The Midwest Slavic Association is pleased to announce the results of its annual essay competition for 2026. Students were able to submit papers in different formats, from conference papers, to course papers, to dissertation chapters, to master’s theses. Submitted papers covered many different disciplines in the humanities, history, and social sciences, and different countries from the East European and Eurasian region.

The 2026 winners are:

• Undergraduate: Emma Ramsey, U. of Chicago, "Weaponizing Legality: Law, Deportations, and the Architecture of Soviet Domination in Latvia"
• Graduate: Albert Cavallaro, U. of Michigan, "Death, Property Division, and Old Coins: Salvage Archaeology and Heritage Politics in Turkestan, 1878-1894"

Both students will receive a one-year membership to the Association of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). Cavallaro’s essay will be submitted for consideration to ASEEES' Beth Holmgren Graduate Student Essay Prize, a national level essay competition.

Thank you to all students who submitted their essays for consideration! Co-sponsorship of the Midwest Slavic Association Student Essay Competition is provided by ASEEES.