Banco de Portugal has awarded the Professor Jacinto Nunes Prize 2025 to Camila Monteiro, in recognition of her outstanding academic performance as the top student in the Undergraduate Program in Economics at CATÓLICA-LISBON for the 2024/20205 academic year.
The award ceremony took place on January 20t, 2026, at the Nave do Museu do Dinheiro, in Lisbon. The event was attended by the Governor of the Banco de Portugal, Álvaro Santos Pereira; Vice-Governors Luís Máximo dos Santos and Clara Raposo; and Board Members Helena Adegas, Rui Pinto, and Francisca Guedes de Oliveira.
The Professor Jacinto Nunes Prize distinguishes students who achieve the highest final grade in the Undergraduate Program in Economics among higher education institutions where minimum entry score for the last admitted student is 140 points or above. This initiative aims to recognise academic excellence in a field of study, central to the Banco de Portugal's institutional mission, thereby promoting excellence in Economics education in Portugal.
In addition to the monetary award of €2,000, the top student from each faculty is also offered the opportunity to undertake an internship at the Banco de Portugal, further enriching their academic journey and providing direct exposure to a professional environment.
“Given my somewhat unconventional path – having switched my degree from Management to Economics in what would have been my final semester in Management – receiving the Professor Jacinto Nunes Prize confirmed that I made the right decision. It validated my choice to pursue the academic field that had always sparked my greatest enthusiasm, even if it was not the most obvious personal choice”, stated this year’s award winner, Camila Monteiro.
The student also highlighted the role of CATÓLICA-LISBON in her achievement, “above all, through the excellent economists I had the privilege of having as professors throughout my degree. From the very first year, they sparked my passion for Economics and, later on, my particular interest in Macroeconomics.”
Proud of this distinction, Camila Monteiro further emphasised that “this type of recognition is valuable because it creates incentives for students to give their very best, knowing that effort and dedication will be acknowledged and rewarded.”
CATÓLICA-LISBON congratulates Camila Monteiro on her commitment and dedication. This distinction reflects her merit and reinforces the business school's commitment to academic excellence and student success.