GRAMMY Foundation and the ABA Forum on Entertainment and Sports Industries
The ELI Writing Competition challenges students to identify, research and write an essay outlining a proposed solution on a compelling legal issue confronting the music industry. A nationwide panel of music law experts will judge the papers in a blind process to select a winner and two runners-up. This contest is open to Juris Doctorate (JD) and Master of Laws (LLM) candidates at U.S. law schools. The winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship, a private one-hour online mentorship session with a top entertainment attorney from the ELI Executive Committee, and recognition at the online ELI program and scholarship presentation on Jan. 29, 2021. Two runner-ups will receive $2,500 scholarship, a private one-hour online mentorship session with a top entertainment attorney from the ELI Executive Committee, and recognition at the online ELI program and scholarship presentation on Jan. 29, 2021.
Deadline: January 4, 2021 (1 P.M. EST)
Donald C. Alexander Tax Law Writing Competition
The Federal Bar Association Section on Taxation is sponsoring the Donald C. Alexander Tax Law Writing Competition. Papers will be accepted on any original paper concerning federal taxation. The first place winner will receive $2000 and the second place winner will receive $1000. Both winners will receive a trip to FBA's Tax Conference in Washington D.C and may be published in the Inside Basis, the newsletter of the Section, and/or or in The Federal Lawyer.
Deadline: January 31, 2022
American College of Legal Medicine
Deadline: January 15, 2020
The Center for Alcohol Policy is now accepting entries for its 13th Annual Essay Contest. Students, academics, practicing attorneys, policymakers, regulators, public health representatives, and any person with an interest in alcohol law and policy are encouraged to submit essays. The essay prompt is: After Prohibition, states generally issued licenses for on-premise and off-premise sale of alcohol. Drinking was thus largely confined to bars, restaurants, the home, and private clubs. Alcohol is now regularly offered in places like salons, grocery stores, clothing stores, and galleries. Is this trend towards ubiquitous availability of alcohol a good one? And is there a new regulatory regime needed to address this trend?
First place receives $5000; second place receives $2,500; third receives $1,000.
Deadline: January 28, 2022 (5:30 EST)
Louis Jackson National Student Writing Competition in Employment and Labor Law
Jackson Lewis LLP and The Institute for Law and the Workplace at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law are sponsoring the Louis Jackson National Student Writing Competition in Employment and Labor Law. 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. First place wins $3,000; second and third place win $1,000 each.
Deadline: January 18, 2022
EBG is sponsoring their 24th Annual Health Law Writing Competiton. 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). First place will receive $7,500; second place will receive $4,000; and third place will receive $1,000.
Deadline: February 25, 2022
The ABA Section of Antitrust Law is sponsoring their Annual Student Writing Competition. Entrants must submit an original article, which has already been published or which is scheduled to be published no later than February 28, 2022, on a current topic dealing with antitrust or consumer protection law. The Selection Committee will interpret the scope of the subject broadly to ensure that the Competition affords the greatest degree of flexibility in writing on these subject areas. Entrants are encouraged to submit subjects of national interest. The winner will receive $2,500 cash, a one-year free membership in the Antitrust Law Section, and free round-trip economy- class airfare (if outside the Washington, DC area) and three nights’ accommodations (of the Section’s choosing) to attend the Section’s Annual Spring Meeting, April 6-8, 2022 in Washington, DC (airfare, hotel accommodations, and luncheon ticket are valued at approximately $1,000), if the Meeting is held in-person. The winner will also be announced in an upcoming issue of Antitrust, the Section’s magazine.
Deadline: January 31, 2022
National Law Review Law Student Writing Competition
The NLR Law Student Writing Competition offers law students the opportunity to submit articles for publication consideration on the NLR Web Site. No entry fee is required. Applicants can submit an unlimited number of entries each month. Entries are reviewed September-May.
Deadline: The Last Day of the Month.
Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law is sponsoring the 2022 Human Rights Essay Award Competition. Candidates for the award must hold a law degree. To apply for the Human Rights Essay Award, candidates must choose a subject pertaining to the topic chosen by the Academy for the year. Participants will have the flexibility to choose any subject related to the substantive law relevant to the field. International human rights law can be understood to include international humanitarian law and international criminal law. The paper must be within the scope of the topic or it will be disqualified. Two winners (one for the best article in English and one for the best article in Spanish) will receive a full scholarship to the Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, travel expense to D.C. housing, and a per diem for living expense for the three-week program.
