Academic Paper
2025
Best Paper
National Award · 3rd Edition 2026
Celebrating Excellence in Financial Research
Qatar's leading national award honouring innovative and impactful research by undergraduate students, master's students and academic researchers — with a dedicated award for Qatari nationals.
Aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030 · Innovation & Knowledge CreationApplications close 31 October 2026 51 days left
Organised by 
Main Partner 
Strategic Partner 
Platinum Sponsor 
Gold Sponsor 
2024
Launched by QFBA
0
Research submissions · both editions
0
Expert reviewers in the panels
0
Higher-education institutions
Corporate Finance
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Startups
Financial Markets
Behavioural Finance
Risk Management
FinTech & Digital Banking
Sustainable & Green Finance
Islamic Finance
Investor Behaviour
Banking Regulations
International Finance
Personal Finance
Crowdfunding
About the Award
A national platform for financial research
Launched in 2024 as an initiative by Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA), the Finance Researcher Award celebrates excellence in financial research and supports Qatar's National Vision 2030 by fostering innovation and evidence-based knowledge in finance, banking and economics.
It has since grown into Qatar's leading national competition recognising outstanding research, honouring the most exceptional projects by students and academic researchers alike.
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Recognise excellence Honour innovative, impactful research by students and academic researchers in Qatar.
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Empower the next generation Support and inspire the next generation of financial researchers.
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Foster a culture of innovation Promote academic excellence, creativity and original thinking.
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Provide a showcase Give young researchers a platform to contribute to the sector's growth.
Qatar National Vision
Knowledge-driven economic diversification
Bridging academic research and the real-world challenges of Qatar's financial and banking sector.
Human Development
Social Development
Economic Development
Environmental Development
2030
Governance
Board of Trustees
The Award is guided by a Board of Trustees comprising distinguished leaders and subject-matter experts who provide strategic direction, safeguard the integrity of evaluation, and steward the Award's national partnerships.
At Qatar Finance and Business Academy, we believe that rigorous financial research is an investment in the knowledge economy and the future of Qatar. We honour researchers who unite originality with real-world impact — and we invite the next generation to help build a more innovative financial sector, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
Dr. Khalifa Al YafeiVice Chairman · Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Finance and Business Academy
Dr. Hareb Al Jabri
Chairman of the Board
Assistant Undersecretary for Higher Education Affairs - Ministry of Education and Higher Education
Dr. Khalifa Al-Yafei
Vice Chairman
Chief Executive Officer - Qatar Finance and Business Academy
Dr. Khalid Al-Horr
Member of the Board of Trustees
President - Community College of Qatar
Dr. Arshad Jamal
Member of the Board of Trustees
Dean - QFBA-Northumbria University
Dr. Khalid Al-Hashimi
Member of the Board of Trustees
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, College of Business and Economics - Qatar University
Dr. Vincent Mangematin
Member of the Board of Trustees
Dean, College of Business -University of Doha for Science and Technology
Dr. Fuad Farooqi
Member of the Board of Trustees
Area Head, Business Administration - Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
Ms. Sara Fakhroo
Member of the Board of Trustees
Head of Human Resources - Ahlibank
Mr. Mohammed Issa
Board Secretary
Institutional Research & Knowledge Transfer Specialist - QFBA · Award Project Manager
Award Categories
Categories & cash awards
Student · Bachelor's
Bachelor's Research Projects
- First Place QAR 10,000
- Second Place QAR 5,000
Student · Master's
Master's Research Projects
- First Place QAR 10,000
- Second Place QAR 5,000
Special Award
Best Qatari National Student
- In support of national talent QAR 10,000
Academic Research Award
Best Academic Research Paper
- Published in a Clarivate-indexed peer-reviewed journal (Web of Science / JCR) QAR 15,000
Eligibility
Eligibility Criteria
The requirements to apply for the Finance Researcher Award.
General Criteria (Applicable to All Categories)
1Applicants must be Qatari citizens or residents of Qatar.
2Submissions must be made individually; each participant may submit only one research paper or dissertation.
