Heloise Le Moal, 2020 winner

Open to students at Scottish academic institutions, the Scottish Land Commission’s National Student Award 2022 will see one successful applicant receive a £1,000 grant to support a research project related to land reform.

Now in its fourth year, the award was introduced in 2019 not only to inspire the next generation of young researchers but to fund research that will help shape the debate around land reform in Scotland.

With previous winners undertaking core projects such as forestry management, exploring the ownership and management of rural land, and the impact of community arts organisations on urban regeneration, the Scottish Land Commission is now on the hunt for new applicants for 2022 with a particular interest in the following categories:

• Climate change and land reform: opportunities and risks
• Land reform in lockdown
• Community-led regeneration of vacant and derelict land
• Public sector-led rural housing developments

James MacKessack-Leitch, policy and practice lead at the Scottish Land Commission, said: “The way we own and use land around Scotland is coming into sharp focus as we address issues from climate change to affordable housing – making land reform a topic that requires much greater attention.

“We would like to encourage any students currently undertaking land related studies to come forward and apply to the National Student Award 2022 and contribute towards essential discussions on Scotland’s land ownership, use, and management.”

The research carried out by the successful candidate will feed into the Scottish Land Commission’s work to make more of Scotland’s land by stimulating fresh thinking and supporting change on the ground through its three priority areas of work: reforming land rights, embedding responsible land ownership and use, and reforming land markets.

Mr MacKessack-Leitch added: “The National Student Award gives students the opportunity to get involved in sparking the debate on how Scotland’s land is owned and used. It is an excellent opportunity for someone who is passionate about land reform to make a positive difference to the future of Scotland’s land use.

“The benefits that land can bring to invigorate communities, enhance wellbeing, tackle climate change, and support a just transition to net zero are vast, and we want to delve even deeper into these issues by funding important research that feeds in to our overall strategy.”

Applications for the National Student Award 2022 will close on Friday the 18 March. To find out more about the application process, criteria and how to apply, click here.