Student Essays

Columbia University's Journal of International Affairs holds the Andrew Wellington Cordier Contest and the Global Public Policy Network Contest biannually, featuring winning authors  in the print issue and issuing a $500 prize. 

The next issue focuses on the international response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and is titled "War in Ukraine: The World Responds." This issue seeks to provide a contemporary understanding of the effects of the war on global systems, as well as to interrogate and contextualize global response in the face of other concurrent or pre-dating crises elsewhere in the world.

Intersecting themes of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Institutional response, including in the security and humanitarian sectors
  • NATO expansion and the accession of Finland and Sweden
  • The Sino-Russian relationship
  • UN processes, especially UNGA resolutions and UNSC dynamics
  • US domestic politics and the ramifications on foreign policy
  • Germany and its multifaceted response
  • The EU response: aid, alliances, and expansion
  • Energy markets, fossil fuels, natural gas/LNG, and global commodities markets
  • Climate
  • Inflation and the macroeconomy
  • Impact on civilians (especially women and youth)
  • Food security and high staples prices
  • Migration out of Ukraine and refugee response in Ukraine’s neighbors
  • Multilateral and rhetorical response outside the West
  • Response prioritization and disproportionate aid and attention
  • Sport and the question of Ukrainian and Russian athletes in international competition

 

Deadline and Submission Guidelines 

Andrew Wellington Cordier Prize

JIA invites students of Columbia University to contribute an essay of 2,000-4,000 words for publication in the forthcoming print issue. Andrew Wellington Cordier became the dean of the School of International Affairs (as it was known then) in 1962 following a distinguished career at the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations. From 1969−1970, he served as president of Columbia University. The Andrew Wellington Cordier Contest is open to all currently enrolled Columbia University students.

The winner will receive a prize of $500, and a complementary copy of the issue. The winning piece will be featured on JIA’s online edition and promoted alongside the rest of the work featured in the issue.

All articles must represent original, unpublished work. JIA follows Chicago style, and its citation format is an adaptation of Chicago’s Notes and Bibliography system.

To submit an essay, please email your submission to [email protected] and include your essay as an attachment. Submissions will be accepted until March 24, 2023. Earlier submissions are welcome.

Please refer to past contest winners here.

Global Public Policy Network Prize

JIA invites students of schools within the Global Public Policy Network to contribute an essay of 2,000-4,000 words for publication in the forthcoming print issue. The Global Public Policy Network (GPPN) Contest is open to all currently enrolled students of GPPN-partnered schools (Columbia University, Sciences Po Paris, the London School of Economics and Political Science, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the FGV-EAESP, the Graduate School of Public Policy, and the Hertie School of Governance). Through this effort, the journal strives to promote dialogue and feature a diverse cross section of student perspectives.

The winner will receive a prize of $500, and a complementary copy of the issue. The winning piece will be featured on JIA’s online edition and promoted alongside the rest of the work featured in the issue.

All articles must represent original, unpublished work. JIA follows Chicago style, and its citation format is an adaptation of Chicago’s Notes and Bibliography system.

To submit an essay, please email your submission to [email protected] and include your essay as an attachment. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis until March 24, 2023. Earlier submissions are welcome.

Please refer to past contest winners here.

About Us

"War in Ukraine: The World Responds" will be the 151th issue of the Journal of International Affairs, published by Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Founded in 1947, the Journal is the premier university-affiliated periodical in the field and has earned worldwide recognition for framing the debates and discourses that define international relations and the practice of foreign policy.

Contributors represent a diverse group of academics and practitioners. Notable authors have included Hannah Arendt, J. Brian Atwood, Jagdish Bhagwati, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jimmy Carter, Noam Chomsky, Francis Deng, Francis Fukuyama, W. Averell Harriman, John Kerry, Robert S. McNamara, Margaret Mead, Hans Morgenthau, Luis Moreno Ocampo, Giandomenico Picco, Condoleezza Rice, Marco Rubio, Rajiv Shah, Paul Volcker, Kenneth Waltz, Joshua Wong, and Muhammad Yunus.

Contact Us

Prospective contributors are encouraged to reach out to JIA editorial staff at [email protected] with any questions. Students are welcome to write with an abstract or summary of a piece on hand to check for fit. However, there is no guarantee that a piece that is determined to fit with the scope of the issue will be publishable.