3Research must be original and exclusive and must not have been previously awarded or under consideration in any other competition.
4All submissions must demonstrate clear relevance to the Qatari economy and the financial sector.
5Incomplete applications or applications missing required supporting documents will not be considered.
6Submission to the Award constitutes acceptance of all Award rules, procedures, and decisions of the Award Committee.
1Applicants must be either:Final-year Bachelor's or Master's students enrolled at an accredited higher education institution in QatarOr graduates of 2025 or 2026 from an accredited higher education institution in Qatar
2Applications are submitted directly by students through the Award Portal. Institutional nomination is not required.
3Applicants must submit the following:Full Research Dissertation (PDF)Research Poster (A1 PDF Format)Academic TranscriptGraduation Certificate (for graduates) or Official Enrollment Letter (for final-year students)Research Abstract (maximum 150 words)
4The research submitted must be part of the applicant's academic work.
5Each applicant may submit only one research project.
Poster Requirements
Applicants must submit a poster summarizing the main objectives, methodology, and findings of the research. The poster must:
- Be submitted in A1 PDF format.
- Be clear, concise, and visually engaging.
- Include the research title, objectives, methodology, key findings, and recommendations.
1The principal researcher must be a resident of Qatar and employed by a university, research center, or higher education institution in Qatar.
2For English-language submissions, the research must be published or accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal indexed by Clarivate (Web of Science / Journal Citation Reports).
3For Arabic-language submissions, the research must be published in a peer-reviewed journal approved by the Award Committee.
4Only research published within the last two years will be considered.
5Research directly derived from Master's theses or doctoral dissertations will not be accepted.
6Applicants must submit:Published Research Paper (PDF)Proof of Publication or AcceptanceResearch Abstract (maximum 150 words)
Publication Opportunity
Selected winning research papers may be considered for publication in Nama' — Qatar Journal of Business, Finance and Digital Economy, subject to the journal's editorial policies, peer-review requirements, and publication standards.
Award Committee Rights
1The Award Committee reserves the right to verify the originality and authenticity of all submissions.
2The Award Committee may request additional supporting documents at any stage of the evaluation process.
3The Award Committee reserves the right to reject any submission that does not meet the eligibility requirements.
4The Award Committee reserves the right to amend the Award rules, eligibility criteria, and procedures when necessary.
Winners Archive
Winning Research
Browse the winning projects across editions of the Award — download the paper and view the scientific poster.
Qatari National
2025
Best Qatari Researcher
The Impact of CFO Risk-Taking Behaviour on Corporate Financial Performance: Evidence from the Industrial, Energy, and Petrochemical Sectors in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE
Qatari National
2024
Best Qatari Researcher
The Impact of Investment Allocation on the Financial Performance of Listed Insurance Companies in Qatar
Master's
2025
First Place
The Functional Roles of Banks in Promoting Public Citizenship in the State of Qatar
Master's
2024
First Place
Sustainability Performance, Credit Ratings and Share Price: A Global Study
Master's
2025
Second Place (Joint)
Does Digital Transformation Reflect the Adjustment of Capital Structure
Master's
2025
Second Place (Joint)
Sector-Level Return Dynamics and Event Sensitivity: A Case of Qatar Stock Exchange (2014–2025)
Master's
2024
Second Place
Analysis of Climate Change News Sentiment’s Impact on GCC Stock Markets
Bachelor's
2025
First Place
News Sentiment and Abnormal Stock Returns: Evidence from the Qatar Stock Exchange
Bachelor’s
2024
First Place
Exploring the Incorporation of ESG Investment for SRI in Qatar
Bachelor's
2025
Second Place (Joint)
Green Finance and Sustainable Economic Transition in Qatar: An Empirical Policy Analysis
Bachelor’s
2025
Second Place (Joint)
The Impact of Brexit on the UK’s Stock Market
Bachelor's
2024
Second Place
How Did COVID-19 Affect Shariah-Compliant versus Conventional Firms’ Operating Performance?
Research Exhibition
Scientific Poster Gallery
A visual showcase of the scientific posters from participating and winning research across the Award's editions.
