De Max van der Stoel Human Rights Award bestaat voor deze categorie uit een bedrag van € 3000,--. Het boek van Den Heijer bestudeert de juridische implicaties van migratiecontrole buiten de landsgrenzen.  Promotores waren prof mr. P. Boeles en prof. mr R.A. Lawson.
In het juryrapport wordt van de studie van Den Heijer gezegd: The topic is conceptually fascinating and also raises many problems from the normative point of view. The author has a keen eye both for the disturbing empirical practices related to keeping asylum seekers away from European borders and for the challenges to international law and to legal theory in this respect. (…) The jury finds this book a very well-written, well-documented and well-structured piece of academic work on a very interesting subject that is both topically and socially relevant.