• Competition for the best master's thesis resolved.
• The winning papers were written at the Faculties of Law and Administration at the University of Lodz, Jagiellonian University and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.
• Aleksandra Olbryk, Nicole Deneka and Marcin Gronowski are this year's winners.
• It does not end there - the selection race for UOKiK Summer Camp '24 is just starting.

The 15th edition of the competition for the best master's thesis on competition protection and the 13th edition of the competition in the area of consumer protection are over. 

- The papers submitted for this year's competition spawned interesting discussions among jury members. It is gratifying to see that range of topics is expanding every year. It is encouraging to take on challenges, especially those arising from the dynamic changes in our reality. My sincere congratulations to the winners, promoters and universities. I am convinced that the group of professionals in the field of competition and consumer protection has just expanded," says the President of UOKiK, Tomasz Chróstny.

In this edition of the competition, we received 27 papers - 11 on competition protection and 16 on consumer protection. The jury, which includes prominent academics and practitioners of competition and consumer protection law, appreciated, above all, the authors' independent thoughts and conclusions, as well as the rich selection of literature. 

The partner of the competition is the Polish Competition Law Association, whereas its patron is the Polish Economic Society.

Awarded master's theses

The first prize of PLN 7,000 was won by Aleksandra Olbryk, a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Lodz, for her thesis "Recommendation systems from the perspective of EU consumer law", defended under the supervision of prof.dr hab. Monika Namysłowska. Aleksandra Olbryk also received an award from the Competition Law Association in the amount of PLN 5,000.

The second prize of PLN 5,000 was won by Nicole Deneka, a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at Jagiellonian University, for her thesis "State aid in research, development and innovation activities," defended under the supervision of dr hab. Tomasz Długosz.

The third prize of PLN 3,000 was awarded to Marcin Gronowski, a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, for his thesis "Control of concentration of entrepreneurs in the electric power sector on the example of the acquisition of Energa S.A. by PKN Orlen S.A.", defended under the supervision of prof. dr hab. Eryk Kosiński. 

The jury also awarded two honorable mentions. One was given to Anna Jarecka, a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, for her thesis "The will of the consumer and the effects of prohibited provisions in a CHF loan agreement," defended under prof. UAM dr hab. Jarosław Grykiel. 

The second honorable mention went to Michał Zajda, a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at Jagiellonian University, for his thesis "The significance of the Omnibus Directive for consumer protection in e-commerce," defended under the supervision of dr hab. Tomasz Długosz.

More prizes await 

Until the end of November, the competition of the President of UOKiK for the best doctoral dissertation on competition and consumer protection is on. The winners will receive financial prizes and the opportunity to have their work published by UOKiK. 

Meanwhile, students who decide to choose topics for their master's theses are encouraged to tackle areas that can be submitted to the next edition of our competition and receive both financial awards and the opportunity to co-work with UOKiK. 

- competition protection - restrictive practices, merger control, state aid, counteracting unfair use of contractual advantages in the trade of agricultural and food products 

- consumer protection - practices violating the collective interests of consumers, prohibited provisions of contract templates, unfair market practices

Summer workshop with UOKiK 

The 2nd edition of the UOKiK Summer Camp, a summer workshop on competition law, has been launched. We are waiting for applicants who are interested in antitrust law and are at least in their 2nd year of law, economics or related studies. During the 5-day workshop starting 16 September at the UOKiK’s headquarters, participants will learn about the behind-the-scenes work of case analysts, enter the world of artificial intelligence, mystery shoppers and computer forensics - and learn how the office functions in practice. In addition to workshops with experts, there will be interesting meetings with special guests and also... paid internships at UOKiK. 

- Summer Camp UOKiK '24 is our new educational project. I invite students to the summer workshops and promise lots of interesting meetings and discussions about the activities we are conducting. – Recruitment has just taken off - says the President of UOKiK, Tomasz Chróstny.

How to apply? By 16 June, prepare a short essay answering the question "Why and how to protect competition in today's economy?" and include a video self-presentation. Details can be found at uokik.gov.pl/konkursy.