Master's
Digital Finance and Carbon Emissions: An International Evidence
View Poster +
Master's
Commercial Banking Risks and Financial Performance: Evidence from GCC Countries
View Poster +
Qatari National
The Impact of CFO Risk-Taking Behaviour on Corporate Financial Performance: Evidence from the Industrial, Energy, and Petrochemical Sectors in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE
View Poster +
Bachelor's
The Predictive Power of Options: Implied Volatility and Volume Dynamics Around Earnings
View Poster +
Master's
Does Digital Transformation Reflect the Adjustment of Capital Structure?
View Poster +
Bachelor's
Investigating the Barriers and Incentives for Listing Corporate Bonds on the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE)
View Poster +
Bachelor's
Climate Risk, Supply Chain Disruption, and Oil Price Uncertainty: The Role of ICT and Technological Innovation in Shaping Food Security in the GCC (2005–2024)
View Poster +
Master's
Spillover Effects Between Oil, Gold and Stock Returns in Qatar: An Extended Joint Connected TVP-VAR Approach
View Poster +
Bachelor's
Exploring the Incorporation of ESG Investment for SRI in Qatar
View Poster +
Bachelor's
How Did COVID-19 Affect Shariah-Compliant versus Conventional Firms’ Operating Performance?
View Poster +
Master's
Sustainability Performance, Credit Ratings and Share Price: A Global Study
View Poster +
Master's
Analysis of Climate Change News Sentiment’s Impact on GCC Stock Markets
View Poster +
Qatari National
The Impact of Investment Allocation on the Financial Performance of Listed Insurance Companies in Qatar
View Poster +
Master's
Capital Adequacy Ratio and Bank Profitability in Qatar
View Poster +
Bachelor's
The Impact of Big Data Analytics on Bank Risk - A Risk-Based Evaluation
View Poster +
Across Two Editions
Key highlights
Since its launch in 2024, the Award has strengthened its national footprint and its bridge between academia and the financial sector.
78
Research participations across both editions
30
Expert reviewers in the judging panels
12
Higher-education institutions in Qatar
Bridged academic research with sector challenges
Broad media coverage inspiring new talent
QFBA · Winning Research
Finance Researcher Award — Winning Research Booklet
Research Output
The Winning Research Booklet
An official publication documenting the winning projects, their abstracts and key findings — presented as a knowledge product of the Award and published in the website's Research Outputs after each edition.
Universities, researchers and partners can browse the booklet online or download it as a PDF.
Partners & Sponsors
Supported by our strategic partners
Organised by
Main Partner
Strategic Partner
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Partners of previous editions
The institutions that sponsored and supported the Award in its earlier editions.
2nd Edition · 2025
3 supporters
Main Partner
sponsored by 
sponsored by 
1st Edition · 2024
1 supporter
sponsored by 
Timeline
Proposed timeline — 3rd Edition
The key dates of the 3rd edition — from the call for applications to the ceremony.
1
10 Sept - 31 Oct 2026
Applications & Submissions
The Award Portal opens for direct applications and submission of research papers, posters, and required supporting documents.
2
1 - 15 Nov 2026
Eligibility Screening & Shortlisting for Evaluation
Applications are reviewed for eligibility and completeness, and qualified submissions are shortlisted for academic evaluation.
3
16 Nov - 31 Dec 2026
Academic Evaluation
Qualified submissions are assigned to independent reviewers for academic evaluation according to the Award criteria.
4
1 - 15 Jan 2027
Results Review, Computation & Approval
Reviewer scores are consolidated and verified, final results are computed, and the rankings are submitted to the Board of Trustees for formal approval.
5
Monday, 1 Feb 2027
Award Ceremony
Announcement and recognition of the Finance Researcher Award winners.
Media Gallery
Media Gallery & Social Media Highlights
Selected photos from the Award's past events alongside highlights from our social media presence.
Event Photos
Selected Social Media Highlights
Together, let's empower Qatar's next generation of sector leaders
Students: apply directly through the Award Portal. Academic researchers: submit your published paper directly.