law essay competition 2023

Seventh Annual Student Essay Competition

Hayek goes to family court.

Applying Hayek’s theory of law and liberty to contemporary American family law, this Essay concludes that family-law scholars—especially those undertaking distributional analyses—would benefit from greater attention to the Hayekian values of predictability, adaptation, and equal application.

Facilitating Future Workforce Participation for Stay-at-Home Parents: Mitigating the Career Costs of Parenthood

Current policies help parents stay in the workforce after having children. But what about the quarter of American mothers who choose to become stay-at-home moms, then later face employment obstacles? This Essay proposes expanding worker opportunity tax credits and Title VII to help stay-at-home pare…

Announcing the First-Year Editors of Volume 134

Announcing the second annual academic summer grants program, volume 133’s emerging scholar of the year: robyn powell, featured content, lock them™ up: holding transnational corporate human-rights abusers accountable, administrative law at a turning point, law and movements: clinical perspectives.

Writing Competition

The  Harvard Law Review  is composed of second- and third-year law students who are selected via a six-day writing competition at the end of each academic year. The Review strongly encourages all students to participate in the writing competition, which consists of two parts:

• Subcite: this portion, worth 50% of the competition score, requires students to perform a technical and substantive edit of an excerpt from an unpublished article
• Case Comment : this portion, also worth 50%, requires students to describe and analyze a recent case

The competition uses a closed universe of materials provided to all competition-takers; no additional outside research of any kind is allowed or required. The use of any form of Artificial Intelligence during the competition is also strictly prohibited.

Based on the competition, fifty-four second-year students are invited to join the Review each year, including:

• Twenty selected based solely on competition scores
• Seven (one from each 1L section) selected based on an equally weighted combination of competition scores and first-year grades
• Three (from any section) selected based on an equally weighted combination of competition scores and first-year grades
• Twenty-four selected through an anonymous holistic review (see below for details)

The  Review  is committed to a diverse and inclusive membership and encourages all students to participate in the writing competition. Harvard Law School students who are interested in joining the  Review  must write the competition at the end of their first year, even if they plan to take time off during law school or are pursuing a joint degree and plan to spend time at another graduate school.

Timeline & Resources

The 2024 Competition will take place from Sunday, May 12 to Saturday, May 18 . Writing competition tips and Q&A sessions will be held in early and mid-April.

Registration will open in April 2024. We expect to invite editors to join Volume 139 over the course of several days in late July. Orientation for new editors is scheduled for the week of July 22nd and will take place remotely. Volume 139 will resume a past practice of an in-person Orientation for half a day near the start of the Fall 2024 Semester. Editors are expected to be fully available during this time. In August, editors will have Law Review assignments, but these assignments can be completed simultaneously with other commitments (internships, events, travel, etc.).

For more information about the competition, the following resources are available:

• The 2024 Application and Information Packet . The application information packet is designed to provide some specific guidance about approaching the case comment and subcite portions of the competition. Please note that the sample competition submissions included in the packet are merely representative and are by no means definitive examples.
• Tips Session and Q&A. Video of our April 1, 2024 writing competition tips session and our April 11, 2024 subcite Q & A session is available on our YouTube channel. The. This questions and answers document summarizes the Q&A portion of the April 13, 2023 session.
• Factsheet: This document responds to common questions and concerns we have heard.
• Sample Schedules: This includes a variety of writing competition schedules used by current editors.
• FAQ on Accommodations . See below for more information on disabilities and accommodations.

Competition & Membership Policies

Holistic consideration.

Applicants will have the opportunity to convey aspects of their identity which have led to the development of character qualities or unique abilities that can contribute to the Law Review , including but not limited to their racial or ethnic identity, disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Applicants can do so by submitting an additional expository statement.  Statements will be considered by the Selection Committee only after grading of the competition has been completed. Statements will remain anonymous and will not be evaluated for quality of writing or editing, nor will they be assigned a numerical score.

Applicants are welcome to draft their expository statements before the competition week begins, and the prompt for the 200-word statement is as follows:

“You are strongly encouraged to use the space below to submit a typed expository statement of no more than 200 words. This statement may identify and describe aspects of your identity which have impacted your development of certain character qualities or unique abilities that can serve as an asset to the Law Review and are not fully captured by the categories on the previous page, including, but not limited to, racial or ethnic identity, socioeconomic background, disability (physical, intellectual, cognitive/ neurological, psychiatric, sensory, developmental, or other), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, country of origin or international status, religious identity or expression, undergraduate institution(s), age, academic or career trajectory prior to law school, military status, cultural background, or parental/caretaker status. Additionally or alternatively, you may use this statement to identify and describe areas of academic or scholarly interest, career goals, or any other element of your identity that you would bring to your work on the Law Review .

Statements will be considered only after grading of the subcite and case comment sections of the competition has been completed. Statements will not be evaluated for quality of writing or editing, nor will they be assigned a numerical score. No applicant will be penalized in any way for not submitting an optional statement, and all optional statements are completely confidential.”

Deferral & Leave

Harvard Law Review will invite students to join Vol. 139 in mid-July. Students invited to join Vol. 138 who are taking a full-year leave of absence from HLS will be allowed to defer their membership in Law Review for the year. They may then join the Law Review as members of Vol. 140 in fall 2025 and serve as editors for two years. Editors typically serve for two full academic years to ensure ample time for training, acclimation to their roles on the Review , and opportunities to make collective decisions about our work.

Students invited to join Vol. 139 who are taking a fall-semester leave of absence from HLS are encouraged to still join as editors with Vol. 139. If joining with Vol. 139, editors will be expected to complete Law Review work during the fall, even though they are on leave from HLS. They will then serve as editors for two years. Alternatively, students taking a one-semester leave may wait to join until fall of the following year (fall 2025); in that case, they will have no Law Review obligations during the 2024-2025 academic year and will participate as Law Review editors for a single year.

Transfer Students

Prospective transfer students may take the competition at the same time as Harvard Law School 1Ls. Prospective transfer students are selected on the same anonymous grading basis as Harvard 1Ls and are eligible for 44 of the spots on the Review (in other words, all spots besides the 10 allotted to Harvard 1Ls for whom first-year grades play a role). Prospective transfer students may submit an anonymized, unofficial transcript when their 1L grades are released if they would like their grades to be considered in the Law Review ’s holistic review process. The Review ’s membership decisions do not affect the admissions decisions of Harvard Law School.

Recognizing that the competition schedule poses unique challenges to prospective transfer applicants, the Review also allows transfer students to take the competition at the end of their 2L year. Up to four spots are available for such students. However, no student may attempt the competition more than once, and this option is only available to transfer students who did not previously take the competition. Like prospective transfer students, rising third-year students may submit their grades, but they will not be eligible for the 10 slots that incorporate first-year grades.

Prospective 1L transfer students should email [email protected] for information about registering.

SJD Students

SJD students at Harvard Law School may serve as editors of the Law Review . To join, SJDs take the same writing competition as JD students and are eligible for 44 of the editorial positions (all spots besides those allotted to JD 1Ls for whom first-year grades play a role). SJDs should take the competition only if they are certain they have at least two years remaining in their program of study. Additionally, as with all candidates, SJDs are permitted to participate in the writing competition only once.

Disabilities & Accommodations

The Harvard Law Review is firmly committed to providing accommodations for students with disabilities and handles requests on a case-by-case basis. The Law Review is an independent entity and thus has its own accommodations system separate from Harvard Law School’s Dean of Students Office.

Accommodations requests can be submitted between Monday, March 11th and Friday, April 12th and will be processed on a rolling basis. Students are strongly encouraged to submit their accommodation requests as soon as possible even if they are not yet certain they will take the competition. Please see our answers to FAQ on accommodations to learn more about what documentation is needed.

The Law Review strives to keep information regarding disabilities and accommodations as confidential as possible. Nothing about your accommodations application or your receipt of accommodations will be part of the Competition entry that is considered in the selection process. All Competition grading is doubly anonymized. Jennifer Heath, a non-student HLR staff member manages the logistics related to our accommodations process, and accommodations recommendations to the Law Review are made by our testing consultant, Dr. Loring Brinckerhoff.

Legal Writing Competitions: By Due Date

• By Due Date
• Additional Resources

Legal Writing Competitions

Legal writing competitions are a great way to earn recognition, get your work published, and even earn cash! The Legal Research Center has compiled a list of legal writing competitions, which you can browse by topic or by deadline month.

Some competitions require you to compose a new paper, while others call for the submission of a recently published paper, such as a law review article. Need help developing a topic? See our guides on  Developing a Topic for Research Papers and  Law Review Resources for more information.

This list is updated as new information is received, but note that deadlines and writing topics often change from year to year. Make sure to check each link for the most up-to-date information.

Writing Competitions: By Due Date

• Grammy Entertainment Law Initiative Student Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $10,000 tuition-based scholarship, tickets to GRAMMY Awards Topic: Legal issues facing the music industry
• Harvard Journal of Law & Technology (JOLT) Student Note Competition Deadline: June 9, 2023 Prize: $1700 Topic: Topics may include, but are not limited to, cybercrime, biotechnology, space law, entertainment and news media, comparative legal approaches to intellectual property, the law of the Internet, and technology in the public interest.
• Asian Pacific American Bar Association Educational Fund Robert T. Matsui Annual Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 ; contact [email protected] Prize: $5,000 Topic: Submissions should address a legal topic of importance to the Asian Pacific American community. Eligibility: The Competition is open to all law students and anyone who graduated from law school within the last five years (i.e., 2018 or later) in the United States.
• NYIPLA Honorable William Conner Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,500 Topic: An entry must be directed to any of the following subject areas related to intellectual property, i.e., patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair trade practices, antitrust, and data security/privacy issues. Eligibility: All entrants must be law school students currently enrolled in a J.D. or LL.M. program (day or evening) in an accredited law school in the United States.
• International Refugee Law Student Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $100 Topic: Papers may address any topic related to international law and refugees, stateless persons, internally-displaced persons (IDPs), and/or forced migrants. Eligibility: Student authors must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program at an accredited university at the time of submission.
• University of Pennsylvania Law Review Dorothy E. Roberts Public Interest Essay Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,000 cash prize; $5,000 grant to support public interest work or the work of a non-profit organization or pro bono clinic Topic: Submissions must focus on a specific legal issue within the realm of public interest law, including any issue relating to social justice or advancing the general welfare and good of the public. In addition, the author must include a brief grant proposal for $5,000 to support public interest work related to the essay topic. Topics can be local, state, national, or international in breadth or impact. Eligibility: The competition is open to all current law students (Classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025) from any ABA-accredited American law school as well as recent graduates of such institutions from the classes of 2015 – 2022. Submissions are limited to one per person and must be an original, unpublished academic essay.
• Brooks Kushman Law Student Intellectual Property Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Trademark or patent law Eligibility: Open to any law student in good standing and currently enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, and who is a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States.
• ABA Business Law Section Mendes Hershman Writing Contest Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,000 Topic: "Business Law" is a broad category. Without attempting to define the area precisely, the subject is intended to include matters within law school curricula in courses entitled: Eligibility: Author of the paper must be a student enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school’s J.D. program, in good standing, at the time of submission more... less... Agency; Bankruptcy; Business Law; Business Organizations; Commercial Law; Consumer Law Contracts; Corporate Finance; Corporate Governance; Corporations; Creditors Rights; Employment Law; Financial Institutions; Insurance Law; Oil and Gas Law; Professional Responsibility; Remedies; Secured Transactions; Securities Regulations; Uniform Commercial Code
• Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Human Rights Essay Award Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: A scholarship to cover tuition for the Program of Advanced Studies in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law for either the Diploma or Certificate of Attendance options Notes: Essay Award Topic for 2023: Equality and Human Rights: Confronting Racial Discrimination Eligibility: Applicants for the Award must hold a law degree and have a demonstrated experience or interest in international human rights law.

