European Policy Prize 2021

This year has undoubtedly been an uncertain one for policymakers around the world, and the long-term responses to issues such as Covid-19 are just beginning. With this in mind, European Horizons and the European Student Think Tank are delighted to open submissions to the European Policy Prize 2021, designed to give students a chance to envisage real policy solutions and have conversations with those who decide and dictate European Policy.

Our theme this year is The Future of Europe in the Age of Crisis.

We are inviting students and recent graduates to produce a policy memo of 1,500- 2,000 words in English as an answer to one of the following questions:

‘The Future will be what we make it. And Europe will be what we want it to be’ (Ursula von der Leyen, State of the Union Address 2020)

Over the past decade, the Idea of Europe has faced a number of existential threats, from the aftershocks of the global financial crisis to the European migrant crisis, from Brexit to the pandemic, from an unreliable transatlantic partner to ascendent systemic rivals. In light of this either:

• How should the European Union work with its partners to increase resilience and preparedness to mitigate the consequences of global events threatening our societies and communities?

Or

• How should the transatlantic alliance adapt its global strategy to reinvigorate democratic values at home and abroad?

Or

• What pioneering policy solution should the European Union employ to advance the European project and to build a more European Union in the decades ahead?

Your entries will be judged first by a panel of editors from the two think tanks and a judge from The Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA), and then by our executive judging panel: Klaus Welle (Secretary-General of the European Parliament), Dragoș Pîslaru MEP and Tamara Perišin (Judge for the General Court of the European Union). Our executive judges will be supported by the EST Editorial Office, European Horizons and TEPSA. Memos will be judged on originality, creativity, fluency of thought, and clarity of their arguments. Three winners will be selected, one for each of the questions.

The winners of the competition will each receive the following prizes:

• A virtual policy presentation to one of our judges to discuss the European Policymaking Process and the Policy implications of your proposal.
• The opportunity to be published in one of two peer-reviewed journals: European Horizons’ Review of European and Transatlantic Affairs or the European Student Thinktank’s European Policy Review.
• A free copy of Euroscepticism and the Future of Europe- Views from the Capitals, kindly provided by TEPSA
• A waiver to the European Horizons European Student Conference.

The deadline for submissions to the competition is January 24th at 11:59pm CET. 

All memos should be:

• Original Pieces and Currently Unpublished
• Written in English
• Word .docx files (not PDFs)
• Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition reference style
• Word Count: 1500-2000 Words

Here you can find the Policy Memo template and the Policy Memo Guidelines to enable your preparation!

Please send your articles to editorinchief@esthinktank.com 

We wish you the very best of luck, and look forward to reading your wonderful submissions!