UNHCR and Addis Ababa University’s Centre for Human Rights (CHR-AAU) invite African university students at the graduate (Masters or Doctoral) level to submit research essays on the topic of forced displacement in Africa to an essay competition being held in connection with the African Union’s (AU) theme of 2019: ‘The Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Further,  Towards Durable Solutions for Forced Displacement in Africa’ and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa and the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention).
Competition guidelines

Any research essay of no more than 3,000 words (including any cover page, table of contents, footnotes, bibliography, etc…) that offers a clear contribution on the topic of refugees and/or IDPs in Africa. Research may come from any relevant discipline (including but not limited to economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, politics or sociology), or may be interdisciplinary. Further, The research may be theoretical, or it may incorporate empirical/field research findings.

Prize

• The winning essay will be online by UNHCR and CHR-AAU and the winner will
  receive a prize of US$1,000.

Eligibility

To enter, as of the deadline (31 December 2019), you must be:

• Aged 18 or over;
• Further,  A national of, or ordinarily resident in, an AU member state; and
•  Registered at the graduate (Masters or Doctoral) level at a recognized university in an
  AU member state.
• Additionally, your essay:
•  Must be in English;
• Also,  Must be endorsed by a faculty member from your university; and
•  May have been  for course credit or prepared exclusively for this
  competition

Selection criteria

The internal and expert juries will judge entries by the following criteria:

•  Quality of writing;
•  Also, Quality of research;
•  Timeliness and importance of topic; and
•  Contribution to increasing understanding of forced displacement in Africa