Typically Held in January

These competitions have been held in January in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• National Native American Law Students Association Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Topic: All students are encouraged to submit scholarly articles between twenty (20) and fifty (50) pages, either individually or jointly with other students, about Native American legal issues. Eligibility: Competitors must be active, dues-paying members of National NALSA.
• American Society of Legal Writers Scribes Law-Review Award Deadline: January 15, 2023 Notes: Since 1987, Scribes has presented an annual award for the best student-written article in a law review or journal. The Scribes Law-Review Award is presented at the Scribes annual CLE, which is usually held in April.
• Louis Jackson Memorial National Student Writing Competition in Employment and Labor Law Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $3,000 Topic: Employment and labor law
• American College of Legal Medicine Student Writing Competition Deadline: January 28, 2022 Eligibility: All students studying Medicine, Law, Dentistry, Podiatry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Science, Healthcare Administration or Public Health are encouraged to compete.
• Center for Alcohol Policy National Essay Contest Deadline: January 28, 2022 Prize: $5,000 Topic: After Prohibition, states generally issued licenses for on-premise and off-premise sale of alcohol. Drinking was thus largely confined to bars, restaurants, the home, and private clubs. Alcohol is now regularly offered in places like salons, grocery stores, clothing stores, and galleries. Is this trend towards ubiquitous availability of alcohol a good one? And is there a new regulatory regime needed to address this trend?
• ABA Section of Antitrust Law Robert Pitofsky Law Student Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $2,500 Topic: Antitrust or consumer protection law Eligibility: Open to any law school student in good standing, over the age of 21, who is currently attending an ABA-accredited law school within the United States and its possessions, and who is a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States. Entrants must submit an original article, which has already been published or which is scheduled to be published.
• ABA Antitrust Law Section Harvey Saferstein Consumer Protection Essay Contest Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Consumer protection law
• Federal Bar Association Donald C. Alexander Tax Law Writing Competition Deadline: January 31, 2022 Prize: $2,000 Topic: Federal taxation
• International Trademark Association Ladas Memorial Award Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,250 Topic: Subject of the paper must be trademark law or a matter that directly relates to, or affects, trademarks. Eligibility: Eligible students must be enrolled as either full- or part-time law or graduate students. Eligible papers may include both original unpublished manuscripts and published articles that are submitted to INTA by the submission deadline.
• Baxter Family Competition on Federalism Deadline: TBA for 2025 Prize: $5,000 (CAD) Topic: Federalism: What makes it work (or not!). This broad theme welcomes reflections about the institutional, political and cultural elements that explain successes and failures of federalism, whether small scale or at the macro level. We particularly welcome analyses which explore the potential and pitfalls of cooperative federalism. Cooperative angles are especially encouraged. Eligibility: All undergraduate or graduate students in law or political science students, as well as junior scholars, lawyers or practitioners who graduated in these disciplines with five (5) years of working experience or less, from anywhere around the world.
• Georgetown Institute of International Economic Law Greenwald Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $2,500 Topic: Current issues relevant to international trade law, the jurisprudence of the WTO or regional trade organizations, jurisprudence concerning U.S. trade organizations, an issue relating to the political economy or the efficacy of U.S. or international trade regimes. Eligibility: JD, LLM, and SJD students
• American Constitution Society Constance Baker Motley National Student Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $3,000 Topic: ACS welcomes all student papers furthering and promoting a progressive vision of the Constitution, law, and public policy. Entrants are encouraged to view this topic broadly, and we welcome submissions on a variety of substantive areas. Examples of possible topics include: census report, civil legal aid, civil liberties, constitutional convention, consumer rights, criminal justice, disability rights, freedom of speech, immigration, indigent defense, money in politics (including judicial elections), labor law, LGBTQ+ rights, privacy, protection of health, safety, and the environment, racial equality, religion, role of state attorneys general, second amendment and guns, separation of powers and federalism, women’s reproductive rights and reproductive freedom, voting and political process, and whistleblower protection. Eligibility: The competition is open to all law students who are current, dues-paying ACS National members.
• American Constitution Society Richard D. Cudahy Writing Competition on Regulatory and Administrative Law Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,500 Notes: Submissions should be focused on American regulatory or administrative law, broadly construed. Appropriate subjects include empirical or comparative analyses of the effectiveness of specific regulatory regimes or deregulation; doctrinal investigations of the development of administrative law rules or principles by courts and administrative agencies and the effects of that development; and normative analyses of how particular regulatory or administrative regimes or deregulation advance or fail to advance values of fairness, participation, and transparency. Eligibility: The competition is open to all lawyers and law students. Practicing lawyers, policymakers, academics, and law students all are encouraged to participate. To be considered for the law student category the author(s) must be currently enrolled in a J.D. or LLM program at a U.S. law school.

March Competitions with February Registration Deadlines

Paper submissions for these competitions are due in March, but registration is required and due in February.

• American College of Coverage Counsel Insurance Law Writing Competition Registration Deadline: TBA for 2024 Submission Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $2,000 Topic: This year’s writing competition asks students to choose one of two sides in a case involving an insurance company and a Texas based business in preparing a motion for partial summary judgment on a specific set of grounds as presented by each party.
• Roy Snell Health Care Regulatory and Compliance Writing Competition Registration Deadline: TBA for 2024 Submission Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $5,000 Notes: In keeping with Roy Snell’s keen interest in practical, realistic, and user-centered communication, as well as a commitment to efficiency and clarity in writing, this demanding competition requires students to analyze a hypothetical fact pattern (the Competition Problem) involving an organization facing multifaceted health care regulatory/compliance matters and draft two separate internal memoranda to two different recipients within the organization. Students must analyze the facts presented, identify any and all regulatory/compliance concerns, and advise the recipient of the memorandum. Eligibility: The competition is open to all full and part-time law students in J.D. programs who have completed their 1L year. The competition is also open to any student currently enrolled in a Compliance Certification Board (CCB) accredited program.

Typically Held in February

These competitions have been held in February in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts Law Student Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Open to 2L and 3L students at any Pennsylvania law school and Rutgers Law. Topic: Under the existing rules of judicial conduct, how might Pennsylvania's courts utilize current communication tools, such as social media, to engage the people of Pennsylvania to instill confidence in the workings of the judicial branch and its decisions?
• ABA Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Professional Liability Ed Mendrzycki Essay Contest Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $5,000 Topic: This year's hypothetical involves multiple ethical and professional liability concerns that arise when a partner in a law firm is retained to represent a client in several business and real estate matters regarding a series of land acquisitions, and the law firm is contacted by the Department of Justice to assist in the investigation of potential money laundering allegations against the client.
• ABA Antitrust Law Section Privacy and Information Security Committee Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Writing Competition Deadline: February 24, 2024 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Participants are required to submit an original written work on data privacy or cybersecurity law. Eligibility: Contestants need not be a member of the American Bar Association (“ABA”), the Antitrust Law Section ("Section") or the Privacy and Information Security Committee ("Committee") although membership in all is encouraged.
• Epstein Becker Green Health Law Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $4,000 Topic: Papers may address any traditional area of the law as applied to health care (e.g., antitrust, tax, corporate) or areas of law unique to health care (e.g., fraud and abuse, managed care, Medicare/Medicaid, clinical trials, telehealth/telemedicine).
• American Indian Law Review National Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,500 Topic: Any legal issue specifically concerning American Indians or other indigenous peoples. Eligibility: The competition is open to students enrolled in J.D. or graduate law programs at accredited law schools in the United States and Canada as of the competition deadline of Monday, Feb. 28, 2022.
• Sports Lawyers Association Student Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $5,000 Notes: Each entrant must be a current law or LLM student and 18 years of age or older, and a member in good standing of the Sports Lawyers Association.
• Society of International Economic Law/JIEL/OUP Essay Prize Deadline: February 28, 2022 Prize: £200, as well as £400 of Oxford University Press book vouchers Topic: Any topic in the field of international economic law
• ABA Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law Student Legal Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Entries should address any legal issue regarding affordable housing, fair housing and/or community development law. Eligibility: Open to all law students who are at the time of entry, (a) enrolled in a law school that is at the time of entry, ABA Accredited, (b) member of the ABA and the Forum, (c) at least 21 years old, and (d) U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.
• Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems Trandafir Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $2,000 Topic: Any contemporary international business or economic concern. Recent winning submissions have included such topics as recommendations the United States should follow to update its privacy laws to harmonize with international general data protection regulation commitments, why international labor organizations should adopt fair trade as an enforcement mechanism to end labor violations, and why the United States Treasury should wait for Congress to end corporate tax sheltering tactics. Eligibility: All students currently enrolled in law or graduate degree programs.

Typically Held in March

These competitions have been held in March in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• Access To Justice Tech Fellows Legal Tech Fictional Writing Competition Deadline: March 1, 2022 Prize: $1,000 Topic: We’re seeking short fictional stories (1,500 words or less) about how technology is or will impact the legal field and access to justice. The stories are not meant to be academic articles designed for publication in a journal but rather an easily read work of fiction. The topic is fairly broad and can encompass any aspect of the interaction between the law and technological innovation.
• Judge Samuel G. DeSimone Legal Writing Competition Deadline: March 1, 2022 Prize: $3,000.00 Topic: “Given the sweeping ‘Me Too’ movement throughout the nation, should other states join New Jersey and adopt laws similar to S477/A3648, by expanding the two-year civil statute of limitations to seven years for all victims of sex assault, and make the expansion retroactive? Eligibility: The Judge Samuel G. DeSimone Legal Writing Competition is open to full-time and part-time law students who are enrolled in the 2021-2022 academic year in an accredited Law School, who reside in Southern New Jersey.
• Institute for Energy Law Hartrick Scholar Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $2,500 Topic: Any topic related to energy development. This includes, for example, topics concerning oil and gas law, alternative energy resources, energy regulation, and environmental regulation of the energy industries.
• Center for Legal & Court Technology Artificial Intelligence Writing Competition Deadline: March 1, 2022 Prize: $2,500 Topic: Papers must focus on at least one application of these technologies (e.g., Internet of Medical Things devices, facial recognition technology, autonomous systems, social media monitoring, etc.)
• Notre Dame Law School Program on Church, State & Society Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $3,000 Topic: Papers should be focused, broadly, on topics related to church, state & society. For guidance on selecting a topic, students may wish to view our Program website and mission statement: https://churchstate.nd.edu/
• White River Environmental Law Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Any relevant topic in the fields of environmental law, natural resource law, energy law, environmental justice, land use law, animal law, and agricultural law. Eligibility: Current J.D. or LLM students at any ABA-accredited law school.
• Freedom From Religion Foundation Cornelius Vanderbroek Memorial Essay Competition Deadline: June 1, 2023 Prize: $3,500 Topic: As the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has become vital to the global effort to end the pandemic, both government and private employers, as well as some schools, around the country have announced vaccine mandates. Historically, very few employees have claimed religious exemptions from required vaccinations. However, people who oppose COVID-19 vaccines for political or other reasons are now abusing religious exemptions in order to flout vaccine mandates. Against this backdrop lawsuits have surged, challenging vaccine requirements on religious grounds and arguing that religious exemptions to such requirements are required by the First Amendment. Craft an argument that religious exemptions from vaccine requirements are not legally required, addressing constitutional questions as well as other legal issues raised by such mandates.
• Berkeley Technology Law Journal Writing Competition Deadline: March 28, 2022 Prize: $1,000 Topic: A wide variety of topics at the intersection of law and technology, including but not limited to: technology and the public interest, privacy, internet law, intellectual property, antitrust, First Amendment issues, entertainment and news media, telecommunications, biotechnology, and cybercrime. Eligibility: The competition is open to all currently enrolled graduate-level law students (including J.D., L.L.M., and J.S.D. candidates, along with law students outside of the United States).
• ABA Section of Family Law Howard C. Schwab Memorial Essay Contest Registration Deadline: TBA for 2024 Submission Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,500.00 Topic: The subject may be any aspect of family law. Eligibility: Contestants must be J.D. students at ABA-approved law schools who are: second or third-year full-time students; second through fourth-year part-time students; or first-year students enrolled in schools where the subject of family law is part of the first-year curriculum; and citizens or legal permanent residents of the U.S. more... less... The primary focus of each essay should be an issue of law, although some interdisciplinary material may be useful in addressing a legal issue. Family law includes dissolution of marriage and other intimate relationships, relationships of persons of the same sex, parentage, custody, child support, division of property, alimony (maintenance), attorney's fees, adoption, dependency, termination of parental rights, rights pertaining to procreation, and alternative dispute resolution of Family Law issues. Family Law generally does not include Juvenile Justice, Probate, Labor, Immigration Law, and sociology topics unless those topics are related to more traditional Family Law subjects.

