Academic Awards

The Arditi Prize in International Relations

In 1993, the Arditi Foundation created the Arditi Prize in International Relations which is awarded annually to the best master’s dissertation in International Studies or International Affairs.

• The 2010 prize was awarded to Mr Johannes Koepple (International Affairs academic unit) for his work "The Swift Affair: Swiss Banking Secrecy and the Fight Against Terrorist Financing" and to Mr Theophile Sossa (Development Studies academic unit) for his work "Microfinance confronted with financial inclusion needs: a case study in rural Benin".

The Paul Guggenheim Prize in International Law

The Paul Guggenheim Foundation was created in 1979 to honour the memory of Professor Paul Guggenheim. This Prize (of CHF 15 000) is awarded every two years to a student whose thesis in public international law is distinguished by its exceptional quality and is the first outstanding work of a young author at the begining of their career.

• The 2007 prize was awarded to Mr Tal Becker for his book "Terrorism and the State: Rethinking the Rules of State Responsibility".

The Mariano Garcia Rubio Prize

The Garcia Rubio Prize was created in September 2004 to honour the memory of a former assistant in the International Law Department. It is awarded each year to the student who writes the best master’s dissertation in International Law.

• The 2009 prize was given to Mrs Christiane Ahlborn for her dissertation "The Development of International Refugee Protection through the Practice of the UN Security Council". 

The Institute's Alumni Association Prize

This prize was established by the Alumni Association to reward the student from the Institute who prepares the most outstanding PhD thesis. It is awarded every year by each academic unit in turn.
For the 2009 edition, the Committee of the Association has decided to award two prizes of 2000 CHF each.

• The 2009 prizes were awarded to Mr Martin de Bonte for his Master's dissertation "Inflation Targeting in Emerging Markets: Do we know what we think we know?" and to Dr Théo Boutruche for his PhD thesis "L'interdiction des maux superflus. Contribution à l'étude des principes et règles relatifs aux moyens et méthodes de guerre en droit international humanitaire".

The Pierre du Bois Prize

This prize, created by the Fondation Pierre du Bois pour l'histoire du temps présent, annually rewards the student who prepares the best PhD thesis in International History and Politics presented at the Institute.

• The 2009 prize was given to Dr Sophie Huber for her dissertation "Polyphonie sur l’identité européenne. Aux origines d’un discours identitaire (1962-1973)".