The Eur-Asian Border Lab Essay Contest was a one-time international competition hosted by Tallinn University in Estonia, inviting scholars and researchers in border studies to submit original essays on the concept of “volumetric borders.” The competition has concluded: applications closed on 20 May 2025, and the winner was invited to the Lab’s final event at Tallinn University, held 8–11 October 2025.
This was tied specifically to the Eur-Asian Border Lab’s own EU-funded research project reaching its concluding phase, not a recurring annual contest — there’s no indication of a second edition as of this writing. This page remains live as a record of the competition, its winner, and the original process, for anyone researching the Border Lab’s work or looking for a reference example of how a competition like this was structured.
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What the Competition Was About
The contest invited scholars, researchers, and practitioners engaged in border studies to explore how borders are shifting beyond fixed territorial lines into “volumetric, vertical, topological, and virtual spaces,” per the Border Lab’s own call for entries. Submissions were structured around a central argument grounded in theory, though the contest explicitly welcomed creative formats alongside traditional essays — drawings, poems, photographs, cartoons, and descriptive sketches were all accepted as legitimate ways to engage with the theme.
Essays were reviewed blind by Lab members, who selected one winner and two runners-up based on originality, argumentation, and format.
Who Won?
The competition’s confirmed winner was Thinh Tran, of National Sun Yat-sen University, whose essay was discussed in a dedicated session — “Sitback & Float Session: Discussing Floating in the Borderfoam” — at the Eur-Asian Border Lab’s Research Day 2025, moderated by John Buchanan of Tallinn University. This is confirmed directly on the Border Lab’s own event page, not secondhand reporting.
What the Winner Received
- An invitation to the Lab’s final event at Tallinn University, 8–11 October 2025
- Economy-class travel expenses covered
- Accommodation covered
- The opportunity to present the winning essay and engage directly with border studies researchers at the event
The top three essays overall, including both runners-up, were published on the Border Lab’s official website and promoted across its social media channels for wider visibility.
Eligibility Requirements (Original Cycle)
- Open to global participants: submissions accepted from all parts of the world, regardless of nationality
- Applicants needed to be scholars, researchers, or practitioners involved in border studies
- No age limit
- Essays had to be original and previously unpublished
Required Documents (Original Cycle)
- A cover letter, including the applicant’s name, affiliation, essay title, and a list of any additional files or links submitted
- The essay itself, submitted as a PDF, with any visuals integrated directly into the document
- In cases of large multimedia files, a PDF bearing the essay title, submitted alongside separate visual files
- Applicant names excluded from the essay file itself, to preserve blind review
How the Application Process Worked (Original Cycle)
For reference, this is how submissions were structured for this now-closed cycle:
- Essays were written and submitted in PDF format, with visuals or links embedded directly, and no author name anywhere in the file, to preserve blind review
- Files were named using the essay’s title (kept under 15 words), with no author name in the filename
- A separate cover letter PDF included the applicant’s full name, institution, essay title, and a list of any submitted materials
- Additional visuals or multimedia were submitted both embedded in the essay and as separate files (e.g., JPEGs)
- Large files were shared via WeTransfer, or uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo, or Google Drive with links included
- All files — essay, cover letter, and visuals — were emailed together to [email protected]
About the Eur-Asian Border Lab
The Eur-Asian Border Lab is a research initiative coordinated at Tallinn University, involving international symposia, workshops with researchers and policymakers, and collaborative studies on how borders function across increasingly “volumetric” spaces — air, sea, and digital domains — rather than fixed territorial lines alone, according to Tallinn University’s own announcement of the Lab’s launch. As of this writing, the Lab continues to operate as a research community, though its own site shows no indication of a new essay competition being planned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Eur-Asian Border Lab Essay Contest still accepting submissions?
No. This was a one-time competition, and applications closed on 20 May 2025. There’s no confirmed plan for a second edition as of this writing.
Who won the Eur-Asian Border Lab Essay Contest?
Thinh Tran, of National Sun Yat-sen University, confirmed directly on the Border Lab’s own event page, where his winning essay was discussed at a dedicated session during the Lab’s Research Day 2025.
Will the Eur-Asian Border Lab run another essay contest in the future?
There’s no current evidence of this. The contest was tied specifically to the Lab’s own research project reaching its concluding event in October 2025, and the Lab’s current site shows no announcement of a new competition.
What kind of essays were accepted for this competition?
Analytical essays grounded in theory and structured around a central argument, though the contest also welcomed creative formats — poems, sketches, photographs, and cartoons — as legitimate ways to explore the theme of volumetric borders.
Can I still see the original application process for this competition?
Yes, it’s documented above for reference. Since the competition has concluded, this is a historical record rather than active instructions — check borderlab.eu directly for any future opportunity.
Disclaimer: This post documents a concluded 2025 competition for informational and record purposes. All details, including the confirmed winner, were verified directly against the Eur-Asian Border Lab’s own official site as of August 2026. If a future edition of this competition is announced, details here may no longer reflect the current opportunity — confirm directly on borderlab.eu.
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