Assessment criteria (Compass)
Theses and final projects that take part in the Future Proef Award must contribute to a high-quality living environment. This means that they start from challenges or questions related to the design and use of the physical living environment, or to nature, the environment, ecological systems and ecological processes.
This can take many different forms. Some theses and final projects focus on ecological or environment-related themes such as water and air quality, biodiversity, soil and subsoil, climate, mobility, energy, material use or land use. Others explore aspects such as housing, health, affordability, participation or inclusion, or approach the challenge from the perspective of policy, design, communication, behavioural change, art or culture.
The Future Proef Award is therefore open to a wide range of disciplinary perspectives. Ecological and environment-related challenges require not only scientific, technical or spatial answers, but also social, economic, policy-oriented, communicative, artistic and cultural approaches.
On this page, you will find the three criteria the jury uses to assess the theses and final projects.
Below the criteria, you will also find a sustainability compass. This compass helps you align your thesis or final project with the aim and criteria of the Future Proef Award. You can also use it to prepare your registration and explain clearly in the justification form how your thesis or final project meets the award criteria.
Assessment criteria — how is your thesis or final project assessed?
The jury takes the following criteria into account when assessing the theses and final projects:
Sustainability Compass
To understand and interpret the criteria properly, we have prepared a sustainability compass. This compass includes a series of in-depth questions for each criterion. These questions can help you to gain a broader understanding on the topic and make you reflect critically. The questions are not all-encompassing, they are a guide for developing your final thesis and for writing your justification. The compass can be supplemented with elements you identify yourself that are important to you in interpreting the criteria. After all, sustainability is a multifaceted concept with different interpretations.
To help you better understand and apply the criteria, we’ve created a Sustainability Compass. This tool offers a set of in-depth questions for each criterion. These questions are meant to broaden your perspective and encourage critical reflection. They’re not exhaustive, but serve as a guide to support both the development of your final project and the writing of your justification.
Feel free to add your own insights or elements that matter to you — sustainability is a complex concept with many possible interpretations.
Scroll down to view the Sustainability Compass for your educational level (Associate degree, Professional Bachelor, or Master). You can also download the PDF version.