Eur-Asian Border Lab Essay Contest 2025

Omran Aburayya
May 20
3 min read

If you're passionate about reimagining borders in an era of technological advancement and geopolitical shifts, the Eur-Asian Border Lab Essay Contest 2025 offers a unique platform to share your insights. This international competition invites scholars, researchers, and creatives to explore the evolving nature of borders—extending beyond traditional lines on a map to encompass multidimensional and virtual spaces. The winning essayist will receive a fully funded trip to Tallinn, Estonia, to present their work at the Lab’s final event at Tallinn University from October 8–11, 2025.

📌 Essay Contest Summary

Location: Tallinn University, Estonia
Host Institution: Eur-Asian Border Lab
Target Group: Scholars, researchers, and creatives worldwide
Focus Areas: Volumetric borders, virtual spaces, geopolitical dynamics
Award : Fully funded trip (economy airfare and accommodation)
Award Duration: 4 days (October 8–11, 2025)
Application Deadline: May 20, 2025, by 16:00 CET
Start Date: October 8, 2025
Eligible to: Individuals of all nationalities

📝 Contest Overview

The Eur-Asian Border Lab Essay Contest 2025 challenges participants to delve into the complexities of modern borders, considering how technological advancements and environmental changes are reshaping our understanding of territorial boundaries. Essays should be analytical, structured around a central argument, and grounded in theory. Participants are encouraged to incorporate innovative formats such as ethnographic vignettes, poems, photographs, drawings, or cartoons to make their content more accessible and engaging.

Key Questions to Address:

What is or will be the role of borders in ordering spaces?
What could be alternative technical and discursive landscapes of control and power?

🎁 Contest Benefits

Fully Funded Participation: The winner will be invited to the Lab’s final event in Tallinn, with all travel and accommodation expenses covered.
Publication Opportunities: The top three essays will be published on the Eur-Asian Border Lab website and promoted on social media, providing exposure to a wide network of border scholars.
Networking: Engage with leading academics and practitioners in border studies during the event.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

Nationality: Open to individuals of all nationalities.
Essay Requirements:
- Length: 1,200–1,500 words (excluding references).
- Originality: All textual and visual materials must be original and unpublished.
- Language: Proficiency in English.

📄 Application Procedure

Submission Guidelines:

Essay File:
- Format: PDF
- Naming: Use the essay title (max 15 words) as the file name.
- Content: Do not include your name in the file name, essay content, or image captions to ensure a blind review process.
- Visuals: Integrate visuals or links within the PDF. For large files, provide links via platforms like WeTransfer, YouTube, Vimeo, or Google Drive.
Cover Letter:
- Format: Separate PDF file
- Content: Include your name, affiliation, essay title, and a list of all submitted materials (images, multimedia, or other visuals, and/or extra links).

Visuals and Multimedia:

Photo files should be JPEG images with good contrast, sharpness, a resolution of at least 300 dpi, and dimensions of at least 2560×2560 pixels.
Image/visual captions should contain the title, information on place and year, or any other explanatory text.
Include your full name as the author of the image/visual only in the cover letter, and not in the caption integrated in the text file.

📬 Submission Email: info@borderlab.eu