Typically Held in April

These competitions have been held in April in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• American Kennel Club Companion Animal Law Writing Contest Deadline: April 1, 2022 Prize: $2,500 Topic: Students are asked to choose between two topics: The impact of “lawyers for dogs” laws on animal cruelty cases or the constitutionality of mandatory spay/neuter laws. Eligibility: Entrants must be enrolled at an ABA-accredited law school in the United States.
• ABA Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law Keithe E. Nelson Distinguished Service Award Deadline: TBA for 2024 Topic: Military law or the status of lawyers in the Armed Forces
• UIC John Marshall Law School Center for Tax Law & Employee Benefits Paul Faherty Tax Law Writing Scholarship Deadline: April 13, 2021 Prize: $3,000 Notes: Please contact the Center for Tax Law & Employee Benefits for additional information.
• ABA Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee Law Student Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Recent developments in admiralty and maritime law Eligibility: The Competition is open to any U.S. citizen law student or LLM candidate over the age of 21, currently attending an ABA-accredited law school within the United States and its possessions.
• Marshall M. Schulman Annual Competition for Student Papers in Criminal Law and/or Criminal Procedure Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,500 Topic: Criminal law and/or to criminal procedure, with a particular focus on contemporary issues of concern in the State of California Eligibility: This is a nationwide competition; while the focus is on California law, past winners have included students attending schools across the country.
• Pennsylvania Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section Writing Contest Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $500 Topic: Patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets or trade dress Eligibility: Open to all law students enrolled in any law school in the United States who intend to take the Pennsylvania bar exam.
• American University Washington College of Law National Health Law Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $2,000 Topic: Papers must address and analyze health law and/or food/drug/device law issues. (Note that a paper that analyzes intellectual property or environmental laws/statutes, even if relating to health or the health care industry, will not be eligible.) Eligibility: Current 2L, 3L, and 4L (evening/part-time) JD and LLM students enrolled in a U.S. law school at the time of paper submission are eligible to participate.
• Public Citizen Law Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Legal Remedies to Combat Climate Change
• National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees Law Student Writing Competition Deadline: April 30, 2021 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code
• AALL/LexisNexis Call For Papers Awards (Student Division) Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $650 Topic: A paper may address any subject relevant to law librarianship. It may be scholarly or practical in substance and tone, but the subject should be explored in depth with appropriate reference to sources and documentation of assertions. Eligibility: Those enrolled in library school, information management school or the equivalent, or in law school, during the Fall 2022 or Spring 2023 semester. Entrants in the Student Division need not be members of AALL.
• ABA Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Student Writing Contest Deadline: May 31, 2023 Prize: $2,500 Topic: Real property, trust and estate law.* Eligibility: Open to any law school student in good standing, over the age of 21, who is currently attending an ABA-accredited law school within the United States and its possessions, and who is a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States. more... less... *“Real property, trust and estate law” is a broad category containing numerous practice disciplines. Without attempting to define the area precisely, the subject is intended to include matters within law school curricula in courses entitled: Property; Estate and Gift Tax; Wills and Decedents’ Estates; Real Estate Development; Environmental Law; Land Use Planning; Federal Taxation; Real Estate Finance; Secured Transactions; Debtors and Creditors; Employee Benefit Plans; Planning, Drafting and Negotiating Commercial Transactions; Taxation and Regulation of Non-Profit Organizations; Business Succession Planning; Life Insurance and Other Insurance Products; Trusts and Trust Law; Wealth Management; Fiduciary Income Taxation; Estate Planning; and Probate and Estate Administration.

Typically Held in May

These competitions have been held in May in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• UNIDROIT Essay Competition Deadline: May 1, 2022 Prize: 2,500 € Topic: Any relevant current or future UNIDROIT instrument(s) such as the UNIDROIT Principles on International Commercial Contracts, the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and its Protocols, the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, the UNIDROIT-FAO-IFAD Legal Guides on Contract Farming, and/or Agricultural Land Investment Contracts, among others.
• Chief Justice John B. Doolin Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $1,000 Eligibility: Open to any student enrolled in college, at any level.
• National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association Michael Greenberg Student Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $500 Topic: Legal issues affecting LGBTQ+ persons.
• AALL Morris L. Cohen Student Essay Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $500 Topic: Essays may be on any topic related to legal history, rare law books, or legal archives.
• National Crime Victim Law Institute Annual Law Student Victims’ Rights Writing Competition Deadline: May 20, 2024 Prize: $200 Topic: Victims’ rights (preference given to papers focusing on rights enforcement in the context of criminal justice systems) Eligibility: Authors/presenters must be enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school at the date of their submission or have graduated from such a school within the last 18 months.
• IDEA Student IP Writing Competition Deadline: May 28, 2021 Prize: $500 Topic: Intellectual property law
• ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Writing Competitions Deadline: May 31, 2023 Prize: $1,000 Topic: See link for details of eight separate writing competitions: Endangered Species, Energy Law, Forest Law, International Environmental and Resources Law, Native American Resources, Public Land and Resources, Superfund, Brownfields, and Resource Recovery, and Water Law
• American Association of Patent Judges Hon. Frederick E. McKelvey Memorial Scholarship Deadline: June 30, 2023 Prize: $500 Topic: For this year’s entry, an entrant must identify ways patents “promote the progress of … useful arts” (Const.; Art. I, Sec. 8, Cl. 8) and explain how the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) can encourage that. In your answer, please define “useful arts.” Eligibility: Students matriculated at and attending an ABA-accredited law school at least half-time as of February 28, 2022, are eligible to submit an entry for this competition.
• International Insolvency Institute Prize in International Insolvency Studies Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $3,000 Topic: Topics of international insolvency and restructuring significance and comparative international analysis of domestic insolvency and restructuring issues and developments. Eligibility: The Prize Competition is open to full and part-time undergraduate and graduate students and to practitioners in practice for nine years or less. Entries must not have been published.
• Judge John R. Brown Award for Excellence in Legal Writing Deadline: May 31, 2023 Prize: Up to $15,000 Eligibility: Any law student currently enrolled in an accredited law school in the United States seeking a J.D. or LL.B degree is eligible to submit a paper for the Award. The article must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a law school faculty member or legal professional other than the author of the paper.
• Georgetown Law Technology Student Writing Competition Deadline: May 31, 2023 Prize: $4,000 Topic: This year’s writing competition invites submissions on Personal Information, Power, and the Intersection of Technology and Society. Submitted papers should in some way address data-driven or data-intensive technologies. See link for further details and examples of potential topics. Eligibility: Papers will be accepted from students enrolled at any ABA-accredited law school in the United States during the 2021-2022 academic year. The paper must be the author’s own work, although students may incorporate feedback received as part of an academic course or supervised writing project. The paper must not have been published or committed for publication in another journal.
• Tax Notes Student Writing Competition Deadline: June 30, 2023 Topic: Submissions should focus on an unsettled question in federal, state, or international tax law or policy. Eligibility: The competition is open to any student currently enrolled in a law, business, or public policy program. Each student may submit only one paper. Co-authored papers will be accepted.

