Hannie Schaft Award

Many Hanze students achieve remarkable things in the areas of social and cultural engagement and innovation. As Hanze we are proud of these students and have therefore created two student awards: the Henk Pijlman Innovation Award and the Hannie Schaft Award. The Hannie Schaft Award is presented in even-numbered years, while the Henk Pijlman Innovation Award is handed out in odd-numbered years.

The Hannie Schaft Award is aimed at students who have demonstrated their commitment to Hanze's social missions, students who are focused on improving human well-being in the broadest sense of the word and who distinguish themselves through a strong personal motivation. The first prize consists of a statuette and a cash prize of 2,000 euros. The statue is a replica of the Hannie Schaft monument in Haarlem. This is a work by Truus Menger-Oversteegen, an artist who, during the second world war, was involved in the resistance together with Hannie Schaft. The second and third prizes consist of a cash prize of 500 euros.

Works by Hanze students are eligible for nomination if they:

• are aimed at improving human well-being in the broadest sense of the word.
• distinguish themselves through a powerful personal motivation (comparison with Hannie Schaft as a 'resistance fighter'; daring to make a difference).
• demonstrate commitment to Hanze's social missions.
• are practical/applicable.
• are linguistically correct and presented with attention to detail.
• have a well-structured argument, sound reasoning and persuasiveness
• have been assessed with at least a grade of 8 or equivalent.

Selection committee and jury

A selection committee, composed of colleagues from across Hanze, evaluates all nominations. This committee selects three works for the prize. From these nominated works, a winner will be chosen by a jury consisting of representatives of Hanze's four social missions, led by the chair of the Supervisory Board.

Winner Hannie Schaft Award 2026: Emma Vos

Emma Vos won the award for her interactive installation about emotional neglect in parent-child relationships. The installation was Emma's graduation project. She talks about the origin of the idea: "I haven't had any contact with my parents for a while. You get a lot of reactions from people who are surprised about that. How can you not have contact with your parents, they sometimes said. Without knowing the context. When it comes to parents, everyone has an opinion about it. There are many more people who are affected by it, so I felt that the subject deserved more attention. That turned out to be justified, given the number of reactions afterwards. We have decided that parents are always good to children, but that is certainly not the case."

"Emma has translated an abstract and painful subject into a tangible, artistic installation in a technically very clever way. The project is rooted in psychological theories and personal experiences, making a lack which does not leave any physical traces palpable. The work distinguishes itself by a creative approach, such as the choice of a children's room as a mobile concept that can be used at various locations. The surprise effect of the gaming elements, where the frustration of not being able to win reinforces the theme of neglect, was considered very powerful”, according to the jury report. 

Watch the video below in which Emma talk about her project: