GICS prize

Rewarding the best master's thesis in Classics and encouraging students to further develop their studies and research.

The Ghent Institute for Classical Studies annually awards a prize for the best master’s thesis submitted at Ghent University on a subject within the domain of Classical Studies, as there are Linguistics and Literature (Latin and/or Greek), Classical (Mediterranean) and Provincial Roman Archaeology, Reception studies, Ancient Philosophy, Religious History (Antiquity), Ancient History, Ancient Law, and Art Sciences of Antiquity.

Any student who has submitted a master’s thesis at Ghent University in the field of Classical Studies in the previous academic year, and who has obtained at least one major distinction (16/20), can participate.

Submissions are accepted each year until February 28. Candidates are asked to submit the following documents to giks@ugent.be:

an electronic copy of the Master thesis;
a motivation of c. 1500 words, consisting of an abstract of the thesis and a short argument on why the thesis should be considered for the prize;
all thesis reports;
a short recommendation by the promotor of the thesis.

The jury is selected by the GICS-committee and consists of at least five members with a doctoral degree. These members establish a ranking list of the submitted theses. Jury members are not allowed to rank theses which they themselves coordinated as either promotor or co-promotor. The same goes for second and third readers.

The result of the competition is announced in April of the following year. The prize is awarded in May.

Download the regulations

GICS Prize winners (2015-2024)

2015 Alexis Daveloose: Tolli fortunae discrimen in morte? Funeraire luxe en romanisatie in hellenistisch Clusium
2016 Tineke Melkebeek: Aristoteles over de vrouw
2017 Kirsten Ricquier: De receptie van de antieke romans bij Fielding en Richardson: De erfenis van een antiek genre in enkele 18e-eeuwse zedenromans.
2018 Niels Schoubben: How to find the origins of a dragon? – A cognitive linguistic approach towards the protohistory of the Homeric hexameter.
2019 Eline Daveloose: Over broeders, zussen en schapenhoeders. Editie van drie onuitgegeven Cappadocische volksverhalen uit Axo met grammaticale en lexicale commentaar
2020 Martijn Calleeuw: Piraterij, handel en ‘barbaren’? De ‘Litus Saxonicum’ in haar context (ca. 260 tot ca. 410)
2021 Yannis Brichant: Het begin van de magister militum. Constantius II’s beleid omtrent de magister equitum et peditum
2022 Niels Van Renterghem: Keizers op een kantelpunt: samenzweringstheorieën ron Commodus, Septimius Severusen Caracalla. Een analyse aan de hand van Cassius Dio, Herodianus en de Historia Augusta.
2024 Harald Blot: Fragmentatie en innovatie: Bactrische en Indo-Griekse Ontwikkelingen in de vroege tweede eeuw voor Christus.