law essay writing competition 2022

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2022 Law Essay Writing Competition

Topic: “Legal Remedies to Combat Climate Change”

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, 2022, 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 Each submission must be an original, unpublished academic work, but simultaneous submissions will be accepted.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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Law Essay Competitions

From learnmore.

• 1.1 The Andrew Lockley Public Law Essay Competition
• 1.2 vLex International Law & Technology Writing Competition
• 1.3 Golding Essay Prize
• 1.4 Times Law Awards
• 1.5 The Graham Turnbull Memorial International Human Rights Essay Competition
• 1.6 Bar Council Law Reform Essay
• 1.7 JLD Essay Competition
• 1.8 UKELA Andrew Lees Prize
• 1.9 ARDL Marion Simmons QC Essay Competition
• 1.10 FIDE Essay Prize
• 1.11 Future Legal Mind Award
• 1.12 Property Bar Association Essay Competition
• 1.13 SCL Student Essay Prize
• 1.14 Shamnad Basheer Essay Competition on Intellectual Property Law
• 1.15 UK Centre for Animal Law Essay Competition
• 1.16 The Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law Essay Competition
• 1.17 Littleton Chambers Sports Law Essay Competition
• 1.18 Human Rights Essay Award
• 1.19 FSLA Essay Competition
• 1.20 National Uehiro Oxford Prize in Practical Ethics
• 1.21 ITSA Essay Competition

Feeling like a winner?

There are lots of opportunities to try out your writing expertise throughout the year...sometimes for money (oh and prestige and worldwide fame of course...).

The Andrew Lockley Public Law Essay Competition

Irwin Mitchell run this competition for aspiring public law and human rights solicitors and it is a fantastic opportunity to get your name out there, win a £250 Blackwell's gift card and to develop your legal writing skills.

It is open to law students, graduates, paralegals and trainee solicitors.

Entrants are asked to submit an essay of no more than 1500 words on the following topic:

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?

Deadline is: 31st October 2023. Find full details of the competition, including the rules via the Irwin Mitchell website .

vLex International Law & Technology Writing Competition

This annual competition (it has been running since 2018) centres around three new themes each year. For 2024 these are:

• Immigration
• Large language models
• Industrial action

As in previous years, the winner receives a whopping £1500, with additional prizes for runners-up.

Have a look at the vLex Writing Competition page to see the rules, Ts &Cs and the work of winners from the previous competitions . You can also get inspiration on the set themes.

Max number of words is 1000. Deadline is 1st December 2023.

Golding Essay Prize

The Competition Law Association runs an annual competition for any student, trainee solicitor, pupil barrister or trainee patent and trade mark attorney. First prize is £1000.

The 2024 Essay Prize title asked for entrants to address the following title:

As the importance of renewable energy increases, will patents continue to play a central role in protecting those rights or will renewable companies rely on trade secrets and confidential information only?

Look at the competition website for inspiration from previous winning essays. The rules and background for this year's competition can be accessed via the CLA website .

Times Law Awards

The biggest of these law essay competition is The Times Law Award. Last year's competition deadline was mid-Jan and prizes were substantial, with £3,500 for the winner and £2,500 and £1,500 for second and third place. Not bad for a 1000 word essay on a given topic!

Last year's title was:

Should states and private parties be entitled to recover reparations from aggressor states, and if so, how??

You can see the prize-winning essays (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 3 runners-up going all the way back to 1995) on the One Essex Court/Times Law Award website .

We'll update this as soon as this year's competition is announced.

We're very proud of the incredible number of City students and alumni who have performed so well in this competition over the years. We have seen the following successes from them:

GDL student Charlie Colenutt was runner-up in 2020 * BPTC student William Beddows was runner-up in 2019 * BPTC student Katie Ratcliffe (3rd) in 2018 * GDL student Genevieve Woods (1st) in 2017 * Joshua Brown (1st) and Gavin Dingley (2nd) in 2016 * BPTC students George White (1st) and Lara Hassell (3rd) (Lara completed the GDL at City in the previous year) and BPTC alumnus James Beeton (2nd) in 2014 * GDL students Andrew Lomas (1st) and Lara Hassell (2nd) in 2013 * GDL and BPTC alumni James Potts (1st) and GDL student Thomas Coates (2nd) in 2012 * GDL student Anthony Pavlovich (1st) in 2011 * GDL student Anita Davies (1st) in 2010. Anita's winning essay was described by Jack Straw as "an engaging, erudite piece of prose" * GDL student Amy Rogers (1st) in 2006 * GDL student Sarah Love (joint 1st) in 2005 * BVC student James Brilliant (1st) in 2004 * GDL student Mathew Guillick (1st) in 2002 *

The Graham Turnbull Memorial International Human Rights Essay Competition

An annual competition named after Graham Turnbull, an English solicitor who did much to promote respect for human rights. Graham was killed in 1997, working as a human rights monitor on the United Nations Human Rights Mission in Rwanda.

Until 2023, the competition was administered by the Law Society but is now managed by the Graham Turnbull Memorial Fund independently.

The competition is open to law students, trainee solicitors, pupil barristers and all solicitors/barristers within 3 years of admission/call. It asked for essays of no more than 2000 words in length and awards the winner of this prestigious award, £500. The title for the 2023 competition is:

What are the human rights implications of the failure of a state to take action to prevent global temperature rises which threaten the health or lives of their citizens?

Previous winners include Niall Coghlan (2013 competition) and Nick Jones (2019 competition), who were both on the GDL programme at City. You can read the winning entries all the way back to 2010 on the Law Society page for inspiration in the meantime...