Deadline: January 31, 2022 (11:59 PM EST)
Every year the American College of Legal Medicine (ACLM) presents an award for the outstanding original paper on legal medicine. All students studying Medicine, Law, Dentistry, Podiatry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Science, Healthcare Administration or Public Health are encouraged to compete. Papers may deal with any aspect of legal medicine,including medical licensure and regulation of the profession, business aspects of medical practice, liability of physicians, hospitals, managed care organizations, and pharmaceuti- cal manufacturers, public health law, the physician-patient relationship, care of special patients, food and drug law, medical research, forensic science, and the history of legal medicine. First place: $1,000; Second place: $500; Third place: $250.
Due Date: January 28, 2022
The American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section Consumer Protection Committee is hosting a student essay writing contest for 2020-2021 for all second and third-year students. Participants are required to submit an essay exploring a relevant and timely consumer protection issue. The Committee will select three winners. First place will receive a cash scholarship of $5,000, plus complimentary registration (and travel expenses) to the ABA Antitrust Law Section ’s 70th Spring Meeting in Washington, DC. Second place will receive a cash scholarship of $3,000 and Third place will receive a cash scholarship of $2,000. In addition, the top essay, along with a biography of the winning student, will be published in an ABA publication.
Deadline: January 31, 2022 (Midnight CST)
Family Law Writing Competition
The Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts are sponsoring the Family Law Writing Competition. Papers may address any area of family law but papers focusing on international or interdisciplinary subjects of family law are strongly encouraged. Entries will be judged on the quality of legal analysis, originality, depth of research, timeliness, creativity and format. The Family Court Review's editors and a subcommittee of editorial board members will evaluate all articles. The first place winner will receive $500 and a one-year complimentary AFCC student membership. Second place winner will receive $250. Both winners will be considered for publication in the Family Court Review. If you have questions, please contact the Managing Editor of the Family Court Review at fcr@hofstra .edu.
Deadline: February 1, 2021
University of Iowa College of Law
University of Iowa College of Law is sponsoring a Trandafir International Business Writing Competition. Papers will be accepted on 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. The winner will receive $2,000 and be published in Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems
Deadline: February 7, 2022
The ACS is sponsoring the Richard D. Cudahy Writing Competition on Regulatory and Administrative Law. 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. The author of the winning paper in each category (lawyer and law student) will receive a cash prize of $1,500. The winning papers will receive special recognition at the 2022 ACS National Convention, on the ACS website, and potentially through other means agreed upon by the authors and ACS. For example, ACS’s two journals, the Harvard Law and Policy Review (HLPR) and Advance, will consider publication of appropriate pieces that meet their word limit guidelines (under 10,000 words for HLPR and under 5,000 words for Advance).
Deadline: February 6, 2022 (11:59 PM in your local timezone)
*2020 Updates Coming Soon*
The ABA Business Law Section is sponsoring the Mendes Hershman Award. The papers will be judged on research and analysis, choice of topic, writing style, originality, and contribution to the literature available on the topic. Depending on the topic, prior publication, and other factors, a previously unpublished first place winning essay may be considered for publication in a Section publication. First place will receive $1,000; second place and third place will receive eligibility to have their essays considered for publication in Business Law Today, the premier digital platform of curated, peer-reviewed content for the ABA Business Law Section.
Deadline: February 23, 2022
The BA Standing Committee on Lawyers' Professional Liability and Long & Levit, LLP is sponsoring the Ed Mendrzycki Essay Contest. The contest encourages original and innovative research and writing in the area of legal malpractice law, professional liability insurance and loss prevention. The winner will receive a cash award of $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to the Spring 2022 National Legal Malpractice Conference.
Deadline: February 11, 2022
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. This competition recognizes law students for innovative, strategic, and sound approaches to tackling complex contemporary health care regulatory and compliance issues.
Students must analyze the facts presented in the Competition Problem, identify any and all regulatory/compliance concerns, and advise the recipient of the memorandum. While these two internal memoranda address the same hypothetical situation and subject matter, they are to be drafted with a specific audience/reader in mind. Content must be customized to a particular audience/reader to optimize understanding, engagement, and responsiveness.
