26 September 2019

DDRN Essay Competition for University Students 2019: Communicate a piece of your own research relevant to one or more of the global challenges

The awards

First prize: 5,000 DKK
Second prize: 3,000 DKK and
Third prize: 2,000 DKK
All three prize winning essays will be published on DDRN’s website; with the consent of the author, a Danish language version of each winning essay will be offered to selected Danish science on-line media
All students submitting an essay for the competition will receive a free copy of the e-book ‘Share your research. A hand-on guide to successful science communication’


Deadline for submission: Friday 1 November 2019

Who can participate

University students currently studying at universities in Denmark (for a full Bachelor, Master or PhD program; as an exchange student for one or more semesters; as a short-term guest student, e.g. as part of co-supervision arrangement)

What should you submit

Identify a piece of your own research, which is not more than 2 years old. It could be from any field of study, and it could be from your bachelor, or master thesis, a larger project, or from an assignment from one of your courses. We encourage both Danish and international students to participate in the competition. Your essay may include these suggested areas:

  • Motivation for studying the problem addressed
  • Your method(s) of studying the problem
  • Key findings of your research
  • What is your ambition regarding your key findings being applied?
  • How do you envision the potential impact of the application of your findings?
  • How did the UN Sustainable Development Goals come into your research?


The essay must be in English; regardless of the language of your original research.
Length of essay: Between 9,000 and 9,500 characters (including spaces)

Criteria of assessment

All essays will be assessed based on the quality of the author’s ability to communicate his or her research to a wider audience. This includes the validity of the research performed; thus, essays shortlisted for the top three awards need to have their research validated.

Who will assess your essay

Jens Degett, chairman of the Danish Association of Science Journalists, chairman of European Union of Science Journalists’ Associations, and the Editor-in-Chief of ScienceStories.dk
Gorm Palmgren, science journalist, contributor to Science Illustrated
Line Blicher Jensen, cand.negot. (International Studies, University of Southern Denmark)

How to submit your essay 

  1. Register as a member of DDRN (free) at: https://ddrn.dk/register/
  2. Send your manuscript by e-mail as attached Word or PDF file to: info@ddrn.dk
  3. In the e-mail include this information:
    • Your full name
    • The name your university
    • The full name of your study program

What is DDRN:

Danish Development Research Network (DDRN) communicates new research by any scientific discipline addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). DDRN presents insights created by global South researchers in Denmark and by their Danish host institutions. DDRN advocates free research and Southern voices in research policy making. DDRN science journalism is independent of economic and political interests. DDRN strives to deliver high quality science journalism without pre-judgement and focusing on impact towards SDGs.