The International Environmental Agreements (IEA) Database Project has launched its inaugural essay competition, seeking to honor the best student research through the newly established Ronald Mitchell Prize.
This competition invites students to leverage the world’s most comprehensive repository of environmental agreements to address global challenges.
Originally initiated in 2002 by Professor Ronald Mitchell and currently maintained at Université Laval, the IEADB is a critical resource used by policymakers and researchers worldwide.
The Ronald Mitchell Prize competition aims to highlight original work that utilizes this detailed database to further the understanding of international environmental governance.
Funding and benefits
The winner of the competition will receive a cash prize of $500. Beyond the financial reward, this inaugural prize provides an opportunity for students to gain international recognition for their research within a specialized field of study.
Participation is open to a broad range of academic levels, including any individual who held student status in 2025, from undergraduate students to PhD candidates.
Co-authored papers are permitted by the committee, provided that the lead author of the submission is a student.
The competition accepts various forms of academic work, allowing students to submit term papers, master’s theses, specific thesis chapters, or independent side projects.
Application requirements
All submissions must be substantial academic works ranging between 5,000 and 12,000 words, a limit that includes references. Authors are encouraged to include supplementary materials such as coding scripts or appendices that may exceed the word count.
To ensure global inclusivity, papers written in languages other than English are eligible for consideration, provided they are accompanied by a full English translation.
Additionally, authors retain full copyright over their work, which may be either published or unpublished at the time of entry.
Only research completed after February 1, 2025, will be considered for the prize. This requirement ensures that the award recognizes the most recent and relevant contributions to the field of environmental agreement research.
A panel of experts will judge submissions based on four key pillars:
- Originality
- Rigor
- Integrity
- Depth
Deadline
Aspiring scholars must submit their papers via ieadb@ulaval.ca. To be eligible for the 2025/2026 cycle, all applications must be received no later than February 1, 2026.
Interested scholars are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible to ensure timely consideration. Click here to apply. Explore more global calls on our Opportunities page
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