The 2026 IBDMAR Thesis and Dissertation Award followed an evaluation rite structured in successive stages, designed to ensure academic rigor, impartiality and transparency in the process.
After the formal qualification phase of the registrations, the regularly admitted works were submitted to individual technical evaluation, carried out by specialists with recognized academic or professional performance in Law of the Sea, Maritime Law and related areas. Each qualified thesis and dissertation received three valid evaluations, with attribution of grades according to the criteria provided for in the Notice and in the Regulation.
After this stage, the finalist works of each category were selected, based on the highest scores obtained in the individual technical evaluation, also observing the rules of approximation of score and tie provided for in the Regulation.
In the final phase, a Judging Committee, composed of three members per category, evaluated the finalist works. The judgment took into account not only the notes and opinions produced in the previous stage, but also the general academic consistency of the works, their adherence to the scientific and institutional objectives of the Award, their contribution to the development of the Law of the Sea and Maritime Law, as well as their scientific, institutional, social, normative and practical impact.
At the end of this process, the Brazilian Institute of Sea Law announces the winners of the IBDMAR Thesis and Dissertation Award 2026:
Adriana Isabelle Barbosa Sá Leitão Di Pasquale wins in the Doctoral Thesis category
In the Doctoral Thesis category, the winner is Adriana Isabelle Barbosa Sá Leitão Di Pasquale, author of the work:
“The Development of the Global Governance for Marine Plastic Pollution: Fulfilling Legal Gaps to Face the Ocean Emergency?”
The thesis was developed under joint supervision between the Università di Pisa, in Italy, and the Federal University of Ceará (UFC). The work was guided by Prof. Dr. Leonardo Pasquali, from the Università di Pisa, and co-supervised by Prof. Dr. Tarin Cristino Frota Mont’Alverne, from the Federal University of Ceará.
The research addresses the development of global governance aimed at tackling marine plastic pollution, examining legal gaps and regulatory challenges associated with protecting the oceans in the face of the growing environmental emergency.
Emerson Reginaldo Caetano wins in the Master’s Dissertation category
In the Master’s Dissertation category, the winner is Emerson Reginaldo Caetano, with the work:
“The Legal Implications of Brazil’s Submission to the Continental Shelf Limits Commission on the Elevation of the Rio Grande: Functional Sovereignty and Oceanic Justice in the Law of the Sea”
The dissertation was developed in the Graduate Program in Law and Social Justice of the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Felipe Kern Moreira and co-supervision of Prof. Dr. Tiago Vinícius Zanella.
The paper analyzes the legal regime of the Rio Grande Elevation in light of the Brazilian submission to the Continental Shelf Limits Commission, discussing issues related to the extended continental shelf, Brazil’s sovereign rights, the governance of mineral resources, international environmental obligations and ocean justice.
Recognition of academic excellence
The IBDMAR Thesis and Dissertation Award aims to encourage scientific production of excellence, promote the dissemination of knowledge and recognize research relevant to the development of the Law of the Sea.
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place during the X IBDMAR Congress, on November 10, 2026, when the winners will receive an award certificate. The respective graduate programs will also receive certificates with the identification of the supervisors of the awarded works.
IBDMAR congratulates Adriana Isabelle Barbosa Sá Leitão Di Pasquale and Emerson Reginaldo Caetano, their advisors and co-advisors, as well as the Università di Pisa, the Federal University of Ceará and the Federal University of Rio Grande, for the research developed and for their contribution to the advancement of the Law of the Sea.
