EXPRESS<sp>2</sp> Young Scholars Contest: Announcing the Winners
The EXPRESS2 Young Scholars Contest brought together emerging researchers exploring pressing questions at the intersection of social cohesion, policy, and justice in Europe. The contest received four compelling submissions from students and early-career scholars across Europe, each offering innovative perspectives and rigorous analysis.
Four finalists
Julia Martyniewicz, from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, presented an abstract on how media narratives around the digital euro influence public perception and social cohesion in the EU. Camille Trelcat, from University of Uppsala and University of Groningen, introduced the bold idea of "temporal dignity," arguing that time itself should be seen as a right in the European social contract. Aina Muñoz Molina, from Autonomous University of Barcelona, critically examined the social impact of the energy transition on working-class communities, and Daanish Naithani, from Universiteit Antwerpen, explored how trust and legitimacy shape the authority of specialised courts through a case study of the Unified Patent Court.
The winners
After a careful evaluation by the EXPRESS2 jury, we are delighted to announce two winners: Aina Muñoz Molina for her abstract "Energy Transition and Working Classes: Reconciling Ecological Justice and Social Justice for a New European Social Contract" and Camille Trelcat for her work "Time As a Right: Rewriting the European Social Contract Around Temporal Freedom." These entries stood out for their originality, conceptual clarity, policy relevance, and quality of writing and presentation.
The winning papers will be included in the forthcoming EXPRESS2 Edited Monograph, which aims to synthesise the project's key research findings. The monograph will feature a curated selection of the EXPRESS2 Report Series, contributions from Advisory Board members, and the award-winning papers from the Young Scholars Contest. It is intended to be open access and published by a leading academic publisher.
