Level 3 is for participants ready to pursue sustained research. Work should centre on a clear research question and, with appropriate literature, data, cases, or theory, form a complete independent paper that can be verified, revised, and submitted onward.
This competition is Level 3 of the WYE three-level competition and publication system; all three levels admit direct entry — Levels 1 and 2 need not come first.
Method should serve the question; complexity alone is not quality.
3,000–8,000+ words is a general reference range, not an absolute hard cap for every method and field.
Different research types may set their own requirements for attachments, data, code, and method appendices, per the official rules.
Professor feedback, team formation, and improvement continue after the February submission; further team formation and improvement should be complete by May.
External conference dates are for planning reference only; final eligibility and dates follow the host’s current-year rules.
Locked in early February for that round’s judging. Later revision never retroactively changes the original competition score.
Improved from February to April in light of professor feedback, team discussion, and external conference requirements — for the WYE Working Paper, conference abstracts, or other external submission.
Each Working Paper page carries:
Eligible authors may receive:
All of the above are support opportunities, not guarantees of publication or acceptance.
A WYE Working Paper is not a peer-reviewed journal article. A WYE award, WYE publication, external conference acceptance, and external journal publication are four different things.
Some Level 3 work meeting the relevant standard may receive external conference submission support, including abstract revision, JEL classification, presentation materials, and session team advice. All external submissions are subject to the host’s eligibility, membership, review, and current-year rules.
The AEA’s typical recent dates are 1 March for submissions opening, 1 April for individual paper proposals, and 15 April for complete session proposals; future years must follow the AEA’s own official notices. WYE has no partnership with the AEA, and a WYE award confers no external conference acceptance.
After formal acceptance at an eligible external conference, authors may apply for WYE attendance support subject to that year’s funding and eligibility; applying does not mean automatic funding. Support arrangements are as officially announced.
No. All three levels admit direct entry. Participants ready for sustained research and multiple rounds of revision may submit directly to Level 3.
The competition version locked in early February is used for that round’s judging, and later revision never changes the original score. The publication and conference version improves from February to April with professor feedback, team discussion, and external conference requirements, for the WYE Working Paper or external submission.
3,000–8,000+ words is a general reference range, not an absolute cap for every method and field. Requirements for attachments, data, code, and method appendices vary by research type, per the official rules.
Submissions must include data, code, or verifiable analysis notes, plus data and research ethics statements and the AI, translation, and outside-assistance declaration. After shortlisting, a research-process video of at most 10 minutes is also required.
No. Every WYE Working Paper is clearly labeled “Working Paper / Not Peer Reviewed.” It is a citable interim research output and may not be described as a peer-reviewed journal article.
WYE provides only submission preparation support (abstract revision, JEL classification, presentation materials, team advice) and cannot guarantee any external acceptance or publication. All external submissions are subject to the host’s eligibility, membership, review, and current-year rules; WYE has no official partnership with the AEA or any university.
The submission portal will be posted here when it opens. Result dates and prize arrangements are as officially announced.