Entries should be sent to [email protected] prior to the deadline - 5pm on the 20th October 2023. I've put the full rules on the Lawbore blog for you.

Bar Council Law Reform Essay

Sponsored by the Bar Council Scholarship Trust, this competition is open to students and pupils and requires entrants to write a piece of less than 3000 words proposing the case for a law reform which is desirable, practical and useful. Top prize is £4000 which could come in very handy for funding some part of your legal education.

City GDL students have won in previous years: Daisy Ricketts (2011) and Calum Docherty (2010) were both successful. Calum proposed the reform of copyright law in Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Reforming Fair Dealing in English Copyright Law and Daisy with Strengthening the Rule of Law: Reforming the Scope on Parliamentary Privilege . In 2012 City student Mek Mesfin was runner-up in the CPE category and in 2013 Ross Beaton , a City GDL alumni won the overall prize. You can see all previous winners and read their essays via the Bar Council website .

Phoebe Whitlock won in the GDL category for 2016's competition with an entry entitled Rivalling Silicon Valley: The case for the reform of Software Patents. Take a look at the CityNews story about this. For the 2017 competition, GDL student Clarissa Wigoder won first prize with her essay Spare the rod: Why the law on corporal punishment needs to be reformed, and Daniel Fox was named runner-up with his piece: I hate being idle: Asylum seekers and the right to work. In 2020 BPTC alumnus Oliver Brewis won for his piece: Unravelling the Sleeve of Care: Fair Remuneration for Employer-contracted Sleep . In 2021, GDL student Annika Weis won with her entry: Licence to sanction - Stopping Environmental Crimes through UK Magnitsky legislation . Last year, GDL student Raphael Marshall was first runner-up in the competition.

Take a look at their entries (and other winners back to 2018) via the Bar Council website . The competition information usually comes out in April and the deadline for entries for 2023 is 23rd October at 5pm.

JLD Essay Competition

Open to its members, the Junior Lawyers Network of the Law Society , have an annual competition for those registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. This includes LPC students and those qualified and working as paralegals. The deadline is normally around the end of November each year and they generally ask for essays of no more than 2000 words. I can't currently find any information about this year's competition, so have fired off an email to the organisation. Update soon!

Essay titles from previous years include:

Is there a role for the legal profession in environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations?

What’s in a name? Is the title of solicitor still relevant??

How will the rule of law be affected by advances in legal technology?

UKELA Andrew Lees Prize

Named for a former Friends of the Earth Campaign Director (Andrew Lees, a leading environmental campaigner who died unexpectedly in 1994) this prize has been going many years. You can view previous winners on the site and the winner normally receives support for travel and attendance at the UKELA annual conference as well as see your work published in their members' journal.

The deadline for submissions is usually around early April of each year. The 2024 competition is likely to launch in January 2024.

Find out more about the competition and associated rules on the UKELA website , as well as essay winners from past years.

The 2023 competition pivoted around the following statement: 'If we are to meet the challenges of the climate and nature crises, it is essential to strengthen current approaches to environmental governance. Discuss'. You can read the winning entry via the UKELA website.

ARDL Marion Simmons QC Essay Competition

Annual essay competition from the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers . Students are asked to write no more than 1500 words on a topic. The competition asks applicants to submit an essay on a regulatory law or disciplinary law topic of their choice.

First prize winner takes home £2000, second prize winner £1000 and third prize £500. Details of the competition are normally released in February, with a deadline for submission in late April.

Entry is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students in the UK and a wide range of early practitioners too. You can see full eligibility details via the competition website .

FIDE Essay Prize

The UK Association for European Law also run an essay competition, with the winner securing a bursary to attend the biennial FIDE CONGRESS Conference, which usually takes place in May.

Students are generally asked to write no more than 2000 words (including footnotes) on the topic provided.

Submissions are judged by a panel from the UKAEL committee, who will award the winner registration at the conference in addition to £600 towards accommodation and travel. The winner of this prize in 2018 was William Spence, GDL student at City. In 2014 another City student (BPTC) took the prize, Niall Coghlan. You can read both their essays via the UKAEL website. Niall has had a great year for developing his European Law expertise - he was also part of the team that won the European Human Rights Moot in Strasbourg.

Sadly the competition has been on pause in recent years and will likely not run in 2024.

Future Legal Mind Award

Launched in 2014 by the National Accident Helpline the winner of this competition will receive £1500 towards their career development, as well as gain access to mentoring and a work experience placement.

There are separate awards for undergraduates and postgraduates. The last time the competition ran was 2022. You can find out more about the competition and see the winning entries via the National Accident Helpline competition website . The organisers have confirmed that it will run again in 2024.

The 2015 winner in the postgraduate category was Lukas Hamilton-Eddy (City GDL student). In 2016 the prize was again won by a City GDL student, Tom Phillips. He wowed judges with his essay on the future of legal services for firms and consumers. Another City student, Pavlos Artemios Xagoraris also made the finalists stage. Pavlos is in the first year of his Graduate Entry LLB. Katherine Strange (GDL) was a finalist in 2017. We're overdue another City winner!

Property Bar Association Essay Competition

This competition was launched in November 2015 and asks students each year to write a 1000-word essay, with the winner taking home £1000, a copy of Megarry & Wade AND their essay published in the Estates Gazette .

The question for 2023 was Has equity been taken too far in enforcing informal promises of interests in land?

The question is normally released in November each year and the essay deadline in early January.

Arabella Adams (City GDL) won the 2017 competition and Elijah Granet (City GDL) won first prize in the 2020 competition .

