Competitions and Awards

Take the opportunity to put the spotlight on your project during the event at Alnarp or Ultuna. 

• Four to five projects per location are selected to present their work.
• If you are interested in presenting, email us at thesisday@slu.se
• The winners are notified latest by 12 May (ongoing selection until 11 May)
• Participation in the workshop on presentation techniques is mandatory. The workshop is split up in two 2-hour sessions:
  
  Session 1: Digital for all oral presenters
  20 May at 13.00-15.00
  
  Session 2: In person
  Ultuna 25 May 13.00-15.00
  Alnarp   1 June 10.00-12.00

What is it like to make an oral presentation at Thesis Day?

Filmography: Johan von Feilitzen, SLU

All posters submitted by the due date are part of the best poster competition. An academic jury will review the posters and present the award during the events in Alnarp and Ultuna.

Submission due dates:
19 May 2026 (Ultuna participants)
25 May 2026 (Alnarp participants)

An academic jury will select the best poster using the following criterias:

• Clear sender
• The title attracts interest and is readable at a distance
• Not to much text
• Good graphics
• Good layout and a logical structure
• Clear conclusions

The winners will receive their award during the events in Alnarp and Ultuna.

Tips from the jury

Filmography: Johan von Feilitzen, SLU

How can your thesis save the world? Pitch the essence of your thesis to show how it helps meeting the Sustainable Development Goals to a jury of SLU alumni from a broad field of expertise.   

How to participate?  

• When registering for Thesis Day, note that you would like to participate in this competition
• Submit a short (max. 2 pages) pitch by 15 May 2026  to thesisday@slu.se answering the five questions below.
• You are encouraged to be creative by using pictures or graphics to visualize your pitch.

SDG: Which of the Sustainable Development Goals does your thesis address? More information about the goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals).

Need: What is the global need for your idea? Describe the problem. 

Approach: What is your approach to the identified topic/need? Describe your solution.   

Benefits: What are the benefits for people or nature with your idea/topic? 
Describe the positive effects of your idea of a solution. 

Obstacles: Are there any obstacles for your idea to make true global change?   

Criterias used by the jury

• Level of overall impact of your topic towards the SDGs
• Future impact on local and/or global level  
• Comprehensibility of your idea towards a general public
• No references; this is your research.
• Use another title of your pitch than your project. Think comic book headline -be brave and think big.
• Dare to be non-academic (your grandmother needs to understand your pitch)

The winners will be announced at the events in Alnarp and Uppsala (one winner per location), where they will receive the awards and provide a brief description of the project.

Tips from the jury

Filmography: Johan von Feilitzen, SLU

Ultuna

Karin Hakelius
Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Sustainability

Lena Olsén
Senior Lecturer, Department of Clinical Sciences

Jannie Teinler
Communications Officer, SLU Library

Alnarp

Johanna Grundström
Communications Officer, Unit for Collaboration and Development

Anders Larsson
Senior Lecturer, Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management

Åsa Ode
Librarian, SLU Library

Daniel Albertsson
Librarian and SDG specialist, SLU Library

Ellen Anker-Kofoed
Business Polocy Advisor, The Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF)

Ioannis Dimitriou
Associate Professor and Senior research advisor, SLU

Kalle Mälson
Environmental Manager at the Division of Infrastructure, SLU

Fanny Blom
SLU alumna and Project Manager, STUNS

Alnarp  

Reclaiming the Coast: From Concrete to Coastal Life 
Alma Lindahl and Paula Sandin 
Landscape Architecture - Master's programme 

Prescribing fire! Modelling penduculate oak mortality following prescribed conservation burns in southern Sweden. 
Anaelle Stenman 
Multi-purpose forest management - Master's programme 

Development of Advanced Digital Framework to Ensure Quality Assurance, Waste Reduction and Sustainability in Swedish Dairy Industry - Smart Dairy Management Software Integrated with AI, IoT & Big-Data 
Hasara Kumaragama 
Food and Landscape - Master's programme 

Cisgenesis Breeding: Insights for Sustainable Potato Improvement 
Sunling Jin 
Horticultural Science - Master's Programme 

Cocoa production in the Central Region of Ghana – challenges and developments for a more sustainable production 
Ingrid Olsson 
Horticultural Management - Gardening and Horticultural Production - Bachelor's programme

Ultuna

Role of middle chain actors' willingness to use raw material from Ecosystem Based Agriculture (EBA) - A Stakeholder View on Middle Chain Actors’ EBA Adoption in Sweden. 
Naduni Herath and Nilanthika Wimalarathne 
Environmental Economics and Management - Master's programme 

Aesthetics, why do landscape architects care? Landscape architects working with aesthetics. One way of understanding Stora torg in Eslöv. 
Jakob Ekelund 
Landscape Architecture - Master's programme

Mapping historic nitrogen flows of Sweden’s agro-food system: a look at years 1866, 1937, and 2023. 
Rebecca Waterhouse 
Sustainable Food Systems - Master's programme 

Assessment of farmer advisory and adoption of irrigation technology for climate adaptation and productivity of single/intercropped cocoa in the Ashanti region of Ghana. 
Patrick Ayeni 
Rural Development and Natural Resource Management - Master's programme 

Effect of cow-calf contact on udder emptying in dairy cows milked in robotic milking unit. 
Sara Almlöf 
Animal Science - Master's programme

Alnarp 

1st place

Hasara Kumaragama  
Food and Landscape - Master's Programme 
Intelligent Dairy for a Greener Future
View poster (.png)

2nd place

Reband Rashed
Horticultural Management - Gardening and Horticultural Production - Master's Programme
Seeds of the future
View poster (.jpg)

Amanda Sandsborg 
Outdoor Environments for Health and Well-being - Master's Programme
The meaning of being outside to older people with home care services
View poster (.jpg)

Ultuna

1st place

Sofia Ganidis  
Biology and Environmental Science - Bachelor's programme 
How are fish affected by your depression?  
View poster (.png)

2nd place

Axel Dahlman och Elin Sollenberg 
Agricultural Business and Economics - Bachelor's programme
Generational renewal in agriculture - A sibling’s perspective on opting out of succession
View poster (.jpg)

Erica Bergsten 
Political Science - Sustainable Development - Bachelor's programme
From Membership to harvest  
A Case Study of EU’s Effect on Swedish Grain Output
View poster (.jpg)

Alnarp

Patricia Berner 
Conservation and management of Fish and Wildlife - Master's Programme "Toxic Fish, not on my Dish!"

The Jury's motivation:
“This thesis focuses on the metabolic rate of fish and how that effects how much pollution they take in. Berner showcases how chemical reactions in fish could affect the food on our plates, with all the steps in this complex system clearly explained, from climate change to aquatic life via freshwater systems and all the way to policy makers. This pitch has a broad target audience in mind, and manages to convey hard-to-grasp concepts with clarity. No toxic fish on the jury’s dish either, thanks!” 

Ultuna  

Nateela Shoukat 
European Master in Animal Biodiversity and Genomics (EMABG) - Master's programme
"The Moo-ethane Mission: Climate Smart Cattle Breeding"

The Jury's motivation:
"This project exemplifies the kind of innovation the world urgently needs—where cutting-edge science meets ethical responsibility and global sustainability. With a strong focus on actionable solutions, a solid scientific foundation, and a compelling vision for a more sustainable future, this particular pitch is a shining example of how innovation can make a difference—one cow at a time. With the potential to reshape livestock production worldwide and significantly reduce agricultural emissions, this initiative offers a hopeful, science-based path toward a more sustainable future."