EAC Thesis Award
This Master’s Thesis Award was created to celebrate and reward scholars who produce outstanding master’s theses that help further our understanding of the impact of expatriation on people’s lives. The Thesis Award winner receives €500, and the executive summary is published online by us and the organisations participating in this initiative.
About the Thesis Award
As an organisation that welcomes researchers from around the world, the Expatriate Archive Centre (EAC) seeks high-quality academic works that improve our understanding of expatriate life. The EAC defines expatriate as anyone who lives temporarily in a country other than their home country.
Expatriates as a group tend to ‘fall through the cracks’ when it comes to being represented in official government archives, as well as in global migration studies. With this thesis award, we wish to support critical scholarship that endeavours to shift and expand our understanding of what an expatriate is.
The term 'expatriate' can be used to distinguish temporary migrants from more settled migrants. Yet it has long been heavily loaded with classist and racist connotations. Why is it, for example, that a Canadian retiree wintering in Mexico is more readily described in common parlance as an ‘expat’ than a Filipina domestic worker on a temporary contract in Singapore, even though both are temporary migrants?
Instead of choosing a research theme, we ask that submissions engage with the mission and objectives of the EAC. The jurors will choose a submission that amplifies the importance of expatriation studies and improves our understanding of expatriate life.
Following the official announcement, the selected thesis for the EAC Thesis Award will receive €500. Additionally, the executive summary of the thesis will be published online by the EAC as well as the partner organisations involved in this project.
The 2026 EAC Thesis Award Open Call is closed.
How to Apply
Candidates must ensure their thesis meets the following criteria:
- it relates to the EAC’s mission and objectives;
- it amplifies the importance of expatriation studies and improves the understanding of expatriate life;
- it is written in English;
- it has been awarded a mark of 8/10 or more (or equivalent, e.g., 16/20 or more, or an ‘A’);
- it is from the last four academic years.
The following criteria are used to assess submitted theses, the weight of each in percentages:
- originality and innovation (20%);
- technical quality (30%);
- composition (10%);
- potential to contribute to the stimulation of scholarly (e.g. theoretical, methodological, etc.) perspectives regarding the topic of expatriation (20%);
- potential to contribute to the stimulation of practical engagement by policy, industry and/or civil society actors with the topic of expatriation (20%).
All candidates must submit the digital application form. The application form includes the following:
- personal details (please read here how we process your personal information; PDF);
- thesis details;
- an executive summary written by the student (500 – 750 words in length) that addresses how the thesis speaks to the EAC’s mission and objectives, identifies the thesis’s potential scholarly contributions and practical applications, and highlights what sets the thesis apart from existing studies;
- the master’s thesis itself (PDF).
By submitting an application, candidates agree to the following terms:
- the copyrights of the thesis and thesis executive summary remain with the authors of the thesis and the thesis executive summary;
- partner organisations are permitted to feature the entered theses and summaries under the condition that the authors are mentioned. The involved organisations are not allowed to financially profit from the featuring of the theses;
- the authors of the top five thesis applications each year consent to the EAC keeping a (digital) copy of their thesis to be added to the EAC library;
- the author(s) of the thesis protects the involved organisations of all claims on violation of copyrights by third parties.
If you have any questions regarding the Thesis Award or your eligibility, don’t hesitate to contact us at welcome@xpatarchive.com.
Jurors
The award will be determined by five jury members: two permanent (Chairperson Robbert-Jan Adriaansen and Lale A. Uribeechevarria) and three guest jurors. Guest jurors are experts in their field and are selected by the EAC and the chairperson of the jury. The 2026 guest jurors are: Craig Howes, Jennifer McGarrigle and Matthew Hayes. Read more about all the jurors.
Partner Organisations
The EAC works with participating organisations to promote the EAC Thesis Award and its winner. In return, partner organisations will be promoted on the EAC website and on its social media channels. The organisations involved may feature the submitted theses and summaries under the condition that the authors are mentioned. However, organisations cannot financially profit from featuring the theses. If you are interested in becoming a partner, please send an email to welcome@xpatarchive.com.
The partner organisations for the 2026 EAC Thesis Awards are ACCESS, DutchNews, TheHagueOnLine, Families in Global Transition, Metropolis International Migration Network and ICARUS.
Award Winners
The 2026 EAC Thesis Award winner - Marleno Nika of Université de Lille, University College Cork, Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai (MITRA Erasmus Mundus Joint Master)! Read more about the winning theses.