pple aJ X Euobserver Writing competition

To inaugurate our blog, the PPLE Academic Journal is thrilled to announce a journalistic writing competition in collaboration with the EUobserver, an independent, not-for-profit online newspaper based in Brussels, renowned for its investigative journalism that fosters transparency, accountability, and European democracy by connecting EU decision-makers with the people they represent. This competition offers PPLE students a unique opportunity to work with Alejandro Tauber, the publisher and former editor-in-chief of the EUobserver, and to have their work published on the platform.

Competition Guidelines

• Your submission must be received between January 23–March 7, 2025. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis; all entrants will be informed of their result. 

• All articles are to be submitted to this form. 

• The topic of your article must be in some way relevant to EU affairs. This may be in more direct ways, like a ruling by the ECJ, or in more indirect ways so long as their connection to the EU is justified, e.g., the implications for the EU of a recent BRICs convention. Areas of interest to the EUobserver include, but are not limited to: Migration, Green Economy, Health & Society, Rule of Law, etc. 

• Your topic may be based on current events, but may not simply be a summary of them; a degree of original insight is necessary. 

• The recommended word count is 500–1,000, though this may be reasonably flexible around the margins. Do not dilute your content for the sake of fitting within the word limit!

• Your depth of research, writing ability, and the substantiation of your claims will be assessed. 

An excellent source to consult in terms of formatting is the EUobserver site itself, particularly the Opinion section. As your article may eventually be published amongst these, your own formatting should be similar. Please note that if you sign in through UvA’s library proxy or create an account with an UvA email, you should have free access to euobserver.com. 

If you are unsure of your topic and would like a second opinion, feel free to pitch your idea to Alejandro himself by sending an email to at@euobserver.com. Please do not, however, forward full drafts to him. If you do not receive a response after a reasonable time period, please kindly send him a follow up email. 

Lastly, please note that there is not necessarily a single winner of this competition. Any article of sufficient quality may be accepted for publication—there is no limit!