Prizes are $5,000 for 1st Place, $3,00 for 2nd Place, and $1,500 for 3rd Place.
Registration Deadline: February 1, 2022
Submissions Deadline: March 18, 2022
Epstein Becker Green is pleased to announce its 24th Annual Health Law Writing Competition. The competition is designed to encourage J.D. and L.L.M. students in the preparation of scholarly papers on current topics of interest relating to health law. Cash prizes will be awarded as follows for the three best papers: First Place: $7,500; Second Place: $4,000; Third Place: $1,000. Entrants should take advantage of the fact that health law is a very broad and diverse field, encompassing aspects of almost every area of law. 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).
Deadline: February 25, 2022
American Indian Law Review Writing Competition
American Indian Law Review is sponsoring a writing competition for students. Papers will be accepted any legal issue specifically concerning American Indian law or other indigenous peoples. The first place winner will receive $1500 and publication in the American Indian law Review. Second place winner will receive $750. Third place will receive $400. All three winners will receive an e-book copy of Handbook of Federal Indian Law by Felix Cohen and will be recognized on the masthead of the American Indian Law Review.
Deadline: February 28, 2022
The Center for Legal and Court Technology is sponsoring this year's Artificial Intelligence Writing Competition. The paper must focus on at least one application of these technologies (e.g., Internet of Medical Things devices, facial recognition technology, autonomous systems, social media monitoring, etc.); 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). First place, $2,500; second place, $1,500; third place, $1,000. The winners will also have the unique opportunity of presenting their papers to a selected audience of executives from Cisco Systems, Inc.
Deadline: March 1, 2022
American Association of Law Libraries
The AALL/LexisNexis Call for Papers Committee promotes the scholarship of AALL members and of students through its annual “Call for Papers” competition. 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. First place will receive $650 and will be recognized during award ceremonies at the AALL Annual Meeting and will be given the opportunity to present their papers in a program.
Deadline: March 1, 2022
The ABI is sponsoring their Annual Bankruptcy Law Student Writing Competition. The competition invites papers on current issues regarding bankruptcy jurisdiction, bankruptcy litigation, or evidence in bankruptcy cases or proceedings. The paper may address business or consumer cases and may include matters such as bankruptcy sales, plan confirmation and other topics that involve jurisdiction, litigation or evidence in the bankruptcy courts. First place will receive $2,000 and publication in the ABI Journal; second place will receive $1,250 and publication in the ABI newsletter; and third place will receive $750 and publication in the ABI newsletter.
Deadline: March 13, 2020
John Marshall Law School is sponsoring their annual Paul Faherty Tax Law Writing Competition. The subject of the paper may be any topic relating to tax law. All JD and LLM candidates currently attending an ABA-accredited law school in the U.S. may enter. Entries will be evaluated on topic selection, analysis, quality of research, grammar, spelling, usage and syntax, clarity, structure, and overall appearance. Please contact the Center for Tax Law & Employee Benefits for additional information. First place will receive $3,000; two honorable mentions will receive $1,000 each.
Deadline: April 13, 2021
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. Papers must address and analyze health law and/or food/drug/device law issues. Prizes: 1st Place: $2,000; 2nd Place: $1,500; 3rd Place: $1,000; Honorable Mention: $750.
Deadline: April 27. 2022
The ABA Section of Family Law is sponsoring the Howard C. Schwab Memorial Essay Contest. The subject may be any aspect of family law. 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.The first place winner will receive $1,500; second place will receive $750; and third place will receive $350.
Deadline: Completed Entry Form Due April 8, 2022. Entry must be emailed on or before April 22, 2022.
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. This year's topic is: “Legal Remedies to Combat Climate Change”. The first-place prize is $5,000.
Deadline: April 29, 2022 (11:59 PM EST)
*2020 Update Coming*
The ABA Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice is sponsoring their annual Gellhorn-Sargentich Law Student Essay Award Competition. The entry must discuss any topic relating to administrative law. The winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize and round-trip airfare and accommodation to attend the Section’s Fall Conference in Washington, DC. At the discretion of the Section and the respective editorial boards, the winning entry may be selected for publication in the Administrative and Regulatory Law News and/or the Administrative Law Review.
