The WTO Essay Award for Economists is an annual competition organized by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to recognize outstanding research and analysis on international trade and trade policy. The award is open to young economists who are below the age of 30 and engaged in research on trade-related issues.
The purpose of the WTO Essay Award is to encourage young economists to contribute to the field of international trade and to promote dialogue and debate on trade policy issues. The competition seeks to identify innovative and thought-provoking research that addresses key challenges and opportunities in the global trading system.
Participants are invited to submit essays on a selected topic chosen by the WTO Secretariat. The topics typically cover a wide range of issues related to international trade, such as trade liberalization, trade negotiations, trade and development, trade and environment, and trade and technology.
A panel of experts evaluates the submitted essays based on their originality, analytical rigor, clarity of presentation, and relevance to current trade policy debates. The winners of the WTO Essay Award receive a cash prize and are invited to present their research at a WTO event, providing them with valuable exposure and networking opportunities within the international trade community.
Through the WTO Essay Award for Economists, the WTO aims to foster research excellence and encourage young economists to contribute their insights and expertise to the ongoing discourse on trade policy. The award also serves to highlight the importance of research and analysis in informing evidence-based trade policy decisions and shaping the future of global trade governance.
The WTO has issued a call for young economists to submit papers for the 2024 WTO Essay Award. The aim of the award is to promote high-quality research on trade policy and international trade cooperation and to reinforce the relationship between the WTO and the academic community.
Eligibility Criteria For The WTO Essay Award
- The paper must address issues related to trade policy and international trade cooperation.
- The author(s) of the paper must possess or be engaged in the completion of a PhD degree and, if over 30 years of age, be no more than two years past a PhD defense.
- In the case of co-authored papers, this requirement shall apply to all authors. In addition, to be considered for the award, essays cannot exceed 15,000 words.
Prize
- The annual WTO Essay Award provides a prize of CHF 5,000 to the author(s) of the winning essay. In the case of a co-authored paper, the prize will be equally divided among the authors.
- The winning paper will be officially announced at the annual meeting of the European Trade Study Group (ETSG), the largest conference specializing in international trade. The award ceremony will take place on 12-14 September 2024 at Athens University in Greece.
- The winning author will receive funding to attend the meeting.
Timeline:
- Essays must be submitted by 3 June 2024.
- The Economic Research and Statistics Division of the WTO Secretariat will shortlist eligible papers by 17 June 2024 and the selection panel will take a final decision by 8 July 2024.
- Only the author(s) of short-listed essays will be notified.
Publication
The winning essay may be published in the WTO Working Paper Series. It is the responsibility of the author(s) to endeavour to secure publication of the contribution in a journal.
Submissions
All submissions should be sent to essay.award@wto.org. Submissions should include as separate attachments in PDF format:
1. the essay
2. the CV of the author(s), specifying (i) current affiliation(s), (ii) the academic institution awarding the PhD, (iii) the year (or the expected year) of the PhD, (iv) the date of birth of the author(s)
Application Deadline: 3 June 2024.
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