SCL Student Essay Prize

The Society for Computers and Law annual essay competition asks entrants to write a maximum of 2000 words in order to be in with a chance of winning a free place at the annual SCL Conference, publication of your essay in the SCL Computers and Law magazine and £300. The competition honours the memory of the amazing Sir Henry Brooke, a former President of SCL.

The 2021 competition (deadline was in November of that year) asked students to address the following question in fewer than 2500 words:

There is increasing concern that machine learning tools embed bias in their operations and outputs. To what extent does the law currently provide adequate protection from or adequate redress in respect of any such discrimination?

We've contacted the SCL to find out if this competition will run in 2024.

Shamnad Basheer Essay Competition on Intellectual Property Law

This competition was launched in 2020 by SpicyIP , in honour of their founder Professor Shamnad Basheer. Excitingly this competition asks for submissions on anything related to intellectual property rights – the more creative the better. The call generally comes out in May of each year.

The word limit for submissions is 5,000 words (inclusive of footnotes) and the deadline for submissions is June 30, 2020 (23:59 IST).

All submissions and any queries should be e-mailed to [email protected].

The competition is open to students currently enrolled in any LLB program (or its equivalent – meaning students enrolled in J.D. programs can take part) across the world.

Deadline for the 4th annual essay competition is July 14th. For inspiration you can see the winners of the 2022 competition and their essays via the SpicyIP website .

UK Centre for Animal Law Essay Competition

The details of the 2024 competition will be released in November 2023.

Last year's competition title was:

Can the UK’s hunting legislation be reformed to ensure practical protection for UK wildlife? .

The inaugral competition was won by City GDL and BVS student Sam Groom. You can see a fantastic video of Sam speaking about the competition on the competition website.

First prize is a £150 book voucher and the chance to get your essay published in the UK Journal of Animal Law.

The Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law Essay Competition

The organisers state that the aim of their competition is to:

...encourage students to explore the fascinating questions that animals rights raise, and to discuss these questions in an original piece of writing that may inspire them to engage further with the topic in the future.

No information regarding the 2024 competition yet but in 2023 the question was as follows:

Richard Ryder once wrote: “Since Darwin, scientists have agreed that there is no ‘magical’ essential difference between human and other animals, biologically-speaking. Why then do we make an almost total distinction morally?” Assuming that is correct, how does this affect the arguments for and against animal rights laws?

The winning essay in the university category receives £750. You can read winning essays from the previous years of the competition via the competition website .

Littleton Chambers Sports Law Essay Competition

This annual competition from Littleton Chambers offers young lawyers the chance to get their ideas out to the wider sporting community and various monetary prizes, plus a sports law mini-pupillage. First prize is £1000, second prize £500 and third place receives £250.

The 2023 competition deadline was end of February 2023, so we anticipate a similar one for the 2024 competition. Entrants were asked to submit a piece of work between 1,500 and 2,500 words, on the following title:

Transparency has been prized as foundational to good governance in sport (see, for instance, the International Olympic Committee’s Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance, principle 2). To what extent (if at all) are sport regulators justified in using confidential procedures, such as arbitration, to deal with participant misconduct?

Until we get the info for the 2024 competition, have a look at the information on the 2023 competition pages .

Human Rights Essay Award

The Human Rights Essay Award is an annual competition (sponsored by the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Washington College of Law) that seeks to stimulate the production of scholarly work in international human rights law.

The Academy will grant two Awards, one for the best article in English and one for the best article in Spanish. The Award in each case will consist of:

• A full scholarship to the Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law for either the Diploma or Certificate of Attendance options.
• Travel expenses to and from Washington D.C. (if the competition is not virtual)
• Housing at the university dorms
• Per diem for living expenses
• The best articles may also be published in the American University International Law Review

It is open to all lawyers around the world regardless of their nationality, but participants must already have a law degree Juris Doctor, (J.D.), Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or equivalent by the submission due date to be eligible. They must also have a demonstrated experience or interest in international human rights law.

The 2022 topic was Climate Change and Human Rights: Impacts, Responsibilities, and Opportunities and the deadline was the end of January.

We are awaiting information on the 2024 competition.

FSLA Essay Competition

The Financial Services Lawyers Association runs an annual essay competition, normally with a deadline of early October each year. First prize is a generous £1500 and a legal internship at the FCA.

The 2023 competition title is Can the risks and opportunities of AI in financial services be managed by fine-tuning existing regulation, or is a new approach required? You need to get your entries in by midnight on 6th October 2023.

Look at the FSLA website for full details/rules. Note that membership of the FSLA is free to students!

National Uehiro Oxford Prize in Practical Ethics

Entries from all graduate and undergraduate students (full and part-time) are welcomed, in the form of an essay of up to 2000 words on any topic relevant to practical ethics.

Whilst all students are encouraged to take part, this will be particularly relevant to those studying philosophy, medicine and biological sciences, law, AI and data sciences.

The winner from each category will receive a prize of £500, and the runner up £200. Revised versions of the two winning essays will be considered for publication in the Journal of Practical Ethics. Deadline for this competition is 2nd February 2025 (23:00). For more information, including rules, take a look at the competition website .

ITSA Essay Competition

Open to students members of the Inner Temple, the 2023 competition asks entrants for essays of 2500 words maximum (including refs) on the following topic:

Is the Cab Rank Rule now redundant at the self-employed Bar?

Deadline is 4pm on Monday 6th November 2023 and first prize is £150 and publication of your essay in the Inner Temple Yearbook. Look at the competition website for full rules of the competition .

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2022-2023 Law Essay Writing Competition

Law Student Writing Competitions: Writing Competitions

• Writing Competitions
• Other Links

Current/Upcoming Competitions

Competitions listed here are in order by submission deadline.  Click the links below for more specific details about each competition. 

