Quant Awards

ARE YOU A STUDENT IN FINANCE? 

The European Quant Awards are now open to all university students interested in quantitative finance.

Submit a research paper in quantitative finance for a chance to win one of the 3 prizes below.​  If you are writing your Master's or Bachelor's dissertation, you could summarize your paper (5-7 pages according to these guidelines), but the competition is open to any student who is willing to submit a paper.

• 1st prize: €3,000 + trip to the award ceremony
• 2nd prize: €2,000 + trip to the award ceremony
• 3rd prize: €1,000 + trip to the award ceremony

What is quantitative finance?

Quantitative finance is the use of mathematical and statistical models and large datasets to analyze financial markets and securities. On previous editions of the European Quant Awards we have received an amazing range of papers with very diverse approaches and methodologies. More than a century after the seminal work of Louis Bachelier, the quantitative approach to financial markets, driven by machine learning and AI, is evolving from niche to mainstream.

Winning this competition would be very valuable to highlight your skills to future employers!

Read our 2025 winners papers here

• 1st prize: Enhancing Portfolios Performance with Ensemble Machine Learning Models and Dynamic Thresholding – Victor Anciaux – UC Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium)
• 2nd prize: Dynamic Clustering in Multi-Factor Copulas with Hidden Markov Models – Anouk Rensen – Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (Rotterdam, Netherlands)
• 3rd prize: Multiscale Inefficiency Index – Alexandre Remiat – Université Paris Dauphine PSL (Paris, France)

Read our 2024 winners papers here

• 1st prize: Dynamic Economic Tracking Portfolios  - Maurits van Altvorst - Erasmus University Rotterdam
• 2nd prize: Temperature derivatives pricing based on temperature stochastic modelling - Anne Coll Franck - Universidad Pontificia Comillas
• 3rd prize: Polynomial Ornstein Uhlenbeck Vol Models- Xuyang LIN - École polytechnique

Read our 2023 winners papers here

• 1st prize: Latent Factors in Private Markets - Bakken & E. Vorpenes - BI Norwegian Business School
• 2nd prize: Interest rate sensitivity of risk measures in European and exotic options - Nicolas Manelli - Paris
  Dauphine University
• 3rd prize: Single factor modeling, building a financial stress index - Louis Briens - Natixis Investment Managers
  International

REGISTRATION 

ELIGIBILITY

Quant Awards are open to university students and interns in quantitative finance regardless of specialty. Applications are free. No CFA candidacy or membership is required.

FORMAT

The report must be written in English

• It should be between 5 and 7 pages long (excluding appendices)
• The cover page should contain ONLY the title but NOT the candidate or university name
• The report should be a PDF file named as follows: Quant Awards - Candidate name - University name – (or Company Name if it is an adaptation of an internship report)   
  
  

SUBMISSION

Students must submit their original research focusing on the topic of Quantitative Finance. The report should concentrate on the importance and practical applications rather than technique. It can consist of an end of studies dissertation, internship report or work conducted specifically for the Quant Awards. 

Registered candidates must submit their reports before August 31 to [email protected].

USEFUL DOCUMENTS AND LINKS

• Quant Awards 2026 guidelines
• Quant Awards 2026 flyer
• Quant Awards Video
  
  

JUDGING

The judging panel consists of several independent judges and a Super Judge. The panel may call on external experts if participation is particularly high or if a given report requires additional technical oversight.

Reports are judged anonymously, with a code replacing the names of the candidates. Each paper receives a grade from 1 to 10. Their mark is a weighted average of four criteria:

• Applicability and relevance (30%)
• Innovation (30%)
• Accuracy and completeness (30%)
• Presentation (10%)

Papers are afterwards normalized and the three papers with the highest score will make it to the final. The Super Judge will determine the order of the 3 winners. Decisions may not be appealed. 

AWARD CEREMONY

The Award Ceremony will take place before the following year’s competition starts. It will be held in the country where the winner applied. All winners will be invited, and travel and housing costs covered (with a limit of €500 per person). All participants are welcome to attend the ceremony at their own costs.

ABOUT CFA SOCIETIES

The QuantAwards is an initiative of several CFA Societies, that are the local chapters of CFA Institute, the non-profit, global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organization is a champion for ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. The Institute offers the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) Program, a globally recognized, graduate level curriculum that provides a strong foundation of real-world investment analysis and portfolio management skills. The Societies aim to support and contribute to the progress and stability of the national investment community by organizing professional education, setting standards, sharpening ethics, improving competence and sharing knowledge and supporting the industry in many other ways. 

In 2025 starts the 11th edition and features the participation of CFA Society France, CFA Society Belgium, CFA Society Ireland, CFA Society Italy, CFA Society Netherlands, CFA Society Norway and CFA Society Spain.

QUESTIONS? 

For more information, please contact the participating CFA societies or follow our Quant Awards LinkedIn group. At CFA Society France, Inès Barahhou, CFA is in charge of the competition. Please email us: [email protected] if you need any further information!