Essay Contest for Students & Young Scholars

The Future Markets Consultation invites students and young scholars to submit their ideas on a sustainable and just market economy for Europe in the shape of an essay. A prize is available in three categories: (1) bachelor students, (2) master & PhD students and (3) young scholars until 35 years. A selection of the best essays will be published on both this consultation website and on the Moral Markets portal.

9 Essay Authors Nominated

The jury read all the submissions for the essay contest of the Future Markets Consultation with great interest. We would like to cordially thank all participants for sharing their ideas and views. Due to the low number of submissions no prize will be awarded in the category of bachelor students. The winners in the categories master students and young scholars have been announced during an online event on 12 April 2020.

In the category master students, the following authors have been nominated:

  • Mark Beckmann (“The Democratising Potential of a Digital Euro“)
  • Luka Blankevoort (“Circular Economy in Degrowth for Environmental Sustainability“)
  • Camila Posada (“A New Rule Book for a New Transition“)
  • Michiel van Veluwen (“Moving forward and Finding Balance in a Dynamic System“)
  • Martijn de Vries (“The Challenge for a Future Economy that Promotes Human Flourishing Is Broadening What Economists Value“)

In the category of young scholars, the following essay authors have been nominated:

  • Fausto Corvino (“A Fair Allocation of the Costs of Precarious Employment: A Proposal for Europe“)
  • Malte Hendricks (“Laissez-Concurrencer!“)
  • Babatunde Onabajo (“Is It Time to Rethink Quotas?“)
  • Pim Post (“Rethinking Our Rights to Resources“)

What We Are Looking for

You can write an essay on any topic that is of relevance to the consultation, see our page on the background of & topics addressed in the consultation. The length of your essay should be at most 3,500 words including notes and references. Your essay should be aimed at an educated, yet non-academic public. It will be judged by our jury according to several criteria, including:

  • originality of thought,
  • depth of analysis,
  • organization of ideas,
  • clarity of expression,
  • relevance to public debate.

A preference will be given to essays that do not just analyze the current situation, but also suggest ways to move forward. All essays will be taken into account as input for the final report of the Future Markets Consultation.

Conditions & How to Submit

The essay contest is open to single-authored essays from bachelor students, master students, PhD students, and young researchers until 35 years (status at the moment of submission). A condition for participation is that

  • the essay has not been published before, and that
  • the submitter gives permission to publish the essay on the Moral Markets website.

You will be notified if (a) your essay has been selected for publication and (b) if a shortlist of best essays or a winner has been selected. A decision on the winners will be taken before the end of January 2021. We retain the right to decide to not select a winner if not enough essays of sufficient quality have been submitted in the category in questions.

The deadline for submission is Sunday 3 January 2021. To submit your essay:

  1. download the submission form below and fill it out
  2. add it as the first page of your essay (by combining PDFs)
  3. send your essay to Ilse Oosterlaken at essaycontest@moralmarkets.org.

What you can win

Three prizes are available:

  • €500 for the best essay from a bachelor student
  • €1.250 for the best essay from a master or PhD student
  • €1.750 for the best essay from young scholars until 35 years old

The prize winners will of course also get an honorable mention on the Moral Markets website and the website of the Future Markets Consultation.

Jury Members

Prof. dr. Govert Buijs

Prof. dr. Govert Buijs

Frits Goldschmeding Chair for Civil Society & Economics @ Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Prof. dr. Johan Graafland

Prof. dr. Johan Graafland

Professor of Economics & Business Ethics at Tilburg University

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