• 2024 Beckley Student Writing Competition Sponsor: PIABA Foundation Submission Deadline: September 15 Topic: he submission may address 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. The writing can be based in theory or practice, but should ultimately advocate a position on the topic area chosen.
• 2024 International Tax Student Writing Competition Sponsor: International Fiscal Association (USA Branch) Submission Deadline: September 30 Topic: Any topic relating to U.S. taxation of income from international activities, including taxation under U.S. tax treaties.
• Public Contract Law Journal Writing Competition Sponsor: ABA Section of Public Contract Law Submission Deadline: September 30 Topic: Papers should address a topical issue of interest to the public contract and grant law community.
• Judicature Writing Competition for Emerging Scholars Sponsor: Bolch Judicial Institute Duke Law School Submission Deadline: October 1 Topic: Must be related to judges, judging, judicial administration, or the rule of law
• American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers (ACCFSL) Writing Competition Sponsor: American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers Submission Deadline: November 1 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 law.
• Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition Sponsor: New York State Bar International Section Submission Deadline: November 3 Topic: The competition is intended to encourage students of law to write on areas of public or private international law.
• Law Student Writing Contest of the Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law Sponsor: American Bar Association Submission Deadline: November 15, 2024 Topic: Submissions must focus on the military’s application of criminal law—also known as military justice.
• Dr. Emanuel Stein and Kenneth Stein Memorial Law Student Writing Competition Sponsor: New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Labor and Employment Law Section Submission Deadline: November 30 Topic: Submissions should focus on any timely, compelling aspect of labor and employment law.
• American Journal of Mediation National Dispute Resolution Writing Competition Sponsor: American Academy of Civil Trial Mediators (ACCTM) Submission Deadline: December 15, 2024 Topic: Subject matter focus for entries can embrace the full range of the alternative dispute resolution field
• The Dukeminier Awards Student Writing Competition Sponsor: Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law Submission Deadline: December 20, 2024 Topic: The Dukeminier Awards Student Writing Competition annually recognizes the best law review note written by a student in the field of sexual orientation and gender identity law.

Past Competitions

• 2024 Past Competitions
• 2023 Competitions
• 2022 Competitions

Sponsor: The College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers Submission Deadline: January 15, 2024 Topic: The scope of permissible topics include any aspect of workers' compensation law.

Sponsor: Chicago-Kent College of Law's Institute for Law Submission Deadline: January 17, 2024 Topic: Judges will consider papers on any topic relating to the law governing the workplace, such as employment law, labor law, employee benefits, or employment discrimination.

Sponsor: Asian Pacific American Bar Association Educational Fund (AEF) Submission Deadline: January 19, 2024 Topic: Through this Writing Competition, AEF seeks to encourage legal scholarship on issues of importance to the Asian Pacific American community.

Sponsor: Ohio Bar Submission Deadline: January 26, 2024 Topic: This annual law student scholarship program focuses on recognizing outstanding writing on a litigation-related topic. The program is intended to encourage students to pursue a career in litigation and to become active in the Ohio Bar.

Sponsor: The Beverly Hills Bar Association and Bar Foundation Submission Deadline: February 1, 2024 Topic: his competition encourages law students to integrate Rule of Law concepts into their writings.

Sponsor: ABA Standing Committee on Lawyers' Professional Liability and Long & Levit, LLP Submission Deadline: February 1, 2024 Topic: This essay contest is to encourage scholarship and innovative research and writing in the area of legal malpractice law, professional liability insurance, and loss prevention.

Sponsor: Scribes — The American Society of Legal Writers Submission Deadline: February 1, 2024 Topic: The topic should be timely and interesting.

Sponsor: Center for Alcohol Policy Submission Deadline: February 1, 2024 Topic: This national academic event is intended to foster debate, analysis, and examination of state alcohol regulation in the 21st Century.

Sponsor: American Constitution Society (ACS) Submission Deadline: February 5, 2024 Topic: 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.

Sponsor: American Bar Association (ABA) Business Law Section Submission Deadline: February 9, 2024 Topic: The competition encourages and rewards law students for their outstanding writing on business law topics.

Sponsor: American Bar Association- Antitrust Law Section Submission Deadline: February 10, 2024 Topic: This project provides an opportunity to expand the role of the ABA in the area of Consumer Protection among law students, professors and practitioners by inviting students to participate in a discussion on hot topics in consumer protection.

Sponsor: American Bar Association Submission Deadline: February 23, 2024 Topic: The goal of the Competition is to encourage and reward law student writings on antitrust law and competition law subjects of general and current interest.

Sponsor: New York Intellectual Property Law Association Submission Deadline: February 25, 2024 Topic: The Honorable William Conner Writing Competition was established to recognize exceptionally written papers that are submitted by law students.

Sponsor: American Indian Law Review (AILR) Submission Deadline: February 29, 2024 Topic: Papers will be accepted on any legal issue specifically concerning American Indians or other indigenous peoples.

Sponsor: The Blanch Law Firm Submission: March 1, 2024 Topic: The goal of the competition is to find an excellent writer to contribute an outstanding article to their online publication.

Sponsor: NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund Submission Deadline: March 1, 2024 Topic: Research and write a scholarly article suitable for publication on one of two cutting edge Second Amendment issues - or you can write separately on both questions for two chances to win.

Sponsor: The Center for Legal and Court Technology Submission Deadline: March 1, 2024 Topic: 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.); Explain whether regulation of the application is needed and to what extent; and Propose means to regulate this application (proposals may range from traditional regulation to reliance on soft governance, and anything in between).