Typically Held in June

These competitions have been held in June in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• American College of Employee Benefits Counsel Writing Contest Deadline: June 1, 2023 Prize: $1,800 Topic: Employee benefits legal topics Eligibility: Any J.D. and graduate (L.L.M. or S.J.D.) law students enrolled at any time between August 15, 2021, and August 15, 2022, who have not at any time engaged in the practice of law.
• American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics Health Law and Anti-Racism Graduate Student Writing Competition Deadline: July 1, 2023 Prize: $500 Topic: Note that a wide variety of topics will be viewed as in scope, but papers must focus specifically on health law in the context of anti-racism. If you have questions about the suitability of your topic, please ask.
• Notre Dame Smith-Doheny Legal Ethics Writing Competition Deadline: June 1, 2022 Prize: $2,500 Topic: Any issue within the general category of legal ethics. Eligibility: Open to all law students at U.S. and Canadian law schools.
• CITBA/University of Miami School of Law Andrew P. Vance Memorial Writing Competition Deadline: June 3, 2022 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Current issues relevant to customs and international trade law. Eligibility: Entrants must be currently enrolled in a J.D. or L.L.M. program at any of the nation’s law schools.
• ABA Commission on Disability Rights Adam A. Milani Writing Competition Deadline: June 9, 2023 Prize: Up to $1,000 Topic: The submission may address any aspect of disability law, theory, or practice the contestant chooses. Other permissible topics include issues arising under any of the following statutes: Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Age Discrimination in Employment Act; Family and Medical Leave Act; or any state statutes or municipal ordinances prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Eligibility: The competition is open to all students who attend a law school in the United States. Full-time students who are not law students but who write law-related papers as part of a course at an American law school are also eligible.
• Food and Drug Law Institute H. Thomas Austern Writing Competition Deadline: June 12, 2023 Prize: $750 Topic: Current legal issues concerning food, drugs, animal drugs, biologics, cosmetics, diagnostics, dietary supplements, medical devices, veterinary devices, cannabis, or tobacco
• ABA Section of Dispute Resolution James Boskey Essay Competition Deadline: June 9, 2023 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Any aspect of dispute resolution practice, theory or research that the contestant chooses. Eligibility: The competition is open to anyone, age 21 or older, who was a full-time or part- time J.D. law student, including students in joint J.D. degree programs, at an ABA-accredited law school during the 2020-21 academic year.
• American Journal of Mediation National Dispute Resolution Writing Competition Deadline: December 15, 2023 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Subject matter focus for entries can embrace the full range of the alternative dispute resolution field– consensus-based dispute resolution (e.g., negotiation, mediation), adjudicative processes (e.g., early neutral evaluation, binding or non-binding arbitration and private judging), or mixed processes (e.g., arb-med, med-arb, high low arbitration, baseball arbitration). Papers can also focus on ADR process design, practice techniques, specific case studies, related legislation, and ethical dilemmas and standards for dispute resolution professionals. Eligibility: The competition is open to all North American JD and LLM law students enrolled as of December 15, 2021.
• Chapman LLC Scholarship for Law Students Deadline: June 15, 2023 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Should collegiate athletes be paid? Argue for or against and provide at least 3 reasons for your position. Eligibility: Law student planning on attending, accepted to attend, or currently attending an accredited law school in the U.S.; U.S. citizen 18 years or older.
• Bloomberg Tax Insights Student Writing Competition Deadline: June 15, 2022 Prize: One-year subscription to Bloomberg Tax Topic: Tax policy Eligibility: You must be a part-time or full-time law student at an accredited U.S. law school or foreign equivalent, or a part-time or full-time student pursuing an undergraduate or graduate tax, accounting, or business degree. Co-authored or team papers are OK.
• College of Labor and Employment Lawyers Writing Competition for Law Students Deadline: June 15, 2022 Prize: $3,000 Topic: Labor and employment law
• ABA Forum on Construction Law’s Law Student Writing Competition Deadline: June 30, 2023 Prize: $2,000 Topic: Papers should address a topical issue of interest to the construction industry. Eligibility: The competition is open to any student age 21 years or older enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school during the academic years 2021 and 2022 of the competition who is a legal resident of the United States.
• ABA Infrastructure and Regulated Industries Section K. William Kolbe Writing Competition Deadline: June 30, 2023 Prize: $2,500 Topic: Papers should address a current topic of general interest in a legal area covered by the Infrastructure and Regulated Industries Section (communications, cable TV, internet, electricity, gas, oil pipelines, aviation, railroads, and water industries).
• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition Deadline: June 30, 2023 Topic: The paper must relate to the area of trusts and estates, broadly defined. Entrants should write on issues of general interest, rather than state specific issues. Eligibility: Any law student in good standing (full-time or part-time) who is currently enrolled at the time of submission or was a student within the past 90-day period prior to submission as a J.D. or LL.M. candidate in an ABA-accredited law school within the United States or its possessions. more... less... Any one or more of the following topics are appropriate for discussion: Business Planning; Charitable Planning; Elder Law; Employee Benefits; Fiduciary Accounting; Fiduciary Administration; Fiduciary Income Taxation; Fiduciary Litigation; Estate Planning and Drafting; Professional Responsibility; Substantive Laws for the Gratuitous Transmission of Property; Wealth Transfer Taxation (Estate, Gift and GST Tax)
• American Intellectual Property Law Association Robert C. Watson Award Deadline: June 30, 2023 Topic: Intellectual property law
• American Society for Pharmacy Law Simonsmeier Award Deadline: June 30, 2023 Topic: Pharmacy law (law related to pharmacists, pharmacies, the provision of pharmaceutical care, the manufacturing and distribution of drugs, and other food, drug, and medical device policy issues) Eligibility: Papers published in or accepted for publication in any English-language peer-reviewed journal (including law reviews) during the period from January 2020 through December 2021 are eligible.
• Journal of Law in the Middle East by LexisNexis Student Essay Competition Deadline: June 30, 2022 Prize: LexisNexis MENA Book Collection, valued at over USD $1000 Topic: Discuss the legal and ethical considerations of AI applications, with a focus on the Middle East. Eligibility: At the time of submission, the student must be an LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D. or S.J.D. candidate at any institution in the world.
• American Planning Association Smith-Babcock-Williams Student Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $2,000 Topic: Planning, planning law, land use law, local government law or environmental law Eligibility: Open to law students and planning students
• ABA Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Gellhorn-Sargentich Law Student Essay Award Competition Deadline: June 30, 2023 Prize: $5,000 Topic: The entry must discuss any topic relating to administrative law. Eligibility: The Competition is open to law students who are, at the time of entry, (a) enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, (b) members of the ABA and the Section, (c) at least 21 years old, and (d) U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.

Typically Held in July

These competitions have been held in July in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• ABA Criminal Section Justice Annual William W. Greenhalgh Student Writing Competition Deadline: July 1, 2023 Prize: $2,500 Topic: Technology-enhanced searches Eligibility: The contest is open to students who, on the date the entry is submitted, attend and are in good standing at an ABA-accredited law school within the United States and its possessions. Membership in the Criminal Justice Section is not a requirement. Entrants must be at least 21 years of age and legal permanent residents or citizens of the United States.
• American Inns of Court Warren E. Burger Prize Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Authors should address one or more aspects of professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence within the legal profession.
• Arizona State Law Journal Criminal Justice Reform National Writing Competition Deadline: July 1, 2023 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Criminal justice reform Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled full-time at an ABA-accredited law school at the time of submission.
• INS/IYNA Neuroethics Essay Contest Deadline: July 7, 2023 Prize: $250 Topic: Essay submissions can cover any topic in neuroethics and should address a focused problem at the intersections of the mind and brain sciences, ethics, and law. Example topics include, but are not limited to: neuroenhancement, neurolaw, moral psychology, moral philosophy, brain stimulation, ethics of neurodegenerative illness, neurogenetics, neurotechnology policy and regulation, philosophy of mind, clinical ethics in psychiatry and neurosurgery, neural imaging, big data and neuroscience, brain–computer interaction, military applications of neurotechnology, and free will. Notes: Those included in the definition of ‘post-secondary student’ or ‘early career trainees’ during the Spring 2022 semester may submit an essay to either the Academic or General Audience categories. Authors may submit two different essays — one to each category. See Neuroethics Essay Contest website for more information on essay categories.
• Theodore Tannenwald, Jr. Foundation for Excellence in Tax Scholarship Writing Competition Deadline: July 10, 2023 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Submitted papers must focus primarily upon technical or policy-oriented tax issues relating to any type of existing or proposed U.S. federal or state tax or U.S. federal or state taxation system (including topics relating to tax practice ethical and professional responsibility matters). See Competition Rules for more information.
• Esports Bar Association Journal Top Student Submission Deadline: July 15, 2022 Prize: $3,000 Topic: Esports and the law Eligibility: Submissions are open to current law students, law school faculty, attorneys, and other practitioners over the age of 18. You do not need to be a member of the EBA in order to submit.
• NYSBA Committee on Animals and the Law: Student Writing Competition Deadline: July 7, 2023 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Animal law Eligibility: To be eligible for consideration, the submission must be written by a student currently enrolled (full time or part time) in an ABA-accredited law school. Students expecting to receive their degree in 2022 are eligible for consideration. The submission must be written by one, and only one student, i.e., papers jointly written by more than one student or that have been subjected to line editing by professors or advisors shall not be considered. No paper that has been previously published in any form shall be considered.
• Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund Law School Writing Competition Deadline: July 15, 2022 Prize: $5,000 Topic: TAFEF wants to encourage the submission of articles that address topics in both federal and state False Claims Acts as well as the administrative programs that support whistleblowers and sanction fraudulent claims in government programs. Topics that fall within these parameters are eligible. Eligibility: For the 2022 competition, the article submitted to TAFEF must have appeared in a law journal or review during the 18-month period January 2021 through June 2022. If the law journal or review has not yet been published, you must certify that your submission has been accepted for publication in a law review or journal dated during that period.
• CLGI Global Climate Law and Governance Essay Competition Deadline: July 19, 2022 Topic: Essays can address any aspect of law and governance related to climate change or sustainable development, from local to global. This may include principles or provisions of the Paris Agreement and its Katowice Rulebook; recent trends in climate change dispute settlement and litigation; the challenges and opportunities of design, implementation and reform of legal and institutional frameworks for climate mitigation, adaptation/resilience or finance; climate aspects of trade and investment instruments; and human rights and climate justice. Eligibility: The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Students from least developed countries are especially encouraged to apply. Submissions may be co-authored.
• National Institute of Military Justice Rear Admiral John S. Jenkins Writing Award for Law Students Deadline: July 31, 2023 Prize: $250 Topic: Military law Eligibility: Papers and/or published articles are eligible for this award if they were written by a candidate for the J.D. in the previous academic year.

Typically Held in August

These competitions have been held in August in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• Education Law Association George Jay Joseph Award Deadline: August 1, 2022 Topic: The subject matter must address one or more legal issues within any of the various contexts of education, including public and private K-12 schools and institutions of higher education, especially current and emerging issues.
• Philadelphia Bar Association Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Pursuit of Justice Legal Writing Competition Deadline: August 1, 2023 Prize: $2,500 Topic: Candidates may submit a law review quality submission on any topic relating to rights, privileges, and responsibilities under federal law. Eligibility: Open to full-time and part-time law students who completed their second or third year of study by the end of the 2021-2022 academic year at one of the following six institutions : Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, Rutgers Law School, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and Widener University Delaware Law School. Part-time law students who were in their third or later year of study during the 2021-2022 academic year are also eligible.
• National Association of Women Lawyers Selma Moidel Smith Law Student Writing Competition Deadline: February 1, 2024 Prize: $500 Topic: Entrants should submit a paper on an issue concerning, in your opinion, the most pressing issue related to advancing equality in the legal field. Topics can include but are not limited to, examining race, gender, sex, feminism, LGBTQIA+, pay equity, equal education, and employment opportunity, and or the Equal Rights Amendment, etc. Eligibility: Essays will be accepted from students enrolled at an ABA-accredited law school during the 2020-2021 school year. The essays must be the law student author’s own work and must not have been submitted for publication elsewhere. Papers written by students for coursework or independent study during the summer, fall, or spring semesters are eligible for submission. Notwithstanding the foregoing, students may incorporate professorial feedback as part of a course requirement or supervised writing project.
• Sarin McGill Annual Student Essay Contest on Aircraft Finance & Leasing Registration Deadline: TBA for 2024 Submission Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: Airfare and accommodations to tour McGill University's Institute of Air and Space Law. Topic: Following the Russian Federation’s re-registration, without the consent of the lessors or the states of registration, of aircraft leased to Russian operators, what are the implications for leasing and financing of aircraft, for the Chicago Convention, for the rule of law generally, and especially for third countries to which any such aircraft may be flown? Are there any precedents and, if so, how may they be compared and contrasted with the current situation? What solutions might there be? Eligibility Any student of law, enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate or doctoral programme in any law school or legal professional training school worldwide, at the time of submission of the entry, shall be considered eligible.
• Goettingen Journal of International Law Essay Competition Deadline: August 1, 2021 Topic: The pandemic continues to be omnipresent in our lives and gives rise to a number of legal questions, including in international law. GoJIL is seeking student contributions that explore such questions from novel and interesting perspectives.

