The Mid Sweden University award for the best Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis in sustainable development

The winner will receive a diploma and the title Winner of the Mid Sweden University Award for the Best Thesis. 

Winner of Mid Sweden University’s Sustainability Award 2025

Leonardo Violo – Implementation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems with a Relation to Ecosystem Services

The award was presented in connection with the Alumnus of the Year ceremony on 8 October 2025.

Leonardo Violo’s thesis explores stormwater management systems in relation to sustainable development from environmental, economic, and social perspectives. Building on previous research and using a mixed-methods approach, Leonardo succeeds in creating a deeper understanding of sustainable planning for stormwater systems. The study demonstrates that sustainable stormwater solutions not only function technically but also generate added value for the surrounding environment and society. The thesis contributes new knowledge, creative use of methodology, and results that are directly applicable in addressing real societal challenges.

Read the thesis here

Nomination

Employees and students at Mid Sweden University are welcome to nominate candidates. Students can also nominate themselves. To submit a nomination, please use the link below and attach a PDF of the thesis.

Submission should be a Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis of at least 15 credits successfully passed at Mid Sweden University. The work must have been done during the academic year of 2024-2025. Only formally approved theses are eligible for nomination. Doctoral thesis and licentiate thesis are not eligible.

I would like to nominate a candidate (in Swedish)

Eligibility

To be considered for the award, the following basic criteria must be met:

• The thesis must have been completed during the academic year of the nomination.
• The thesis must explicitly address sustainable development/sustainability as a central theme and have it as a key word.
• The thesis must critically engage with sustainability issues relevant to its respective field of study.

Evaluation Criteria

Each submission will be assessed across the following five criteria, with each category scored on a scale from 1 to 7 points:

1. Relevance – The extent to which the work addresses key aspects of sustainable development.
2. Impact – The degree to which the results contribute to deeper understanding or advancement in the field of sustainable development.
3. Originality – The novelty and innovativeness of the approach or findings in the context of sustainability.
4. Applicability – The practical value of the work, particularly in addressing real-world challenges such as resource limitations or sustainable solutions.
5. Presentation – The clarity, structure, and overall quality of the writing and presentation.