The European Union Center of Excellence is pleased to announce the third annual Northwest Transatlantic Studies Essay Competition.
This program is designed to encourage the study of the European Union and transatlantic relations in the Pacific Northwest region. In line with these goals, the student who submits the winning essay will receive a $1,000 grant to participate in the center's Certificate in Transatlantic Studies or EU Studies Summer Program in Brussels. The competition is open to all students pursuing undergraduate degrees at four-year colleges and universities, with a submission deadline of June 13, 2008 at 5:00 pm.
The third year of the Northwest Transatlantic Studies Essay Competition asks participants to consider the future of the EU-US partnership. The 2008 US Presidential Election will affect the entire world, so this year's essay competition will focus on the potential changes in the Transatlantic relationship that will result from the inauguration of a new US President. Essays submitted to the 2008 competition should address how the EU-US relationship will continue to change and grow over the next four years and beyond. What is vital that the new US president be aware of in order to further strengthen the EU-US relationship?
Essay submissions will be judged based on how well they address the topic, the quality and clarity of writing, and the originality and sophistication of argument and analysis. All essays should be submitted in English with a title page, be typed and double-spaced, and not exceed 1,500 words in length (exclusive of title page and citations, if applicable). Applicants should note their name and university affiliation on the title page, but in no other place in the document. The competition will only accept one essay per individual and each submission should not have been previously published or submitted to another competition. Submissions based on previous class papers are encouraged as long as they meet the other criteria noted above.
Submissions should be sent via e-mail as Word or PDF attachments to the EU Center of Excellence at euc@u.washington.edu with the words "Transatlantic Essay" in the subject line. Hard copies (but not faxes) will also be accepted if received by the EU Center by the deadline. Only essays submitted by the June 13 deadline will receive consideration. Submitted essays will become property of the EU Center and will not be returned. The winning essay will be posted on our website and may be distributed in hard copy form.
The winner of the Northwest Transatlantic Studies Essay Competition will be announced by July 11. The winning prize will be a $1,000 grant that can be applied toward the 2008 or 2009 Certificate in Transatlantic Studies or EU Studies Summer Program in Brussels. The latter is open to all students pursuing undergraduate degrees at US four-year colleges or universities. The CTAS program is only open to UW students and is thus only applicable should the winning essay be submitted by a University of Washington student. The award cannot be issued as cash or be applied to other programs. The contest winner will additionally receive an award certificate from the EU Center of Excellence and have their essay and the award notice published on our website.
For further information or questions regarding the essay competition, contact the European Union Center of Excellence at 206-616-2415 or email euc@u.washington.edu.