WhatNext.Law is pleased to announce the winner and honourable mentions of the WhatNext.Law Best Thesis Award 2025, recognizing outstanding master’s theses in fields aligned with WhatNext.Law’s mission of promoting forward-looking, critical research in technology, society, and law.
WhatNext.Law Best Thesis Award 2025 received 25 submissions from across the World, from Portugal, Macau, Belgium, Netherlands and Brazil, touching on topics from regulation of AI, fundamental rights online, corporate sustainability due diligence obligations, copyright in videogames, deceptive design practices in platforms and algorithmic collusion for price fixing.
Winner
“A Partilha Não Consentida de Imagens Sexuais Reais e Manipuladas: Análise Jurídica e Proposta de Alteração Legislativa”
(“Non-Consensual Sharing of Real and Manipulated Sexual Images: Legal Analysis and Proposal for Legislative Reform”)
— Mariana Amaro Lourenço Ferreira Santos
Mariana’s work highly impressed the jury for its combination of practical activity during a court internship with the selection of a topic that is becoming increasingly concerning and that the winner analyses demonstrating outstanding command of the relevant legal doctrines as well as the capacity to propose thought-provoking interpretations of existing provisions and legal reforms that deserve the attention of the relevant legal community.
In recognition of this achievement, the winner will receive a prize of €1,500 and be published by WhatNext.Law, in line with the Terms of the Award. (WhatNext.Law)
Honourable Mentions
In addition to the winner, two outstanding theses have been awarded Honourable Mention :
- “Human Oversight in EU Data Protection Law: A Study of the GDPR and the AI Act” — Michaël Thomas, from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
This thesis stands out for its clear, operational conception of “human oversight” as a designable legal safeguard, translating abstract principles into implementable controls. Its rigorous, comparative reading of the GDPR and the AI Act surfaces concrete governance-by-design pathways and resolves tensions between accountability and automation.
- “Synthetic Data and GDPR Compliance: Navigating the Legal and Ethical Landscape” — Maria Catarina Caridade Batista, from NOVA School of Law
Maria’s work offers a novel, forward-looking analysis of synthetic data as a GDPR‑compliant innovation lever. Its research questions are clear and coherent, the methodology is consistently applied. Written with clarity and structure for both legal and technical audiences, it aligns closely with WhatNext.Law’s mission by addressing an emerging regulatory challenge with immediate implications for trustworthy AI and data governance.
These theses will also be considered for publication by WhatNext.Law as part of the Award’s recognition mechanism. (WhatNext.Law)