Sponsor: Notre Dame Submission Deadline: March 1, 2024 Topic: Any topic related to the intersection of church, state & society, and in particular how the law structures and governs that intersection.

Sponsor: Health Law Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the Health Care Compliance Association Submission Deadline: March 13, 2024 Topic: Students must analyze the facts presented in the Competition Problem, identify any and all regulatory/compliance concerns, and advise the recipient of the memorandum.

Sponsor: The Freedom From Religion Foundation Submission Deadline: March 15, 2024 Topic: If you could create a 28th Amendment what would it be?

Sponsor: American Bar Foundation Submission Deadline: March 15, 2024 Topic: Papers must be on topics within the field of law and social science.

Sponsor: Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems and the University of Iowa College of Law Submission Deadline: March 17, 2024 Topic: Any contemporary international business or economic concern.

Sponsor: International Insolvency Institute (III) Submission Deadline: March 31, 2024 Topic: The article or research must be on an international or comparative insolvency topic.

Sponsor: Berkeley Technology Law Journal University of California Submission Deadline: April 2, 2024 Topic: Submission will be accepted on 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.

Sponsor: Law Student Division of the American Bar Association Submission Deadline: April 5, 2024 Topic: Original essays on any aspect of family law.

Sponsor: Notre Dame Law School Submission Deadline: April 15, 2024 Topic: Entries should concern any issue within the general category of legal ethics.

Sponsor: Smith, Born, Leventis, Taylor & Vega LLC Injury Lawyers Submission Deadline: April 29, 2024 Topic: Submit a creative thoughtful, and well-written response regarding the pros and cons of undocumented employees being entitled to workers’ compensation benefits despite their immigration status.

Sponsor: Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association Submission Deadline: April 30, 2024 Topic: Submit a 20-page paper addressing a recent development in admiralty and maritime law.

Sponsor: American University Washington College of Law Submission Deadline: May 5, 2024 Topic: This competition is designed to encourage law students to write scholarly papers on current topics of interest relevant to health law and/or food and drug law.

Sponsor: Epstein, Becker, & Green Submission Deadline: May 17, 2024 Topic: The competition is designed to encourage JD and LLM students in the preparation of scholarly papers on current topics of interest relating to health law.

Sponsor: NYSBA Submission Deadline: May 30, 2024 Topic: Eligible papers may address any topic of general interest to the to antitrust law community, including topics relating to civil and criminal antitrust law, competition policy, consumer protection and international competition law.

Sponsor: American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Submission Deadline: May 31, 2024 Topic: Entries for the Competition should demonstrate original thought on a question of legal and/or policy significance relating to one of the following topics: (1) Air, Water, and Food, (2) Biodiversity, (3) Energy Law, (4) Indigenous Law, (5) Recycling.

Sponsor: American Bar Association (ABA) Environment, Energy, and Resources Section Deadline Submission: May 31, 2024 Topic: Entries should relate to one of the following topics: (1) Air, Water, and Food, (2) Biodiversity, (3) Energy Law, (4) Indigenous Law, (5) Recycling.

Sponsor: Brown Sims Submission Deadline: May 31, 2024 Topic: There is no restriction on the topic except that the writing must be on a legal subject.

Sponsor: American Bar Association (ABA) Real Property, Trust & Estate (RPTE) Section Submission Deadline: May 31, 2024 Topic: Law Student Writing Competition The goal of the Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law student writing contest is to encourage and reward law student writing on the subjects of real property or trust and estate law.

Sponsor: American Bar Association (ABA) Environment, Energy, and Resources Section Submission Deadline: May 31, 2024 Topic: Entries for the Competition should demonstrate original thought on a question of legal and/or policy significance relating to one of the following topics: (1) Air, Water, and Food, (2) Biodiversity, (3) Energy Law, (4) Indigenous Law, (5) Recycling.

Sponsor: Everytown Law Submission Deadline: May 31, 2024 Topic: This competition asks law students to consider how to advance gun violence prevention and gun safety through litigation in the civil and criminal justice systems. Though we encourage applicants to be creative, submission topics can range from reducing gun violence through representing survivors to emerging topics in Second Amendment jurisprudence.

Sponsor: Brown Sims Submission Deadline: May 31, 2024 Topic: open

Sponsor: The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Inc. Submission Deadline: June 1, 2024 Topic: Papers may be on any legal topic in the employee benefits field and may be up to 40 pages (including footnotes)

Sponsor: Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) Submission Deadline: June 1, 2024 Topic: More and more conservative public officials, candidates and preachers are insisting that the United States is a “Christian nation,” that certain Christian views are privileged and that our laws must reflect their doctrines. Which statements and legislative actions concern you the most or present the greatest threats to our secular democracy? How dangerous is Christian nationalism and how does it adversely affect you and the country? Use examples. Be sure to define Christian nationalism and explain why you oppose it.

Sponsor: California Supreme Court Historical Society Submission Deadline: June 1, 2024 Topic: We encourage all those working on California legal history (NOT just the history of California courts) to apply. Papers may include elements of digital humanities and may also be co-authored.

Sponsor: Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy Submission Deadline: June 3, 2024 Topic: Entries should explore ways in which emerging technologies and services interact with or challenge existing civil rights and consumer protection laws.

Sponsor: Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) Submission Deadline: June 3, 2024 Topic: This Writing Competition is intended to encourage law students interested in the areas of law affecting FDA-regulated industries: food, drugs, medical devices, biologics, dietary supplements, cosmetics, veterinary, cannabis, or tobacco and nicotine products.

Sponsor: ABA Dispute Resolution Section Submission Deadline: June 7, 2024 Topic: The essay may address any aspect of dispute resolution practice, theory, or research that the contestant chooses

Sponsor: ABA Labor and Employment Law Section Submission Deadline: June 15, 2024 Topic: Current and relevant topics of labor and employment law.

