SINT MAARTEN/CURACAO - On July 17, 2026, the Centrale Bank van Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) presented the Best Economic Research Award (BERA) to the winners of the sixth BERA edition.
The competition was open to students from Curaçao and Sint Maarten at the HAVO, VWO, and bachelor levels. The winners of this year's competition were Kavish Punjabi, Justin Zhuo, and Martin Seeman from Learning Unlimited Preparatory School in Sint Maarten at the HAVO level, Ian Asjes and Emile Hammoud from Radulphus College at the VWO level, and Kristelie Cijntje-Isenia from the Inter-Continental University of the Caribbean (ICUC) at the bachelor level.
The CBCS holds this annual competition to stimulate economic research, particularly on the economies of Curaçao and Sint Maarten. This year, the competition received 19 valid submissions: 11 at the HAVO level, 5 at the VWO level, and 3 at the bachelor level.
Students explored a broad range of topics, including tourism, housing, digital payments, economic vulnerability, and other issues relevant to the sustainable development of the monetary union.
The submissions were evaluated by an expert panel of judges with extensive knowledge of economic, fiscal, and monetary issues. The evaluation committee consisted of drs. Alberto Romero, drs. Eric Matto, and drs. Miguel de Weever.
The papers were assessed based on research methodology, originality and creativity, writing quality, presentation, and relevance, taking into account the academic level of each category.
At the HAVO level, the Best Economic Research Award was presented to Kavish Punjabi, Justin Zhuo, and Martin Seeman from Learning Unlimited Preparatory School in Sint Maarten for their research paper titled "Tourism Dependence and Economic Vulnerability in Small-Island States."
Their achievement marks a significant milestone, as it is the first time that a school from Sint Maarten has won the Best Economic Research Award. At the VWO level, the award was presented to Ian Asjes and Emile Hammoud from Radulphus College for their research paper titled "Betalen in Beweging.
Digitale betaalsystemen op Curaçao: kansen en beperkingen in een kleine markt." At the bachelor level, the Best Economic Research Award was presented to Kristelie Cijntje-Isenia from the ICUC for her thesis titled "The Impact of Foreign Real Estate Investment on the Housing Market of Curaçao."
The award ceremony took place at the CBCS, where the winners presented their research projects. As part of the ceremony, the winners received a trophy and a cash prize.
The winning projects at the HAVO and VWO levels received Cg 2,500, while the winning school in each category received Cg 5,000. The winner at the bachelor level received a cash prize of Cg 5,000. A special award ceremony was held at the CBCS in Sint Maarten for the winners at the HAVO level.
During the event, the winners received their awards from Nicole Marlin, Director of the CBCS Sint Maarten Office.
The CBCS congratulates all participants on their excellent research efforts and valuable contributions to economic research and wishes them continued success in their academic and professional careers.
L to R: Nicole Marlin, Kavish Punjabi, Martin Seeman, Mrs. Zhuo Chen on behalf of Justin Zhuo, Ren-Dwina Browne, Frances Alexander and Sarah Beland
