bVIEW’s Academic Paper Competition:
A Call for Visions

The 2nd Annual bVIEW Conference will be held on January 26th, 2014 at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA.

The theme of this year’s conference is Actualizing Visions, which includes both a theme and program that will allow us to highlight our creative and relevant visions for the future of the State of Israel. The 2014 second annual bVIEW Conference will once again provide a forum for students, both undergraduate and graduate, across the political spectrum, to participate in constructive and engaging dialogue regarding Israel and other relevant issues in the Middle East. Programs will include academic presentations, keynote addresses, plenary sessions, as well as student-led breakout sessions.

This year, we are providing that forum to students across the country by way of the bVIEW 2014 Actualizing Visions Academic Paper Competition, titled A Call for Visions. Students nationwide, both undergraduate and graduate, now have the opportunity to put their visions for Israel in writing and share them with a larger academic community.

Three winners will earn the awards detailed below, and be invited to the conference to present their visions to the other participants, as part of a panel.
Prizes:

• 1st Place: $300.00 prize and up to $150 towards travel to the Conference

• 2nd Place: $200.00 prize and up to $150 towards travel to the Conference

• 3rd Place: Up to $150 towards a flight to the Conference 
  

bVIEW is delighted in inviting you to submit your written vision for Israel in accordance with the instructions provided in the Submission Guidelines below. We thank you in advance for your submission to the bVIEW Actualizing Visions Academic Paper Competition.

Call for Papers Submission Guidelines and Rules:

• Applicants must be currently enrolled in a university at the undergraduate or graduate level.
  
• Please include a cover page that includes: your name, where you are from, current university, area of study/research, any Israel-related organizations you are a part of, and the title of your paper.
  
• Submissions should be sent to Chen Arad of the bVIEW board at [email protected], by January 10, 2013, no later than 5pm United States Eastern Standard Time.  
  

Papers should be written in 12pt. font, Times New Roman, double spaced, and should not exceed 1500 words in length, and include:

• A presentation of any current and relevant issue pertaining to Israeli society and or politics (find topic suggestions below).
  

• A personal vision based on some form of academic research.
  
• A creative suggestion for a future solution to the issue(s) presented in the paper.
  

The paper must deal with a challenge or issue facing Israel and those living in it, including, but not limited to:

• Economy of Israel
  
• Social/Cultural issues
  
• Questions of Gender Equality
  
• Security and borders
  
• Relationship with the Arab world
  
• Religion and the state
  
• The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
  
• Minority groups in Israel
  

Papers will be scored based on the following criteria:

• Factuality: Evidence that research was done to get the facts right. Incorrect facts/research will result in lower scores
  
• Grounded in reality: Submissions must be creative, but must also be grounded in reality and comprehensively consider facts on the ground
  
• Creativity: Submissions presenting original ideas for solving real-world issues will receive higher scores
  
• Quality of writing: Submissions should be compelling, well written, typo free and display effort. Show us that you’re passionate about your vision!
  

For more information, contact Chen Arad at [email protected].

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