Sponsor: ABA Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice Section Submission Deadline: June 30, 2024 Topic: The entry must discuss any topic relating to administrative law.

Sponsor: The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) Foundation Submission Deadline: June 30, 2024 Topic: The ACTEC Foundation is proud to support this annual legal writing competition to encourage law students to create scholarly works in the area of trusts and estates.

Sponsor: American Inns of Court Submission Deadline: July 2, 2024 Topic: Please submit an original, unpublished, essay of 10,000 to 20,000 words on a topic of your choice addressing issues of professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence.

Sponsor: ABA Criminal Justice Section Submission Deadline: July 1, 2024 Topic: Submissions should address the following: How does the use of AI-generated information implicate constitutional safeguards on the reasonableness of searches and seizures?

Sponsor: The Theodore Tannenwald, Jr. Foundation for Excellence in Tax and The American College of Tax Counsel Submission Deadline: July 10, 2024 Topic: Papers on any federal or state tax-related topic may be submitted.

Sponsor:Philadelphia Bar Association Submission Deadline: August 2, 2024 Topic: Candidates may submit a law review quality submission on any topic relating to rights, privileges, and responsibilities under federal law.

Sponsor: New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Business Law Section Submission Deadline: August 15, 2024 Topic: Articles should demonstrate relevance to the Journal’s audience (New York business lawyers) and be timely.

Sponsor: The Criminal Law Section of the California Lawyers Association Submission Deadline: April 30, 2023 Topic: The paper must pertain to criminal law and/or to criminal procedure, with a particular focus on contemporary issues of concern in the State of California.This is a nationwide competition; while the focus is on California law, past winners have included students attending schools from coast to coast.

Sponsor: American University Submission Deadline: May 7, 2023 Topic:This competition is designed to encourage law students to write scholarly papers on current topics of interest relevant to health law and/or food and drug law.

Sponsor: ABA Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Submission Deadline: May 31, 2023 Topic: Submissions must be on a current topic dealing with real property, trust, and estate law.

Sponsor: ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) Submission Deadline: May 31, 2023 Topic: SEER sponsors up to eight law student writing competitions each year. Topics vary.

Sponsor: Brown Sims Submission Deadline: May 31, 2023 Topic: The Award honors excellence in legal writing in American law schools.

Sponsor: Freedom from Religion Foundation Submission Deadline: June 1, 2023 Topic: In short, the essay should seek to answer the question of whether secularism is the "savior" of American democracy.

Sponsor: The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel Submission Deadline: June 1, 2023 Topic: Papers may be on any legal topic in the employee benefits field.

Sponsor: American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution Submission Deadline: June 9, 2023 Topic: The essay may address any aspect of dispute resolution practice, theory, or research that the contestant chooses.

Sponsor: Mercer University School of Law and the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights Submission Deadline: June 9, 2023 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.

Sponsor: Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) Submission Deadline: June 12, 2023 Topic: Papers should focus on the areas of law affecting FDA-regulated industries: food, drugs, medical devices, biologics, dietary supplements, cosmetics, veterinary, cannabis, or tobacco and nicotine products.

Sponsor: ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law and The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers Submission Deadline: June 15, 2023 Topic: Papers should be written on current and relevant topics of labor and employment law.

Sponsor: American Bar Association Infrastructure and Regulated Industries Section Submission Deadline: June 30, 2023 Topic: The section seeks entries for its writing competition from all law students who are enrolled in ABA-approved law schools and are members of the ABA Law Student Division.

Sponsor: The ACTEC Foundation Submission Deadline: June 30, 2023 Topic: The paper must relate to the area of trusts and estates, broadly defined

Sponsor: The American Inns of Court Submission Deadline: July 1, 2023 Topic: This writing competition is designed to promote scholarship in the areas of professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence.

Sponsor: ABA Criminal Justice Section Submission Deadline: July 1, 2023 Topic: By reversing Roe v. Wade (1973), the Supreme Court of the United States in Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) opened the door for states to initiate criminal investigations and prosecutions relating to women obtaining abortions. What role do federal Constitution rights, such as the Fourth Amendment, as well as parallel state constitutional protections, play in protecting access to potential evidence?

Sponsor: Federal Circuit Bar Association Submission Deadline: July 1, 2023 Topic: Papers must deal with a topic that lies within the substance, procedure, or scope of the specialized jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Sponsor: Zimmerman Law Firm Submission Deadline: August 1st, 2023 Topic: Describe why you chose to pursue law and what do plan to do with your law degree once you graduate.

Sponsor: Philadelphia Bar Association Deadline: August 1, 2023 Topic: Candidates may submit a law review quality submission on any topic relating to rights, privileges, and responsibilities under federal law.

Sponsor: NYSBA Business Law Section Deadline: August 15, 2023 Topic: The topic of submitted articles should be relevant to the Journal's audience (New York business lawyers), should be timely, original, clear, and concise.

Sponsor: American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Deadline: September 8, 2023 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 exists. Entrants are encouraged to write on subjects of national interest, rather than state-specific issues.

Sponsor: Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association Deadline: September 15, 2023 Topic: Any aspect of Securities Law; Securities Arbitration; The Federal Arbitration Act, Title 9, US Code, Section 1-14; or FINRA Code of Arbitration

Sponsor: The International Fiscal Association (USA Branch) Deadline: September 30, 2023 Topic: Any topic relating to U.S. taxation of income from international activities, including taxation under U.S. tax treaties.