Typically Held in September

These competitions have been held in September in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• Philadelphia Bar Association Law Student Essay Contest Deadline: September 6, 2022 Prize: $500 Topic: Advice for new or aspiring law school applicants Eligibility: Any rising 2L, rising 3L, or recently graduated law student attending a Philadelphia area law school (University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, Widener University Delaware Law School, Rutgers University Law School-Camden)
• ABA Aviation and Space Law Committee Writing Competition Deadline: September 9, 2022 Prize: $500 Topic: Submissions should address a recent development in any area of aviation or space law or discuss an area of aviation or space law where a controversy or disagreement exist. Eligibility The competition is open to all current U.S. citizen law student and LLM candidates. Membership in the ABA, TIPS or the Aviation and Space Law is not required for participation, though membership is free for all law students.
• PIABA Foundation James E. Beckley Student Writing Competition Deadline: September 16, 2022 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Any aspect of Securities Law; Securities Arbitration; The Federal Arbitration Act, Title 9, US Code, Section 1-14; or FINRA Code of Arbitration, effective April 16, 2007 and any changes or proposed changes to that Code. Eligibility: The competition is open to all students who attend a law school in the United States. Full-time students who are not law students but who write law-related papers as part of a course at an American law school are also eligible.
• International Fiscal Association International Tax Student Writing Competition Deadline: September 30, 2023 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Any topic relating to U.S. taxation of income from international activities, including taxation under U.S. tax treaties. Eligibility: All students during the 2021-22 academic year (including independent study and summer 2022 school courses) pursuing a graduate degree (J.D., L.L.M., S.J.D., M.S.T., MTA, Masters of Taxation, or similar program). Any appropriate papers written in fall 2021 or spring and summer 2022.
• ABA Section of Public Contract Law Student Writing Competition Deadline: September 30, 2022 Prize: $2,000 Topic: Papers should address a topical issue of interest to the public contract and grant law community. Eligibility: To be eligible to participate in the Competition, as of September 30, 2022 entrants must be 21 or over, U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents of the United States; and current members in good standing of the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Section of Public Contract Law (ABA and Section membership dues paid in full for the current bar year). more... less... Unpublished papers prepared for law school credit are eligible for entry in the Competition. Papers prepared for law school credit that have been submitted to or published by the Public Contract Law Journal are also eligible for the Competition. Papers that have been published in media other than the Public Contract Law Journal prior to September 30, 2022 are not eligible for the Competition. Papers submitted for publication in media other than the Public Contract Law Journal are not eligible for the Competition, unless the other publication agrees that the Public Contract Law Journal shall have the right of first publication of the winning essay.

Typically Held in October

These competitions have been held in October in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• American Agricultural Law Association Modern Agricultural Legal Issues Essay Contest Deadline: October 14, 2022 Topic: Agricultural law Eligibility: The competition is open to law students who are, at the time of entry, (a) enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, (b) pursuing a J.D. degree; and (c) at least 18 years old.

Typically Held in November

These competitions have been held in November in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• NYSBA Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition Award Deadline: November 3, 2023 Prize: $2,000 Topic: Public or private international law Eligibility: Law Students (including J.D., LL.M., Ph.D. and S.J.D. candidates) are cordially invited to submit to the International Section an article concerning any area of public or private international law or practice. Faculty members of any college or university are ineligible to participate.
• vLex International Law and Technology Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: £1,500 Topic: Can choose one of three topics: law, technology and sports; law, technology and climate; or law, technology and crypto. See competition page for more information. Eligibility: All current students and recent graduates can enter.
• American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers Writing Competition Deadline: November 1, 2023 Prize: $1,500 Topic: Eligible entries must discuss some aspect of U.S. consumer financial services law. Topics that relate principally to securities regulation, bankruptcy, insurance, or the safety and soundness aspects of banking regulation are not eligible, but works on subjects within these (or other) areas will be considered if they bear directly on U.S. consumer financial services.
• Video Game Bar Association David S. Rosenbaum Scholarship Deadline: Contact [email protected] Prize: $2,500 Topic: Video games and the law. Potential topics could include: developments in game accessibility; reputation management and user-creations (mods, skins, etc.); game developer unionization and labor rights.
• Dukeminier Awards Jeffrey S. Haber Prize for Student Scholarship Deadline: TBA for 2023 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Sexual orientation and gender identity law

Typically Held in December

These competitions have been held in December in prior academic years. Check each link for the latest information.

• ABA Health Law Section Student Writing Competition Deadline: December 31, 2021 Prize: $500 Topic: Any aspect of health law
• National Law Review Law Student Writing Competition Deadline: Monthly (reviewed September through May) Notes: The NLR Law Student Writing Competition offers law students the opportunity to submit articles for publication consideration on the NLR Web site.
• Houston Journal of International Law James Baker Hughes Prize Deadline: Information on the 2022 James Baker Hughes Prize coming soon. Prize: $500 Notes: The manuscript’s focus must be on international economic law.
• ABA Standing Committee on Law & National Security Writing Competition Deadline: TBD Notes: The Law Student Writing Competition will not be held for the 2020-2021 academic year.
• American Bankruptcy Institute Bankruptcy Law Student Writing Competition Deadline: TBD Prize: $2000 Notes: As of January 26, 2021, The Annual ABI Law Student Writing Competition will not be held this year. We hope to be able to resume the competition in future years.
• ELI Constitutional Environmental Law Writing Competition Deadline: TBD Prize: $2000 Topic: Any topic addressing developments or trends in U.S. environmental law with a significant constitutional, “federalism,” or other cross-cutting component.
• Hofstra Law School and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Family Law Writing Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $500 Topic: The subject of entries may be within any area of family law, although topics that focus on international or interdisciplinary subjects of family law are especially encouraged.
• If/When/How Sarah Weddington Writing Prize for New Student Scholarship in Reproductive Rights Law Deadline: TBD Prize: $750 Topic: Reproductive rights and justice issues in the U.S.
• International Association of Gaming Advisors Shannon Bybee Scholarship Award Deadline: TBD Notes: Each year IAGA awards prizes for the best scholarly research papers written by accredited law school students as part of their class work during the current school year. To be considered for the award, each submitted paper must either enhance the understanding of gaming law or recommend a beneficial gaming law change.
• LSAC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Writing Competition Deadline: TBD Prize: $5,000 Eligibility: All currently enrolled law students pursuing a JD degree are eligible for the competition.

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2022-2023 Law Essay Writing Competition

Topic: “Ensuring Access to the Right to Vote”

Competition Details: The Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Competition is sponsored by R. Ben Hogan III of Hogan Law Office, PC, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Gerson H. Smoger of Smoger & Associates in Dallas, Texas, and Oakland, California. It is administered by Public Citizen.

Submission Deadline: Submissions must be emailed on or before Friday, April 29, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, to Amanda Fleming at [email protected] . Papers emailed after this date will not be considered.

Eligibility: The competition is open to all current law students, post 2015 law graduates, and all masters of law students. All entries must be in English with Bluebook citations on American law. Co-authored submissions are eligible; if selected, the co-authors will share the prize. Each submission must be an original, unpublished academic work, but simultaneous submissions will be accepted.

Format: Submissions must be emailed as Microsoft Word documents. They may be full-length law review articles or shorter academic essays and should use footnotes (not endnotes). The word count may be between 6,000 and 25,000 words, not including footnotes. All entries must be in English with Bluebook citations citations on American law.

Judging Process: A panel of lawyers, including law professors and practitioners, will judge the submissions based on depth of analysis, quality of writing, originality, and thoroughness.

Winning Submission and Prizes: The winner will be notified by email. The winner will receive $5,000. Only one winning paper will be chosen and only one prize awarded.

Information: Please contact Amanda Fleming, [email protected] with any questions.

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• Student Legal Writing Competitions - March 2023
• December 16, 2022
• Announcements

The following are writing competitions to which law students may be eligible to submit their writings. For future writing competition deadlines and competitions by subject, see the Library’s  Student Legal Writing Competitions Guide .

White River Environmental Law Writing Competition "Applicants are invited to submit original essays addressing any relevant topic in the fields of environmental law, natural resource law, energy law, environmental justice, land use law, animal law, and agricultural law." Deadline: approx. March, annually

SIEL/JIEL/OUP Essay Prize "The SIEL/JIEL/OUP Prize is an essay prize, jointly established by the Society of International Economic Law, the Journal of International Economic Law, and Oxford University Press, to award the best essay submitted on any topic in the field of international economic law." Deadline: March 14, 2022

Law & Social Inquiry Graduate Student Paper Competition Coordinated by American Bar Foundation Deadline: March 15, 2022

Diane and Stephen Uhl Essay Competition for Law School Students 2022 Topic: Craft an argument that religious exemptions from vaccine requirements are not legally required, addressing constitutional questions as well as other legal issues raised by such mandates. Deadline: March 15, 2022.

Trandafir Writing Competition Any contemporary international business or economic concern within the discipline of law. Deadline: March 17, 2023. Annual competition.

Sports Lawyers Association Student Writing Competition Deadline: March 26, 2021. Annual

International Insolvency Institute Prize in International Insolvency Studies The Prize is awarded for original legal research, commentary or analysis on topics of international insolvency and restructuring significance and on comparative international analysis of domestic insolvency and restructuring issues and developments. Deadline: March 31, 2023. Annual competition.

National Law Review 2021-2022 Law Student Writing Competition "straightforward and practical, containing useful information of interest to legal and business professionals" Suggested Topics: - Election Law and Access to Voting - President Trump and current administration - Tax Issues - Immigration enforcement and policy - Federal Court issues: process of adding additional justices to the US Supreme Court/Federal Circuit - Employment Issues - Ban the Box Laws, Minimum Wage, Transgender Accommodations, Age/Sex Discrimination Deadline: 5:00 pm Central Standard Time by the last day of the month.

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Home » Opportunities & Events » Essay Competitions » 1st USLLS- EQUI Law Partners National Essay Writing Competition, 2023 [Cash Prize upto Rs. 20k]: Submit by Jan 31

1st USLLS- EQUI Law Partners National Essay Writing Competition, 2023 [Cash Prize upto Rs. 20k]: Submit by Jan 31

• Jan 22, 2024
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1st USLLS- EQUI LAW PARTNERS NATIONAL ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION, 2023 presented by the USLLS ADR Cell.

About USLLS

Established in 2001, the University School of Law and Legal Studies envisages the advancement of institutional expertise in the area of legal research and education by augmenting academic and professional excellence, developing critical and relentless engagement with legal theory and practice, synergizing law, legal research, legal education and action to further the quest for justice.

University School of Law and Legal Studies aspires to open new vistas in the arena of law, legal studies, and theoretical and clinical legal education through an incessant endeavour towards developing academic potential, critical analytical ability, advocacy, counselling and mediation skills to fully equip the students with learning which is intellectually stimulating, socially vital and professionally enriching.

About the Competition

The theme of the competition revolves around the field of Alternate Dispute Resolution. The competition gives creative freedom to participants to express their opinions and academic research skills, keeping the suggested themes in mind.

Preference will be given to essays which add to the academic discourse over the theme and objectives. Submissions merely summarise or analyse the case will not be preferred unless found to be exceptional. The acceptance of the submitted articles would be subject to the evaluation criteria and process determined by the ADR Cell editorial board. The shortlisted articles will be subject to a comprehensive review. The winners will be decided by the Editorial Board in consultation with the sponsors; the same shall be final and not open to any challenge.

The essays will be compiled and print-published in a book as well as on the website of USLLS ADR Blog, with all rights reserved by the university. The published copies would be circulated to the top law colleges, libraries, law firms and arbitration institutions, with the collaborative effort of the University School of Law and Legal Studies and our sponsors.

