Fri, 05/14/2021 LAWRENCE — The Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies at the University of Kansas has announced that this year’s Roy D. and Betty Laird Essay Contest winners are Aylar Atadurdyyeva in the undergraduate essay category for her essay “Kosovo-Turkey Relations and the Ottoman Legacy" and Alaina DeLeo in the graduate essay category for her essay “Not Your Kyrgyz Kelin: How Local Activists are Changing Opinions on Bride Kidnapping." Now in its 27th year, the annual essay contest is named after the late Roy Laird, a longtime member of the Russian & East European studies (REES) and political science faculties, and Betty Laird, whose support makes this prize possible.