Sponsor: American Bar Association (ABA) Public Contract Law (PCL) Section Submission Deadline: September 30, 2023 Topic: Papers should address a topical issue of interest to the public contract and grant law community.

Sponsor: American Agricultural Law Association Submission Deadline: October 13 Topic: The entry must discuss a modern and relevant topic related to agricultural law.

Sponsor: Center for Reproductive Rights, and the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice Submission Deadline: October 16 Topic: The suggested theme for this year is “A Different World Is Possible: Repro Health, Rights, and Justice Post-Dobbs.” With the constitutional protection for abortion overturned by the Supreme Court, we encourage students to envision creative and expansive approaches to securing reproductive health, rights, and justice for all people. Submissions might explore topics that intersect with If/When/How’s strategic initiatives, such as removing barriers to abortion access and supporting those who seek reproductive care outside the clinical setting, combatting criminalization, strategies for securing reproductive rights at the state or local level, and public funding of reproductive health care through an intersectional, reproductive justice lens. All submissions on other reproductive rights and justice topics are welcomed.

Sponsor: New York Bar Association Deadline: November 3, 2023 Topic: Any area of public or private international law or practice

Sponsor: ABA Submission Deadline: November 10, 2023, Topic: Entries for the Writing Contest must focus on the military’s application of criminal law—also known as military justice. Submissions may advocate a position, educate the reader, or analyze one or more cases.

Sponsor: ABA Taxation Section Submission Deadlines: September 1, 2023: J.D. and LL.M. problems released November 1, 2023: Work products submission deadline, due by or before 5pm ET Topic: An alternative to traditional moot court competitions, the Law Student Tax Challenge (LSTC) is organized by the Section’s Young Lawyers Form. The LSTC asks two-person teams of students to solve a complex business problem that might arise in everyday tax practice.

Sponsor: American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers Submission Deadline: November 1, 2023 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 law.

The Blanch Law Firm Scholarship Award Sponsor: The Blanch Law Firm Submission: Rolling Deadline; Submission are due within 14 days of receipt of assignment. Topic: The goal of the competition is to find an excellent writer to contribute an outstanding article to their online publication.

Sponsor: New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Labor and Employment Law Section Submission Deadline: November 30 Topic: Submissions should focus on any timely, compelling aspect of labor and employment law.

Sponsor: Video Game Bar Association Submission Deadline: December 1, 2023 Topic: Applicants will submit an original paper on a legal issue in the video game industry.

Sponsor: American Journal of Mediation Submission Deadline: December 15, 2023 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.

Sponsor: Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law Submission Deadline: December 18, 2023 Topic: TThe Dukeminier Awards annually recognize the best law review note written by a student in the field of sexual orientation and gender identity law.

Sponsor: Armstrong, Lee & Baker LLP Deadline: December 31, 2023 Topic: In your essay submission, we want to hear about: What compelled you to become a lawyer? Are there any meaningful reasons that you wanted to enter the legal field that you feel are unique? Are there any special areas of law that you would like to target? What are the goals through your first years as an attorney that you would like to accomplish?

Sponsor: New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Business Law Section Submission Deadline: August 15, 2022 Topic: The competition is open to all students who are candidates for the JD or LLM degree at an accredited law school during the year in which the article is submitted. All articles submitted will be judged on relevance to the Journal's audience (New York business lawyers), timeliness of the topic, originality, quality of research and writing, and clarity and conciseness.

Sponsor: Ohio State Bar Association Corporate Counsel Section Submission Deadline: September 6, 2022 Topic: The goal of the competition is to explore relevant and innovative scholarly work from Ohio's law students in one specific area of corporate governance challenges, specifically the pandemic's accelerated transformation to a remote workforce in almost every industry and profession.

Sponsor: Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA) Submission Deadline: September 16, 2022 Topic: The submission may address 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. The writing can be based in theory or practice, but should ultimately advocate a position on the topic area chosen.

Sponsor: International Fiscal Association (USA Branch) Submission Deadline: September 30, 2022 Topic: Submissions will be accepted on any topic relating to U.S. taxation of income from international activities, including taxation under U.S. tax treaties.

Sponsor: American Bar Association (ABA) Public Contract Law (PCL) Section Submission Deadline: September 30, 2022 Topic: Papers should address a topical issue of interest to the public contract and grant law community.

Sponsor: New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) International Law Section Submission Deadline: November 5, 2022 Topic: Submissions must concern one area of public or private international law or practice.

Sponsor: Brooks Kushman Submission Deadline: November 16, 2022 Competition Date: November 19, 2022 Topic: Brooks Kushman will present an award, based on excellence, to a law student who drafts claims consistent with the instructions given during the competition.

Sponsor: ABA Submission Deadline: November 11, 2022 Topic: Entries for the Writing Contest must focus on the military’s application of criminal law—also known as military justice. Submissions may advocate a position, educate the reader, or analyze one or more cases.

Sponsor: ABA Taxation Section Submission Deadline: November 7, 2022 Topic: An alternative to traditional moot court competitions, the Law Student Tax Challenge (LSTC) is organized by the Section’s Young Lawyers Form. The LSTC asks two-person teams of students to solve a complex business problem that might arise in everyday tax practice.

Sponsor: American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers Submission Deadline: December 1, 2022 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 law.

Sponsor: Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law Submission Deadline: December 18, 2022 Topic: Student Writing Competition annually recognizes the best law review note written by a student in the field of sexual orientation and gender identity law.