Interplay of Arbitration Law with various Sectoral Regulations Exploring Jurisdictional Dynamics:

• India’s Journey in International Investment Law and Arbitration.
• Arbitrability of Intellectual Property Disputes.
• The interplay of conflicting principles between Arbitration and Insolvency proceedings.
• Legislative gap between the Arbitration Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act.
• The legitimacy of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) vis-àvis Arbitration.
• Integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Factors in Assessing Damages in International Arbitration and Promoting Sustainable Social Justice.

Evolving Contemporary dynamics and transformative Advancements in the Indian Arbitration Law

• Navigating India’s Arbitration Law Reforms for a Progressive Legal Landscape.
• The Advent of contemporary mechanisms of using Information Technology in Arbitration.
• The status and enforceability of Emergency Arbitrator Proceedings.
• Bridging Traditional Practices with Modern Global Dynamics in Indian Arbitration Law.
• The Role of Med-Arb: Integrating Mediation and Arbitration for Effective Dispute Resolution in India.
• Intersection of Arbitration and Public Policy in India.
• ADR in the Digital Age: Exploring the Potential of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) in Indian Context.
• Unstamped Arbitration Agreements and their enforceability as per the Indian Arbitration Law.

India’s Position in the International Arbitration Law Regime

• India as an emerging hub for International Arbitration.
• Achieving symphony between Global Arbitration regime and Indian Domestic Arbitration laws.
• Jurisdiction of Indian courts in International Commercial Arbitration.
• Harmonizing International Arbitration Law through Ensuring Consistency in Awards amidst Parallel Proceedings.
• Global Recognition and Expertise: India’s Arbitrators and Legal Professionals in International Arbitration.
• Global Perception and Compliance: Evaluating India’s Adherence to International Arbitration Norms.
• Challenges in Legal Harmony: Conflict of Laws in the Context of Foreign Arbitration Seats.
• Unravelling the Challenges in Enforcing Foreign Arbitral Awards for Global Justice.
• Cross-Border Cultural Challenges and Linguistic inconsistencies in the realm of International Arbitration.

Changes with the introduction of The Mediation Act, 2023 .

• Deconstructing Legal Foundations: A Deep Dive into Mediation Act 2023.
• Practical Implications: Applying the Mediation Act in Real-world Cases.
• Comparative Jurisprudence: Benchmarking the Mediation Act Against Global Standards.
• Mediation and Technology: Unveiling Digital Dimensions in the Act.
• Measuring Success: Evaluating the Impact of the Mediation Act on Dispute Resolution.

The themes are not exhaustive but only suggestive.

Who is it for?

The competition is open to law students enrolled in a 3-year LL.B. programme and a 5-year integrated law programme.

Submission Guidelines

• Authors are instructed to not put their names anywhere in the main submission.
• All entries should be submitted in .doc or .docx format.
• Co-authorship of a maximum of two persons is permitted.
• The author(s) bear sole responsibility for the accuracy of facts, opinions or views stated in the submissions.
• Submission and publication of manuscripts that purposefully target or intend to harm the religious, socio-cultural, and/or political sentiments of any reasonable reader are strictly prohibited. The submissions must strictly be limited to legal research of the suggested topics.
• The language used must not be unparliamentary, abusive or result in disrepute to any third person.
• The Editorial Board will not accept plagiarised content and in case of gross plagiarism found in the contents of the submitted manuscript, the submission shall be rejected.
• Similarity and AI check of the submissions will be done using the Turnitin software. A maximum of 15% of similarity is permissible for the manuscript to pass the first stage of technical review. Content properly cited with their sources highlighted in the similarity check may not be considered as plagiarism.
• Paraphrasing as well as verbatim usage of content without appropriate citation of authorities shall qualify as plagiarism. Any instance of plagiarism/AI use in any portion of the submission is a ground for immediate disqualification of the manuscript.
• Manuscripts not in conformity with these guidelines may be rejected at the sole discretion of the Editorial Board whether before or after undergoing the procedure of blind peer-review. The Editorial Board reserves the discretion to send the manuscripts back to the authors for any modification(s) at any stage, in the event of non-conformity with any of the submission guidelines.

General Rules

STYLE SPECIFICATION

• Main Body [Times New Roman, 12 points, 1.5 line spacing, Justified, 1-inch margins on all sides].
• Footnotes [Times New Roman, 10 points, 1.0 line spacing, Justified].
• Title [Times New Roman, 14 points, 1.5 line spacing, Bold, All Caps, Centre Aligned].
• Heading Level 1 [Times New Roman, 14 points, 1.5 line spacing, Bold, Capitalize each word and Small Caps, Centre Aligned]. Numbering should be: I, II, III, …
• Heading Level 2 [Times New Roman, 12 points, 1.5 line spacing, Italics, Sentence case, Centre Aligned]. Numbering should be: A, B, C, …
• Heading Level 3 [Times New Roman, 12 points, 1.5 line spacing, Italics and Underlined, Sentence case, Left Aligned] Numbering should be: a), b), c), …

WORD LIMIT AND CITATION

• The word limit for each article is 2500-3000 words. Footnotes should be exclusive of the word limits and no comments shall be allowed in it.
• Citations must strictly conform to the standards laid down in the Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) (4th Edition) format.
• Word limit for the abstract: 150 to 200 words.
• Essays must be original, unpublished, non-plagiarised and shall not be under simultaneous consideration for publication elsewhere.

How to Submit?

The essays should submitted through the Google form given below this post.

Important Dates

• Release of Notification 14th December 2023
• Final Submission of the Entries 31st January 2024 11:59 PM
• Evaluation of Submissions and Announcement of the Results by By end of February 2024
• Cash Prizes and gifts amounting to Rs. 20,000/- for the top 3 entries of the competition. 1st Prize- Rs. 10,000 2nd Prize- Rs. 6,000 3rd Prize- Rs. 4,000
• All selected essays are to be compiled and published in a curated publication to be circulated amongst top law Universities and firms.
• Selected essays are to be published on the USLLS ADR BLOG website as well.
• The top 5 Authors selected for publication would be offered an offline internship opportunity with Equi Law Partners, subject to their policy.
• The authors of the top 10 entries will get a 1- Year subscription to the legal database curated by CaseMine.
• A ‘Certificate of Merit’ shall be provided to all the accepted entries.

Contact Information

For any inquiries, please contact at [email protected] .

Click here to Submit

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• News & Insights
• essay-competition-nov-2023-winner-announced

The Andrew Lockley Public Law Essay Competition 2023 Winner Announced

We launched the Andrew Lockley Public Law Essay Competition in 2021 to give aspiring public law and human rights lawyers a platform to kick-start their careers. The contest is named after the first head of our Public Law team and we were delighted to run it again this year.

We’ve received some brilliant entries, and we’re proud to present this year’s winner: Laura Bramall.

Laura completed the Bar Vocational Studies Course (BVS), at City, University of London this summer. She’s now a prison lawyer and has hopes to practice as a Public Law barrister in the future.

She answered the question:

What key factors should the courts consider and give most weight to when balancing the rights to freedom of expression and assembly of protestors with disruption to other members of the public?

Our expert panel of judges featured Angela Jackman KC (Hon) , Yogi Amin and Oliver Carter from our Public Law team. They enjoyed reading Laura’s essay.

Angela said:

“Laura’s essay was a pleasure to read. It was clear from the introduction that the essay would be well-structured, and she outlined at an early stage the perspective that would be argued.

“Laura made cogent references to both domestic and European case law, discussed international treaties and drew upon key legislation. She adeptly analysed the competing interests between individuals’ rights of protest and protecting the public’s right to come and go freely, whilst debating the underlying need for the courts to apply the principles of proportionality.

“The essay also stood out due to the extensive research evidenced in the bibliography and reference to current protests. Very well done, Laura.”

Oliver continued:

“Protest has been the subject of intense political debate and significant legal reform in recent years, and we were delighted to receive so many excellent essays on this topical question.

“Amongst strong competition, Laura’s essay stood out for its clear structure, detailed analysis, and fluent style. Laura cited relevant judgments in explaining how the courts assess the proportionality of any interference with protest rights, and examined the key factors which they consider. As Laura notes in her conclusion, recent legislation may influence how the courts conduct proportionality assessments, perhaps reducing the level of protection given to freedom of expression and assembly.

“Congratulations to Laura, a very worthy winner of the Andrew Lockley Public Law Essay Competition in 2023!”

Read Laura’s entry in full below.

Since the statutory ratification of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) by the Human Rights Act (HRA) in 1998, the rights to freedom of expression (Article 10) and assembly of protestors (Article 11) (‘The Rights’) have been protected in English and Welsh law. The relationship between the two Articles is most often engaged in the law of protesting: the protection of personal opinions by Article 10 is one of the objectives of Article 11 [Ezelin v. France [1992] EHRR 362 at [37]]. Protesting is a pertinent issue: before The Rights were made statutory by the HRA, ‘the approach of the English common law to freedom of expression and assembly was hesitant and negative’ [Lord Bingham in R (Laporte) v Chief Constable of Gloucestershire [2006] UKHL 55 [34]]. Yet the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 has significantly restricted protesting rights. The courts in England and Wales must now balance the rights of people described by Priti Patel as ‘thugs’ with the maintenance of a properly functioning society.

This essay will examine the key factors that must be balanced when the courts consider cases that engage the rights to freedom of expression and assembly of protestors. These are: the UK’s international (including positive) obligations, the level of disruption that is caused by the actions of the protestors, the presence of violence, and whether there has been discrimination against a person or group of people. This essay will conclude that the courts must consider these and other factors in order to undertake an assessment of proportionality: to decide whether interference with The Rights is ‘necessary in a democratic society’.

International Obligations

In addition to the ECHR, English and Welsh courts are also bound by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly at Article 211. The ICCPR, ECHR, and HRA all dictate that any Parliamentary restrictions on The Rights must be provided in law and proportionate to one or more of the legitimate aims listed in their stated provisions. These include inter alia national security, public safety, and public order. The ECHR requires, in addition, that the restriction be justified by a ‘pressing social need’.

Although English and Welsh courts will be mindful that Parliament has a wide margin of appreciation in determining whether restrictions are proportionate, they must remember that the UK’s international legal obligations also include a positive duty to protect The Rights. The ECtHR rules that this includes protecting participants of assemblies from fear of physical violence from counter demonstrators [Plattform ‘Artze fur das Leven’ v Austria App no 10126/82 (ECtHR, 21 June 1988]. The UNHRC extends the positive obligation to allowing the protest to take place at the protestors’ desired location, even if that means some disruption to daily activities, is not formally authorised, and involves protecting participants from state and private interferences [Turchenyak et al. v Belarus No. 1984/2010 [UN Human Rights Committee, 10 September 2023]]. Indeed, the UK College of Policing teaches that the police have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect participants from threats of disruption.

The UK cannot invoke its domestic law as a justification for failure to comply with its obligations under international law [Vienna Convention on the Law of the Treaties, 1155 UNTS 331, Art 27]. Therefore, the courts should consider the restrictions imposed by the Policing Act 2022 to be secondary to the international obligations outlined above. The UK’s international obligations are fundamental to the courts’ assessment of proportionality: the judiciary must uphold international law.

