Via
Chimica
Every year, we award the Via Chimica Prize to a single Czech university student, who also receives a personal award of CZK 50,000.
Sometimes, a world-changing discovery can be down to just one university student. This is one of the reasons why the Via Chimica Prize came into existence. The Prize is awarded annually for an original student work (an article, bachelor’s thesis or a study designed exclusively for the competition). It is open to talented Czech chemistry students and is awarded by the Experientia Foundation in cooperation with the Learned Society of the Czech Republic. In addition to the scientific achievement itself, we also assess the candidate’s ability to explain their work in both scientific and lay language. It is our belief that the targeted and long-term support of chemistry talent can have a significant influence on Czech chemistry and push the discipline to the very top, perhaps even to another Nobel Prize.
Who can compete for the Via Chimica Prize?
You can enter the Via Chimica competition if you are enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program in the Czech Republic and have created an original work in the field of chemistry.
When is the deadline for submitting my application?
Applications to the Via Chimica Prize competition are accepted until 15 February each year.
How do we evaluate the applications?
First and foremost, we will be looking at the original nature of the work submitted, and your personal contribution to it. The quality of your popular science text will also be an important consideration.
Who chooses the winner?
The winner of the Via Chimica Prize will be selected by a joint review committee of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic and the Experientia Foundation. The winner selected by the committee will then be approved by both the plenary session of the Learned Society as well as the Board of Trustees of the Experientia Foundation.
When will i learn the results?
We will notify you of the results no later than March 31 of the corresponding year.
What will happen if i win the via chimica prize?
As the winner of the Via Chimica Prize, you will be expected to attend the award ceremony at the General Assembly of the Learned Society in the Karolinum in Prague, held in May. You will then sign a donation agreement between you and the Experientia Foundation. No later than 7 days after signing the donation agreement, you will receive a personal award of CZK 50,000 from us to the bank account specified in the donation agreement.
What should the application contain?
To enter the Via Chimica Prize competition, the candidate must submit a single original work (not a set of works).
The application must contain:
- Your personal details (first name, surname, year of birth and email address, your university and program of study)
- The title of your work
- A written abstract of your research work (maximum 1 standard page)
- Your original research work itself (this may be a journal article or your bachelor’s thesis or a work created exclusively for the competition)
- A popular science/lay summary of the submitted original work (1–2 standard pages in length). The text should be written in a style suitable for a popular science magazine such as Vesmír.
- A scanned pdf statement from your supervisor, including their handwritten signature, testifying to your contribution to the research work. The statement should contain an assessment of your contribution to a) the design and concept of the work, and b) the acquisition and analysis of results, and must also contain a separate declaration as to whether you independently evaluated and classified the results yourself.
Any questions?
Do not hesitate to get in touch at viachimica@experientia.cz