsatstävling 2023” (i.e. Swedish for “Essay contest 2023") and your surname(-s) in the subject line of your email. The mail should also include your full name, phone number, email-address and address. The name of the university institution where the essay has been written and the name of the supervisors should also be included.

You will receive a confirmation when we have received your essay.

The Swedish Gender Equality Agency is a public agency. All materials submitted to the Agency will be public and might be handed out in line with the principle of public access to official records. By participating in our essay competition and submitting an essay you agree to your personal data being registered and processed by the Agency and that your name, institution and information about your essay (amongst others) is published on our website.

The General Data Protection Regulation states that the processing of special categories of personal data is prohibited. No such data may hereby be published within the framework of this work. Essay writers who participate in the essay competition who, despite the ban under the General Data Protection Regulation, would need to process or publish such data are encouraged to first contact the Agency.

How are the winners selected?

The first stage of the selection process is a relevance assessment that is carried out by the Gender Equality Agency. The essays selected at this stage are then submitted to our Scientific Council. The Scientific Council will also suggest how the prize money should be distributed among the authors of the best essays. The final decision will be made by the Director General in November 2023. The winners will be notified and announced on our webpage in the end of 2023.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at: uppsats@jamstalldhetsmyndigheten.se