Level of disruption to the public

Although The Rights derive from international law, a state is able to limit the exercise of The Rights if the protestors’ actions amount to ‘reprehensible acts’ [Kudrevičius v Lithuania [GC] App no. 37553/05 (ECtHR, 26 November 2013) at [81]]. Per Kudrevičius, the state’s margin of appreciation is wide in its assessment of the necessity of measures to prevent ‘reprehensible acts’ [145]. A ‘reprehensible act’ may even attract a criminal sanction. ‘[P]hysical conduct obstructing traffic and the ordinary course of life’ is not at the core of the freedom that Articles 10 and 11 were created to protect [97]. Therefore, the courts should attribute great weight to the level of disruption caused to the public by a protest. It is open to judges to find that an act during a protest is so reprehensible that it falls outside of the protection of Articles 10 and 11.

When considering this factor, the courts should use ECtHR case law as a reference point. This dictates that a demonstration on a public highway is not prohibited per se [Barraco v France App no. 31684/05 (ECtHR, 5 March 2009)] and that blocking three major roads and exceeding the scope of permits issued does not constitute a ‘reprehensible act’ [Kudrevičius]. Indeed, the UK Supreme Court has ruled that a deliberately obstructive protest on the highway retains the protection of Articles 10 and 11, despite its considerable disruption to the public [DPP v Ziegler and others [2021] UKSC 23].

Presence of violence

A ‘reprehensible act’ may be a violent one. UNHRC Article 21 demands that an assembly be peaceful and the High Court makes clear that if a protestor is violent, he is not entitled to rely on Articles 10 and 11 [DPP v Cuciurean 2022] EWHC 736 (Admin) at [86]]. Although individuals who act violently during a protest will still retain the protection of other rights under international and domestic law, the courts must consider violence early on in their assessment.

It is, however, unclear what may constitute violence. The UNHRC notes that ‘mere pushing and shoving or disruption of vehicular or pedestrian movement or daily activities’ would not amount to violence for the purpose of Article 21 [UN Doc CCPR/C/GC/37]. Yet domestic law dictates that a protestor can be arrested merely for failure to comply with conditions or for ‘breach of the peace’ based on the police’s apprehension of harm [Laporte and Christian v Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis [2014] EWHC 3574]. English and Welsh courts should bear in mind that conduct must cross a higher threshold to constitute ‘violence’ in international law than under UK law. The point at which a protest, or protestor, becomes violent and loses the protection of Articles 10 and 11 must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Yet it is crucial to the court’s assessment.

Real or potential discrimination

While consideration of real or potential discrimination is not unique to cases involving Articles 10 and 11, it is nevertheless important. Both Articles must be guaranteed to everyone without discrimination based on any grounds listed in the Equality Act 2010. The UN finds the possibility of discrimination against people living in poverty relevant to decisions on protests. Its report concludes that the criminalisation of acts like the ‘disruption of traffic’ and ‘road-blocking’ may disproportionately affect those who are of such socioeconomic status that such acts are their only means of making their voices heard [UN Doc A/74/349 at [46]].

The relevance of this factor in the courts’ judgments is particularly pertinent in relation to the ongoing protests against the British Government’s support of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. While it is important to protect The Rights of pro-Palestinian protestors, the courts must consider the actual or potential antisemitism that has or may arise out of the protests.

Ultimately the courts must conduct a test of proportionality. The aforementioned factors are not exhaustive. In Zeigler, the Supreme Court included in its list other factors, such as the sincerity of the protestors’ beliefs and evidence of any complaints about the protest. The long term effect of the Policing Act 2022 and the amendments made to it by the Public Order Bill remains to be seen. The Joint Committee on Human Rights suggests that this new legislation will tilt courts’ assessment of proportionality away from the protection of Article 10 and 11 rights and towards reducing the disruption to the public. However, should the legislation lean too far, it will undoubtedly be met with a legal challenge on the basis that such interference with Articles 10 and 11 is not necessary in a democratic society and therefore not proportional.

Bibliography

Blaxland KC, Henry and Greenhall, Owen, Supreme Court upholds right to disruptive protest on highway (Garden Court Chambers blog, 25 June 2021) < Supreme Court upholds right to disruptive protest on highway | News | Garden Court Chambers | Leading Barristers located in London, UK > [Last accessed: 29.10.23]

Human Rights (Joint Committee), Legislative Scrutiny: Public Order Bill [First Report of Session 2022-23 8 June 2022] < Legislative Scrutiny: Public Order Bill (parliament.uk) > [Last accessed: 29.10.23]

Hughes, David, Just Stop Oil protesters ‘wreaking havoc’ and costing millions, says No 10 (The Independent, 30 August 2022) < Just Stop Oil protesters ‘wreaking havoc’ and costing millions, says No 10 | The Independent > [Last Accessed: 29.10.23]

Lazarus, Prof Liora; Atrey, Dr Shreya; Martin, Dr Richard (Oxford Pro Bono Publico), The Law on Policing Peaceful Protests (University of Oxford, September 2020)

Nuyts, Maya, What Freedom of Assembly? – An Analysis in Contemporary Law (The Yale Law Journal, 17 December 2018) < What Freedom of Assembly? - An Analysis in Contemporary Law - The YLJ > [Last accessed: 29.10.23]

Royal College of Policing, Public order public safety < Public order public safety | College of Policing > [Last accessed: 29.10.23]

UN General Assembly, Note by the Secretary General: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (11 September 2019) UN Doc A/74/349

UNHRC, General Comment No 37 – Article 21: Right of Peaceful Assembly (27 July 2020) UN Doc CCPR/C/GC/37

Cases cited

DPP v Cuciurean [2022] EWHC 736 (Admin)

DPP v Ziegler and others [2021] UKSC 23

Laporte and Christian v Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis [2014] EWHC 3574

R (Laporte) v Chief Constable of Gloucestershire [2006] UKHL 55

International

Barraco v France App no. 31684/05 (ECtHR, 5 March 2009)

Ezelin v. France [1992] EHRR 362

Kudrevičius v Lithuania [GC] App no. 37553/05 (ECtHR, 26 November 2013)

Plattform ‘Artze fur das Leven’ v Austria App no 10126/82 (ECtHR, 21 June 1988)

Turchenyak et al. v Belarus No. 1984/2010 [UN Human Rights Committee, 10 September 2023]

Treaty cited

Vienna Convention on the Law of the Treaties, 1155 UNTS 331, Art 27

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Virginia Law Review Online Student Essay Contest

• Sept 22, 2023

The  Virginia Law Review  ( VLR )  Online  is excited to announce the topic for our fourth annual essay competition. This competition is open to all current law students (including LLMs) and recent graduates (from the Classes of 2020–2023) from any ABA-accredited American law school. We will choose up to three winning submissions, each of which will be awarded a $300 cash prize (subject to any applicable tax reporting and withholding requirements). Current UVA Law students whose pieces are accepted for publication will be extended invitations to join the  Virginia Law Review . All pieces must be submitted by January 2, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. 

Prompt : In  Riley v. California , Chief Justice John Roberts called the cell phone “such a pervasive and insistent part of daily life that the proverbial visitor from Mars might conclude they were an important feature of human anatomy.” 573 U.S. 373, 385 (2014). Technology continues to develop at a rapid pace, affecting all facets of our lives and presenting new challenges to judges, lawyers, advocates, law enforcement, legislators, and other stakeholders. We would like to learn more about these challenges and gather your novel thoughts on the possibilities and limitations of the law to govern constantly evolving technology.

This topic is intentionally broad, but submissions should focus on first explaining how technological advances have created or enhanced a certain problem, followed by a discussion of the way(s) in which the law (either alone or in conjunction with other forms of advocacy and action) might address these growing concerns. A non-exhaustive list of potential topics includes: privacy and technology, artificial intelligence, national security, social media, computer crimes, and policing.

Rules : Each individual may submit no more than one piece, and submissions must be previously unpublished. Jointly-written pieces up to three authors will be accepted. Pieces do not need to be exclusively submitted to  VLR Online  during the competition window; however, if you choose to publish the piece elsewhere, you must inform  VLR Online  by emailing Online Development Editor Dennis Ting ( [email protected] ) within 24 hours of acceptance. Students may not receive advising from  VLR Online  or  Notes  advisors on their pieces. Pieces may reflect conversations and light comments from professors and other students. They should not, however, be heavily edited by anyone other than the author(s).

Length : Pieces published as part of the  VLR Online  Student Essay Competition are footnoted and must be no more than 6,000 words in length (including footnotes).

Deadline : All pieces must be submitted by January 2, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. 

Submission : Pieces must be emailed to  [email protected]  and [email protected]  in .docx format. The document  must  abide by these guidelines:

• The title of the piece;
• An abstract of 250 words or less; and
• A word count for the piece, both with and without footnotes.
• The file must be the [Piece Title], and the subject line of the email  must  be “ VLR Online Essay Competition Submission ”.
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• Your name, phone number, e-mail address, and mailing address;
• The title of your submission; and
• A signed statement (an electronic signature will be accepted) that your piece was not heavily edited by anyone other than the author(s).

Any questions should be directed to the Online Development Editor, Dennis Ting ( [email protected] ).

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2022-2023 Law Essay Writing Competition

HKU ROLE Project - Rule of Law Essay Competition 2023 ( Deadline is Friday, 24 November 2023! )

Since 2012, the Rule of Law Education (ROLE) Project at The University of Hong Kong has been developing academic materials and other resources to interact with the general public to promote a better understanding of the rule of law in Hong Kong.

To encourage secondary school students to learn actively, think creatively, and to share their thoughts and opinions on the principles of th e rule of law and its significance in society, the ROLE Project is pleased to organise its 5th Rule of Law Essay Competition this year and is now inviting entries from senior secondary school students on the following topic:

Assume that you are a student representative of your school responsible for assisting your teachers in explaining and/or proposing changes to the school rules.  Describe how you could apply the rule of law principles to the school rules.

Eligibility

The Rule of Law Essay Competition 2023 is open to all students who are currently enrolled in either S.4, S.5, or S.6 (or equivalent) in any secondary school in Hong Kong.

Language and Format

Essays may be submitted either in Chinese (word limit: 900 words) or in English (word limit: 800 words); a student can submit ONLY ONE essay (in either English or Chinese).

Assessment Criteria

All essays will be scored anonymously by a panel of judges, who will assess each essay based on its 1) content; 2) structure; 3) writing style; and 4) creativity.

There will be a total of 6 winners, 3 for each language group in the categories below:

Champion:  HK$3,000 and certificate

First runner-up:  HK$2,000 and certificate

Second runner-up:  HK$1,000 and certificate

A number of Certificates of Merit will be awarded to high-quality entries at the discretion of the judges, as appropriate.

I. How to submit:

There are 2 ways to submit an essay:

by email to  [email protected]  with “HKU Rule of Law Essay Competition 2023 ” as subject title; or

by post to Room 0401, 4/F, Cheng Yu Tung Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong with “HKU Rule of Law Essay Competition 2023” marked on the envelope.

II. What to submit:

All entries must include: 1) the essay; 2) a completed application form; and 3) a copy of the participant’s student identity card (for the relevant secondary school attended).

The deadline is Friday, 24 November 2023 . Entries to be submitted via email must be received by this date, and entries to be submitted via post must be postmarked no later than this date.

Other Rules and Guidelines

The participant's name should only appear on the application form accompanying the essay. Do not identify yourself (by your name, pseudonym, or school name, etc.) in any part of the essay. Judges will score all essays anonymously.  

Plagiarism and/or impersonation is strictly prohibited.  

All entries must be original work by the entrant, unpublished in any form (including on any websites, blogs, online forums, newspapers, magazines, etc.), and not previously performed or awarded.  

