Henry Owen Award Memorial Essay Contest Winner Announced

The Bretton Woods Committee would like to congratulate Geovana Pessoa da Vitoria as the winner of our Henry Owen Award Memorial Essay Contest! We encourage you to read Geovana’s essay here. 

This contest asked graduate-level students to propose what new governance models, tools and ideas are necessary to better equip the IFIs – the World Bank, regional multilateral development banks and/or the IMF - to effectively deliver development finance and better policy outcomes globally. The winning essay was selected by a panel of judges who evaluated the submissions based on the authors’ demonstrated knowledge of the topic, ability to provide complex analysis, and level of creativity. We would like to thank the judges for their help and support during the evaluation process.  

The Henry Owen Memorial Award honors Bretton Woods Committee co-founder Henry Owen, and hopes to inspire new generations of thoughtful young leaders to follow Ambassador Owen’s example as both a scholar and diplomat. As Ambassador for Economic Summits under President Jimmy Carter, Henry Owen organized many of the economic summits in the 1970s which came to shape modern international financial and economic institutions, and he was an important force behind the creation of the Trilateral Commission. 

This Award has been made possible thanks to the generous contributions of Bretton Woods Committee members, friends, and the Owen family.