CERF Best Student Paper Award 2026

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Cambridge Endowment for Research in Finance (CERF)/Cambridge Finance has been offering its Best Student Paper Award for the past 18 years. The award comprises a cash honorarium of £2,000, and a certificate awarded to the author of the best student paper in finance presented during the 2025-2026 academic year. 

Who is eligible? 

Graduate students currently studying finance at the University of Cambridge in the Department of Land Economy, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of History, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Mathematics, Faculty of Engineering, and Cambridge Judge Business School. Papers from other departments may be accepted, subject to conditions below. 

Conditions of entry 

• Papers must be on an aspect of finance. 
• Paper must be in English and must contain: 
  • abstract
  • introduction
  • method
  • results
  • discussion
  • conclusion
  • reference list
• By entering the competition, entrants agree to abide by all conditions and procedures set out here. 
• Any changes in conditions, procedures or deadlines will be published on this website. 
• Entrants are responsible for ensuring they are aware of the latest details. 

Procedure 

• Entrants must notify CERF by 30 March 2026 of their intention to enter by registering online. Students must provide written approval from their supervisor and a CERF Fellow, by this deadline, to be accepted. Copies of the paper are not required at this stage. 
• The paper title and abstract must be sent to cerf@jbs.cam.ac.uk by 30 March 2026. 
• Papers must be presented at a recognised University or Departmental seminar, or at a similar approved event, by 31 May 2026. 
• If possible, notify cerf@jbs.cam.ac.uk of the date and venue of the seminar in advance so that notification can be sent to the CERF community. The student’s supervisor should, where possible, be present at the talk. The event need not be in Cambridge but must include presenting to an academic audience. 
• Finalised papers must be emailed to cerf@jbs.cam.ac.uk before noon on 31 May 2026 to be considered. This deadline will not be extended. 
• The Award Committee will select the best paper from those submitted. 
• The award will be presented at the Student-Staff End of Term lunch in June. 
• The winning paper will be made available on the CERF website. 

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