Essays must be written by a single author; co-authored essays are not accepted.  

Use of generative AI is not allowed. Entries will be disqualified if any AI-generated content is identified. We reserve the right to follow up accordingly if any doubts related to AI use arise, and to make relevant judgements on a case-by-case basis.  

Please indicate the number of words at the end of the essay.  

Entrants are not allowed to submit their entries to other competitions before the result of the Rule of Law Essay Competition is announced.  

Once submitted, the essay entry is considered final. We do not allow participants to modify an entry after it has been received.  

Entries via post will not be returned. Please make a copy as necessary before submission.  

Winners of the Rule of Law Essay Competition accept that the copyright of their essays belongs to Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong. Written consent must be obtained prior to any republishing or repurposing of the essays.  

The organiser has the discretion to disqualify incomplete entries or those that do not adhere to the above guidelines, copyright, or any other applicable laws or regulations and to reclaim prizes awarded.

The results of the Competition will now be announced on Monday, 4 March 2024  on the ROLE website ( www.role.hku.hk ). Winners will also be informed individually by email.

Please direct additional questions to  [email protected] .

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Career and Professional Development

Announcing the Seventh Annual Yale Law Journal Student Essay Competition

The  Yale Law Journal  is excited to announce its seventh annual Student Essay Competition. The  Journal ’s Student Essay Competition challenges the next generation of legal scholars and practitioners to reflect on emerging legal problems. The Competition is open to current law students and recent law-school graduates nationwide. Up to three winners will be awarded a $300 cash prize. Winning submissions will be published in the  Yale Law Journal Forum , the  Journal ’s online component. All  Forum  Essays are fully searchable and available on LexisNexis, Westlaw, and our website. Last year’s winning Essays can be viewed on our website.

Competition Topic: Emerging Issues in Law and the Family

This year, we invite submissions focusing on novel developments in the law as a result of shifting social norms, public policy, and legal developments concerning the family, broadly understood. We encourage submissions on a range of topics, including family law; children and the Constitution; immigration law’s effect on families; parental rights in education; sexual orientation and gender identity; abortion, childbirth and family planning; elder law; domestic violence, and policy proposals that bear on the family. We welcome topics in related areas as well, and we hope to receive both clinical and academic submissions.

Eligibility and Submission Details

The competition is open to all current law students and recent law school graduates (JDs and LLMs from the Classes of 2019-2026) from any ABA-accredited law school. Each individual may submit only one piece. Submissions must be previously unpublished Essays and may not be submitted to other publications during the competition period.

The deadline for submissions is September 15, 2023 at 5pm ET. Submissions must be no shorter than 4,000 words and no longer than 8,000 words, including footnotes.

To review more details and eligibility requirements, please visit the Journal’s website .

Essay Competition

​ young practitioners and scholars essay competition 2024.

The Editorial Committee of the European Investment Law and Arbitration Review invites original, unpublished, high- quality submissions for the Young Practitioners and Scholars Essay Competition 2024 . The deadline for submission is 1 September 2024.

The essay competition is open to practitioners, scholars, and students from around the world.

To be eligible, authors must at the time of submission:

• have a PQE of 7 years or less (e.g., Year of Call 2016 or more recent); or
• be enrolled in a law degree course such as an LLB, JD, BCL, LLM, PhD, DPhil (or local equivalents).

  ​Authors are free to choose the topic of their essay to the extent that it relates to EU investment law and arbitration, including one of the topics in the Call for Papers for this issue:

• The continued impact of the Termination Agreement on the enforcement and recognition of awards – within and outside the EU
• The recent results of the UNCITRAL Working Group III on ISDS reform
• The impact of the announced common withdrawal of the EU and its Member States from the Energy Charter Treaty – on pending and new disputes as well as for the recognition and enforcement of ECT awards within and outside the EU
• The potentially increasing role of the ECtHR for investment protection after the termination of the intra-EU BITs and the announced withdrawal from the ECT
• The impact of the war against Ukraine for European investors and their investment protection
• Existing investment protection standards under EU law
• EU sanctions and investment law and arbitration
• The interaction between tax and investment law
• The impact of new EU legislation (e.g. Foreign Investment Screening mechanism, Cross Border Adjustment measures) on foreign investors and BITs
• Human rights and EU investment law and arbitration
• Climate change and EU investment law and arbitration
• The UK as an investment destination post-Brexit

Submissions should be between 5,000 and 12,000 words , inclusive of footnotes. Co-authored submissions are permissible.

All submissions must be in English and must be in conformity with the Review ’s house style, which is available here .

It is the responsibility of all authors to ensure that their English is at near-native standard before submitting to the Review .

If the English is not at near-native standard, submissions will not be accepted.

The Editorial Committee reserves the right to reject a submission which does not conform with its house style and/or the level of English.

Submissions are to be emailed as an attached Word document to [email protected] with the subject “Submission for EILAR Essay Competition 2024”.

Winners will be chosen by the Editorial Committee of the Review .  The Editorial Committee reserves the right not to award any prize if they conclude that no essay of sufficiently high academic quality has been submitted.

Prizes The winning submission and the runner-up submission will be published in the Review .

In addition, the following prizes will be awarded:

• First prize: EUR 500,- worth of books sponsored by the publisher
• Second prize: EUR 250,- worth of books sponsored by the publisher
• Third prize: EUR 150,- worth of books sponsored by the publisher
• All winners will receive a complimentary pass to the next EFILA Annual Conference.

• Apprentice Lawyer

GLC Mumbai announces 22nd Dinesh Vyas Memorial National Legal Essay Competition

The Magazine Committee of Government Law College, Mumbai has invited submissions for its annual national level legal essay writing competition.

The essay competition is held in memory of the late Dinesh Vyas who obtained his degree from Government Law College (GLC) in 1967.

This year's topics for submission are

- One Nation, One Election: An Analysis of the report and its Implications for Indian democracy;

- Evaluating the Telecommunications Act 2023: Advancements, challenges, and implications for India's digital future;

- Analysing the Ayodhya Rami Reddy Alla vs. PCIT case: Implications and lessons from the Telangana High Court's ruling on General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) [WP Nos. 46510 and 46467 of 2022 (Telangana High Court)];

-In the light of the recent US copyright case revolving around the free e-lending facility of Internet Archive, what should be the limits on ‘fair use’ of copyrighted works by students and academicians?

- Educational institutes’ restrictions on religious symbols: Safeguarding secularism or choking religious freedom?

- Reforming the Global Guardian: The ICJ's Shortcomings in protecting individual rights and ensuring accountability for war crimes – Exploring solutions for greater effectiveness.

Eligibility

The competition is open to students pursuing LL.B. (five or three year courses) or LL.M. course from any recognised university or college in India and equivalent degree abroad who are in their academic year of 2023-24.

Registration

Registration can be done by via this Google Form . Registration fees for single authorship is ₹100 and co-authorship is ₹ 150.

- First Prize: ₹20,000/-

- Second Prize: ₹ 15,000/-

- Third Prize: ₹10,000/-

Additionally two Consolation Prizes of ₹7,500 will also be given. The first prize winning entry will be published and awarded ₹20,000 in the 94th edition of méLAWnge , the Annual College Magazine of GLC, Mumbai.

Important Dates

The last date to register is October 24, 2024.

The submission deadline is November 10, 2024.

Submission Rules

1. The submission should be made in English and must be an original and unpublished work of the author(s) making the submission.

2. The submission must be made in the font Times New Roman with font size 12, line spacing of 1.5, and margin of one inch on all sides. Paper Size to be used is A4 size.

3.The word limit is 5000 words which is inclusive of footnotes.

4. Citation style to be used is ILI. The citation font should be Times New Roman, size to be followed is 10 and spacing 1.0.

5. Alignment to be followed must be Justified.

6. Plagiarism over 15 per cent will result in automatic disqualification.

7. Title of the submission document must be the topic chosen by the author(s).

8. A team code will also have to be selected by the author(s).

9. Participants must not disclose their names or any identifying information in their submission. If such details are found, the submission stands rejected and disqualified.

10. Entries shall be submitted through this Google Form .

For further queries you may email [email protected] or contact Sarthak Das at +91 9819950316 or Aaryaa Shinge at +91 7021090033.

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Gwyneth Bebb Law Essay Competition

Home → Study Here → Outreach → Essay Competitions → Gwyneth Bebb Law Essay Competition

The Principal and Fellows of St Hugh’s College are pleased to offer a prize of up to £500 for the best essay written in response the question:

Defend one of the following two propositions:

• The deployment of juries as part of this country’s criminal trial procedure should be abolished.
• There is no particular reason for our judiciary to be representative of this country’s population.

No detailed knowledge of English law is required to answer it; indeed, while cases reported in the national media may be referred to, entrants should not look to cite any specific case law or statutes in their work. Rather, they are encouraged to think about things a matter of principle. The judges will be looking out for an entrant’s ability to reason from wider precepts and to construct clear and coherent arguments.

Entry is restricted to pupils who, at the closing date, have been in the Sixth Form of any state-funded school or college for a period of not more than two years.

Entries should be 1500 – 2000 words in length, including any material in the footnotes which is additional commentary or content related to your essay. References or citations in footnotes, and your bibliography, are not included in this word count. You are welcome to use whichever style of referencing you prefer. Essays must be submitted in PDF format.

The 2024 competition is now closed. Details of this year’s winning essays can be found to the right of this page.

Details of the 2025 competitions will be published in late January/early February 2025.

Please direct any enquiries to [email protected]

Gwyneth Bebb (1889-1921), was one of the first women to be awarded a degree in Law at Oxford, and the first to achieve first-class honours; she was an educational and legal pioneer.

2024 gwyneth bebb prize winners.

Nick Warrier – Westcliff High School for Boys, Southend-on-Sea (Year 12)

The deployment of juries as part of this country’s criminal trial procedure should be abolished

Second Place

Deetya Prabhu – Wallington High School for Girls, Wallington (Year 12)

William Smith – St Ambrose College, Altrincham (Year 12)

The winners and a number of others who were highly commended were invited to a celebratory tea in College in September.

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Competition 2023-2024: sponsorship announcement

The ILBF is delighted to announce that the 2023-2024 law undergraduate essay competition is sponsored by international law firm McDermott Will & Emery.

The 2023-2024 essay competition is a fantastic opportunity for law undergraduates in the UK to win an internship with McDermott. The firm is committed to providing opportunities to the next generation of lawyers, as well as promoting pro bono activities across the firm to create positive change around the world. The ILBF is immensely grateful for the support of McDermott for the 2023-2024 essay competition and our mission to share legal resources with organisations overseas.

Sponsoring the ILBF’s law undergraduate essay competition allows McDermott Will & Emery to marry two of its passions: supporting and encouraging the future careers of law students and, equally important, giving back to communities around the world where resources are stretched or non-existent. We wish all entrants to the competition the best of luck! Hamid Yunis, London Managing Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

We are extremely grateful to McDermott for sponsoring the essay competition for 2023-2024 and offering the winner a valuable internship with the firm. Their support for the work of the ILBF is hugely appreciated as is their commitment to providing this opportunity to lawyers of the future. Paul Lowenstein KC, chairman of the ILBF trustee board

Watch out for more information about the 2023-2024 essay competition over the coming weeks when we will announce the launch date and the competition details.

Categories: Competition   Partners

Posted on 19/09/2023 at 8:50 am.

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