The Foreign Policy Association and the Richard C. Welden Foundation offered a $10,000 prize to the winning essay addressing the following question:

Increasingly, U.S. and EU priorities are diverging. It has been observed that the strategic partnership between the U.S. and the EU once rested on a perception of common values and common threats and acceptance of U.S. leadership. In what ways is this partnership being affected by changes in the external environment, and new thinking in Brussels and Washington?

The winners, Steven Everts and Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform, were awarded their check at the FPA Annual Dinner featuring U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana.