The Expatriate Archive Centre (EAC) Master’s Thesis Award is currently open and submissions are encourages! The EAC Thesis Award was established to recognise and reward outstanding master’s theses that deepen understanding of how expatriation affects people’s lives. The award highlights high-quality scholarship in a field that is often underrepresented in official archives and migration studies. The winner of the 2026 EAC Thesis Award will receive a prize of €500, and the executive summary of the selected thesis will be published online by the EAC and its partner organisations. Submissions are now open for the 2026 edition.
As an organisation that brings together researchers from around the world, the EAC is committed to advancing research on expatriate life. It defines an expatriate broadly as anyone living temporarily in a country other than their home country. Through this award, the EAC seeks to support critical and innovative research that aligns with its mission and objectives, rather than prescribing a specific research theme. Particular attention is given to work that challenges narrow, classist, or racist understandings of the term “expatriate” and that expands how temporary migration is conceptualised and studied.
Eligible theses must relate clearly to the EAC’s mission, contribute to the advancement of expatriation studies, and improve understanding of expatriate experiences. Submissions must be written in English, have received a mark of at least 8/10 (or an equivalent grade), and must originate from one of the last four academic years, from 2021–22 to 2024–25. Theses are assessed on the basis of originality and innovation (20%), technical quality (30%), composition (10%), potential scholarly contribution to expatriation studies (20%), and potential practical relevance for policy, industry, or civil society (20%).
Applications must be submitted via the digital application form by 31 March 2026. Required materials include personal and thesis details, the full thesis in PDF format, and an executive summary of 500–750 words written by the student. This summary must explain how the thesis connects to the EAC’s mission, outline its scholarly and practical contributions, and clarify what distinguishes it from existing research.
Applicants retain copyright of both their thesis and executive summary. Partner organisations may feature submitted work provided authors are credited and no financial profit is made. Authors of the top five submissions consent to the EAC retaining a digital copy of their thesis for inclusion in its library and agree to indemnify the involved organisations against third-party copyright claims.
The 2026 award will be decided by a five-member jury consisting of two permanent members—Chairperson Robbert-Jan Adriaansen and Lale A. Uribeechevarria—and three guest jurors: Craig Howes, Jennifer McGarrigle, and Matthew Hayes. The award is supported by several partner organisations that help promote the initiative and its winner. For 2026, these partners areACCESS, DutchNews, TheHagueOnLine, Families in Global Transition, Metropolis International and ICARUS.