The Eur-Asian Border Lab Essay Contest 2025 offers a distinctive platform for global thinkers, artists, and writers to explore the evolving role of borders in a creative, interdisciplinary way. Hosted by Tallinn University in Estonia, this international competition invites submissions that challenge conventional approaches to borders—encouraging participants to examine spatial power, territoriality, and discursive landscapes through critical and artistic lenses.

Whether you are an academic, a poet, a multimedia artist, or an independent researcher, this opportunity enables you to blend theory with imagination. Through this Research Program, participants can contribute to emerging discourses on borders while gaining international recognition and engaging with a wider scholarly and creative community.

The contest culminates in a final event from 8 to 11 October 2025 at Tallinn University, where the winner will be invited to present their work—fully funded by the organizers. The top three essays will also be published on the Eur-Asian Border Lab website and digital platforms.

Program Details

Host Country: Estonia
Event Mode: Online Submission
Host Institution: Eur-Asian Border Lab
Final Event Dates: 8–11 October 2025
Final Event Location: Tallinn University, Estonia

The contest is part of a larger interdisciplinary research initiative investigating the complexities of borders and spatial control in Eurasia and beyond. Selected essays will be presented and discussed among an international audience of experts, students, and fellow creatives.

Essay Theme

Participants are invited to answer two central questions:

1. What is or will be the role of borders in ordering spaces?

2. What could be alternative technical and discursive landscapes of control and power?

Essays must be well-structured around a clear and compelling argument. Submissions should engage critically with border theory while embracing creative freedom. This may include incorporating:

• Visuals (photography, illustrations, or maps)

• Poems or lyrical texts

• Sketches or diagrams

• Other artistic or multimedia formats

Essays should seek to push the boundaries of traditional academic writing while remaining rigorous and insightful.

Benefits

• Fully funded participation in the final event at Tallinn University, Estonia (winner only)

• Round-trip travel and accommodation expenses fully covered

• Publication of top three essays on the Eur-Asian Border Lab website and social media platforms

• International visibility and recognition for outstanding creative and academic work

• Participation in global conversations within the field of border studies

• Access to a diverse network of scholars, artists, and activists

This contest not only offers financial support but also fosters interdisciplinary exploration and elevates emerging voices in Research Program discourse.

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to individuals of all nationalities

• Essay must be between 1200 and 1500 words

• Content must be original and unpublished at the time of submission

• Participants must own the copyright for all images or visuals included

• Submissions may be in written or multimedia form, but must center around a cohesive argument

This is a competition designed for both emerging and experienced voices in border studies, visual arts, urban theory, critical geography, and related fields.

How to Apply

Step-by-Step Application Process:

1. Essay Submission

   • Write your essay in PDF format

   • Title the file with the essay’s name only (do not include your personal name)

   • Submit via email to: info@borderlab.eu

2. Cover Letter Submission

   • Create a separate PDF document including:

     • Full name

     • Title of your essay

     • List of submitted materials (e.g., image files, links to videos)

3. Additional Multimedia Materials

   • Submit any visuals in JPEG format

   • Use platforms like WeTransfer, Google Drive, YouTube, or Vimeo to upload large files

   • Include captions or explanatory text, but exclude any personal identifiers

Required Documents

• Essay (PDF format, 1200–1500 words)

• Cover letter (PDF)

• Supporting visuals or links (if applicable)

• Optional: any other relevant multimedia content

Applicants are advised to check file formatting, ensure clarity of their arguments, and follow all naming conventions to remain eligible for review.

Application Deadline

Last date to apply: 20 May 2025

Submissions received after this deadline or missing required components will not be considered. All entries will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary panel of scholars, creatives, and project collaborators.

The Eur-Asian Border Lab Essay Contest 2025 encourages participants to reimagine the function and future of borders through a critical and creative lens. In an era defined by displacement, digital surveillance, and geopolitical realignment, this contest invites urgent reflection on how boundaries are drawn, enforced, and experienced.

By engaging with the theme of volumetric borders, applicants will have the opportunity to contribute new insights to a growing global conversation. Whether you are questioning the political nature of border regimes or exploring how migration is shaped by invisible control systems, your work can help illuminate alternative pathways forward.

This is more than an Essay Competition—it is an invitation to become part of a boundary-pushing community that values depth, originality, and vision.