The UK Chapter of the System Dynamics Society awards an annual prize for the best piece of student work in system dynamics during the latest calendar year. The Award is announced and presented at the Annual Conference.
Students may apply for the annual student prize for 2023. Spaces will be limited. To be considered, please submit an abstract of your work (max 500 words).
After the abstract selection, students will be asked to submit a full paper of up to 20 pages, which will be judged by an esteemed panel of experts, and a 5 minute pre-recorded presentation. The selected students will have one of our system dynamics experts as a mentor, to receive advice on the paper before the final prize submission.
Completed and ongoing work is welcome. Work may be drawn from a dissertation for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree or a paper – whether published or not – or from a PhD (but not the full thesis itself!). We hope this prize will foster the continued growth of system dynamics in the UK among people new to the field, give public recognition to good work, and give the winner the chance to meet other workers in the field. The winner(s) will receive various benefits:
- A cheque for £250
- Free attendance at the 2024 UK System Dynamics Conference (for all shortlisted presenters)
- An opportunity to prepare a pre-recorded presentation on the work at the Conference for up to three finalists
- A commemorative certificate
The work is judged by a panel drawn from the Policy Council of the UK Chapter. The judges’ decision will be final, and correspondence will not be entered into. The judges reserve the right not to make an award if in their opinion, no work of sufficient quality is submitted. In reaching their judgement, the assessors will pay attention to:
- The inherent quality of the work, taking account of the time available and the nature of the course
- The ability to transform a problem into a genuine system dynamics framework or, alternatively, a development in the theory and methodology of system dynamics. Both qualitative and quantitative System Dynamics will be considered, provided the work is rigorous.
- The clarity of the explanation of the work.
- Evidence that the student has understood the underlying theory and principles of system dynamics, not just the intricacies of a given software tool.
- The quality and clarity with which the student presents their work and responds to questions during the conference proceedings.
On the conference day, the 5 minute presentation will be shown with a short Q&A session on the main conference room. The winner will be announced during the conference day proceedings.
Detailed academic feedback will be provided by the policy council panel. Please be aware that you retain copyright and are free to publish prize submission papers elsewhere.
Applicants for the prize must be available to attend the conference and present their work.
Spaces will be limited. If unsuccessful, you will automatically be considered for a poster presentation as an alternative.
To be considered for the student prize, please complete the Student Colloquium Presentation & Prize submission form. Email your paper to student application. Please check the award terms.
Award Terms
- To ensure a reasonably level playing field, the prize will be restricted to students who have been studying System Dynamics for LESS than five years at a British University. Their study may be in any area and the award is not restricted to courses in management science or business.
- Applicants could be undergraduates, postgraduates (Masters) or PhD candidates.
- Journal articles/ reports are acceptable if the student can justify that the effort was mainly due to their own efforts and not their supervisor. Dissertations at the Bachelor and Masters level are acceptable.
- The prize is open to students on both full and part-time courses.
The award and the cash prize will only be presented at the next annual UK system dynamics conference. - The winner is expected to attend the conference and present their work.
- A letter must accompany the submission from the supervisor confirming that the project was the work of the students concerned. The supervisor must also describe the nature and duration of the course and the time available for the work so that the judges can make allowance for projects done under different circumstances.