GUF-100 prizes 2025

The GUF-100 prizes are awarded every year to the best students at our University. This year, the awarding took place during the Ceremony of Merits on 4 July. GUF-100 prizes comprise a certificate and €2,500 in prize money. In addition, the prize winners are invited to join the GUF-100 community and one of them is invited to give a short speech during the official opening of the academic year in the Martinikerk.

A jury selects the 11 prize winners from the candidates nominated by the faculties. There is one winner per faculty. This year, the jury of GUF board members was joined by Mateo Bril (student assessor of the Board of the University), Bas Ankone, and Ece Aydin (both former GUF-100 winners and members of the GUF-100 community). The organization of the GUF-100 prizes lay in the capable hands of Judith Noord and Prof. Hanny Elzinga.

Candidates for the GUF-100 prize are encouraged to nominate themselves to their faculty, and/or be nominated by lecturers or fellow students. Faculty selection committees then study the motivation letters and CVs that they receive, before selecting three of the nominated students. Good academic results are important for nomination, but candidates must also be able to demonstrate outstanding personal or academic merit beyond their studies. The 33 nominees from all 11 faculties are finally invited to give a short pitch in front of the jury and to answer questions.

Every year, it is encouraging to see how many good students nominate themselves or are nominated by others, and how the faculty selection committees work hard to finally present three fantastic candidates. This also makes it inspiring for the jury to read the submitted motivation letters and CVs, to witness all these excellent students give their pitches, and finally to choose the winners from their midst. This year, many of the winners were female (nine out of eleven), and the number of international students was also relatively high (seven out of eleven).

We hope the following short commendations give you a good impression of the extraordinary students who study at our University.

On behalf of the jury, Professor Lou de Leij, Chair of the Board of the Groningen University Fund