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Announcing the Sixth Annual Student Essay Competition - Submissions Extended to September 23, 2022

The Yale Law Journal is excited to announce its sixth 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: Law and the Changing Environment

This year, we invite submissions focusing on novel developments in the law as a result of the changing natural environment, broadly understood. We encourage submissions on a range of topics, including climate change; energy law; environmental justice; agency environmental regulation; migration and refugees; land use; local government; infrastructure and transportation; Indigenous rights; financial regulation; animal law; and legislation and policy proposals involving the environment. 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 2018-2025) 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 23, 2022 at 5pm ET . Submissions must be no shorter than 4,000 words and no longer than 8,000 words, including footnotes.

Essays must be submitted via the Journal ’s online submissions portal . When asked to select “Submission Type,” please select “Student Essay Competition” ( do not select “Forum Essay (Students)”).

Please submit your Essay as a Word document. Your submission file should be titled “YLJ Essay Competition - [ESSAY TITLE]” and include a header with “YLJ Essay Competition” in the main text of your document. To ensure anonymized review, please do not include any identifying information, including name, class year, or institution, in your Essay’s body or metadata. Failure to anonymize your Essay may disqualify it from consideration by the Selection Committee.

A Selection Committee will consider all submissions anonymously. Winners will be announced in October 2022. Authors who submit winning Essays commit to publication in the Yale Law Journal Forum and agree to participate in our full editing process. This process involves both structural and substantive suggestions, as well as sourceciting for content and adherence to Bluebook style.

Disbursement of the cash prize to each winner is subject to any applicable tax reporting and withholding requirements.

Please direct questions about the Student Essay Competition to the Managing Editors, Alan Chen ( [email protected] ) and Angela Uribe ( [email protected] ). We look forward to reading your submissions!

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.

Legal Writing Competitions: By Topic

• 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 Topic

• Administrative & Regulatory Law
• Admiralty & Maritime Law
• Aerospace Law
• Business Law
• Constitutional Law
• Construction Law
• Consumer Law
• Criminal Law
• Data Privacy & Cybersecurity
• Disability Law
• Dispute Resolution
• Diversity in the Law
• Education Law
• Entertainment & Sports Law
• Environmental Law
• Food & Drug Law
• Government Contracts
• Immigration Law
• Insurance Law
• Intellectual Property
• International Law
• Labor & Employment
• Law Librarianship
• Law & Religion
• Military & National Security Law
• Native American & Indigenous Rights
• New Jersey Law
• Pennsylvania Law
• Professional Responsibility
• Public Interest Law
• Real Estate, Land Use & Housing
• Securities Law
• Technology Law & Legal Tech
• Trusts & Estates
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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.

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.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Antitrust Law Section Harvey Saferstein Consumer Protection Essay Contest Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Consumer protection law
• 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
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Dukeminier Awards Jeffrey S. Haber Prize for Student Scholarship Deadline: TBA for 2023 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Sexual orientation and gender identity law
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Energy Law Writing Competition Deadline: May 31, 2023 Prize: $1,000 Topic: Any issue related to energy law
• 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.
• 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
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• Public Citizen Law Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Competition Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $5,000 Topic: Legal Remedies to Combat Climate Change
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• Federal Circuit Bar Association Hutchinson Writing Contest Deadline: May 31, 2023 Prize: $3,000 Topic: Papers must deal with a topic that lies within the substance, procedure, or scope of the specialized jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• American Intellectual Property Law Association Robert C. Watson Award Deadline: June 30, 2023 Topic: Intellectual property law
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Louis Jackson Memorial National Student Writing Competition in Employment and Labor Law Deadline: TBA for 2024 Prize: $3,000 Topic: Employment and labor law
• 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.
• 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.
• 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/
• 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
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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)

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Future Lawyer Blog

Getting ahead: essay competition opportunities 2022-23.

There are a wide range of different essay competitions that run each year for law students. You can see the full list of these on Learnmore with information that we know now, but this will be updated throughout the year. Here are a couple with deadlines coming up you might like to crack on with.

The Bar Council Law Reform Essay Competition

The biggest law essay competition in the UK has a deadline next month (21st October 2022). Unlike other competitions, the Bar Council asks you to get creative, making the case as to what law reform to English, Welsh or European law you think needs to happen. Here’s what the Chair of the Law Reform Committee has to say about the competition:

“We are delighted to announce that the 2022 Law Reform Essay competition is now open. The Committee are looking forward to reading your ideas for law reform. We are also very grateful to The City Law School for their generous sponsorship of the competition, in the first year of what we hope will be a long and fruitful partnership.” Iain MacDonald, Chair of the Law Reform Committee

Excitingly you can see all of the essays from previous winners from 2015 onwards on the Bar Council website, giving lots of inspiration for your own. There have been lots of past winners from our students at City, so be great to see lots of entries from this year’s cohort too.

Oooo I haven’t mentioned the prizes!?

• £4,000 for the winner
• £2,500 for the runner-up
• £1,500 for best GDL entry
• £1,000 for GDL entry runner-up
• 2 x £500 highly commended entries

The Andrew Lockley Public Law Essay Competition 2022

Perfect for all those aspiring Public Law and Human Rights solicitors out there! Irwin Mitchell LLP have launched this competition in honour of their first head of the PLHR team at the firm.

This is the title to get your teeth into:

Following withdrawal of the Bill of Rights by Liz Truss’ government, it’s widely believed that future reform of the Human Rights Act 1998 is still on the agenda. Please set out the pros and cons of reform, drawing on key provisions that had been intended for the former draft Bill of Rights.

Have a look at the competition website for full details but the headline elements are as follows:

• No more than 1,000 words long
• Open to law students, graduates, trainee solicitors and paralegals practising public law and human rights or having an interest in that area of law.
• Deadline is 14th October
• Prize is a £200 Blackwell’s gift card, plus the obvious profile-raising effect of being a winner!

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