“Democracy is in danger!” Unfortunately, this is becoming a recurring statement, as it’s shown by the decline in trust levels in democratic institutions, diminished political participation and rising polarisation. For the first time in 20 years, there are more autocracies than democracies in the world. Will this trend continue unabated? Or is this a temporary issue with solutions in sight?

To counter the symptoms of democratic decline, we need effective policy responses that not only react to the issue of democratic decline, but also actively shape a better future for our democracies. In launching this paper contest, we invited university students and young researchers to stand up and act, and express ideas for policy solutions that could help reverse democratic decline and give the future of participatory democracy a better chance.

This call for submissions was organised by the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) in collaboration with the Horizon Europe project “Activating Citizens’ Trust in Times of Crises and Polarization (ActEU)”.

ABOUT THE CONTEST

“Act for democracy: Policy solutions for the future” was a paper contest that asked: What can we do to ensure a brighter future for participatory democracy? We were looking for original short essays or policy briefs (maximum 2000 words excluding spaces) which included a set of recommendations for possible actions that could be taken in order to counter the trend of democratic backsliding.

The paper addressed one or more of the five questions below (although new topics were welcome):

• What strategies can help reduce political polarisation in Europe?
• What electoral reforms can best increase democratic participation and restore public trust?
• How can digital technologies be integrated into policy-making processes to enhance citizen participation?
• How do different forms of non-electoral participation influence policy-making?
• How can the EU better support democracy in its neighbourhood?

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The contest was open to all University students above 18 years old (including Bachelor, Master, and PhD students) and young researchers (< 30 years old). All nationalities were welcome to participate in the contest. Participants were asked to submit their papers by 16 December 2025 and winners were contacted by 19 December 2025.

WINNERS AND PRIZES

Three outstanding papers were assessed by the TEPSA Secretariat and chosen as winners:

• “Building bridges, not walls: An EU strategy for”Digital Democratic Infrastructure” in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood”, by Yara El Turk;
• “PARTICIPEU: A European digital, legal and cultural platform”, by Ginevra Borghi and Eugenio Politi;
• “Rebuilding Trust Through Taxation: What the Middle Ages Can Teach Us About Democratic Legitimacy?”, by Lilian Boucard.

The papers were published on TEPSA website and winning authors were invited to participate in the ActEU final conference, taking place in Brussels on 5 February 2026, with travel and accommodation reimbursed up to a cost of EUR 500. Award winners were also invited to Brussels to present their papers directly to leading researchers from the ActEU project, gaining valuable feedback, tailored advice, and unique networking opportunities within an international academic community.