Deadline: May 31, 2019
The ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and resources is sponsoring their Energy Law Writing Competition. The goal of the Competition is to encourage law students to become involved in the Section. It is also intended to attract students to the energy law practice field, and to encourage scholarship in this field. Entries for the Competition should demonstrate original thought on a question of legal and/or policy significance on any issue related to energy law. Submissions may advocate a position, educate the reader, or analyze one or more cases. The decision of whether a particular essay qualifies as to subject matter is entirely within the discretion of the Section.
First place will receive $1,000; second place will receive $750; and third place will receive $500.
Deadline: May 31, 2022 (11:59 PM CST)
The ABA Section of Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources is sponsoring their annual Public Land and Resources Writing Competition. Papers should demonstrate original thought on a question of legal and/or policy significance relating to the topic of the role of public lands and policy. The decision of whether a particular essay qualifies as to subject matter is entirely within the discretion of the Section. First place will receive $1,000 and the winner will be announced on the Section’s website. At the sole discretion of the Sponsor, abstracts and/or excerpts of the winning essay may be published and/or posted on the Section website.
Deadline: May 31, 2022 (11:59 PM CST)
The ABA Section of Section of Real Property is sponsoring their annual Real Property, Trust and Estate Law 2022 Law Student Writing Contest. To enter, submit an essay on a current topic dealing with real property, trust and estate law. “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. The Section will interpret the scope of the subject broadly to ensure that the Contest affords the greatest degree of flexibility in writing on these subject areas. Entrants are encouraged to write on subjects of national interest; entries that address principally the law of a single state will be considered, but will rarely be recommended for publication.
The first-place winner will receive (i.) $2,500 cash, (ii.) a full-tuition scholarship to the University of Miami School of Law’s Heckerling Graduate Program in Estate Planning OR Robert Traurig-Greenberg Traurig Graduate Program in Real Property Development for the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023 academic year, (iii.) a one-year free membership in the Section, and (iv.) free round-trip economy-class airfare and weekend accommodations to attend the Section’s Fall Leadership Meeting, October 14–16, 2021 in St. Louis, MO (airfare, hotel accommodations, and luncheon ticket are valued at approximately $1,000) or the next in person Fall Meeting and (v.) will be announced in an upcoming issue of Probate & Property, the Section’s magazine, and RPTE eReport, the Section’s electronic newsletter. The second-place winner will receive (i.) $1,500 cash, (ii.) one-year free membership in the Section, and (iii.) will be announced in Probate & Property and eReport. The third-place winner will receive $1,000 cash, one-year membership in the Section, and will be announced in Probate & Property and eReport.
Deadline: May 31, 2022 (11:59 PM CST).
*2020 Updates Coming*
The ABA Commission on Disability Rights, along with the Mercer University School of Law is sponsoring their Annual Milani Writing Competition. 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.
Deadline: June 10, 2019
The Food and Drug Law Institute
The FDLI is sponsoring the H. Thomas Austern Memorial Writing Competition. Papers should provide an in-depth analysis of a current legal issue concerning food, drugs, animal drugs, biologics, cosmetics, diagnostics, dietary supplements, medical devices or tobacco. First place will receive $750; second place will receive $500; and third place will receive $250.
Deadline: June 10, 2022
*2020 Updates Coming*
The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution is sponsoring its annual Boskey ADR Writing Competition. The purpose of the competition is to create greater interest in the field of dispute resolution among law students. The essay may address any aspect of dispute resolution practice, theory or research that the contestant chooses. The winner will receive $1000 and the posting of the winning essay online.
Deadline: June 14, 2019
American Intellectual Property Law Association
The AIPLA is sponsoring the Robert C. Watson Award. Students are encouraged to submit articles on a subject relating to the protection of intellectual property. The winner will receive reasonable expense reimbursement to attend the AIPLA Annual Meeting, October 27 – 29, 2022 in Washington DC, to receive their award.
Deadline: June 30, 2022
The American Society of Law, Medicine, and Ethics (ASLME) is pleased to announce its 2nd Annual Health Law and Anti-Racism Graduate Student Writing Competition with the goal of encouraging students to develop scholarly papers focused on issues at the intersection of race, law, and health. A non-exhaustive list of potential paper topics include: Law as a social determinant of health and health disparities (e.g., with regard to COVID-19, maternal mortality, and other contexts); Racism as a public health law concern; Law, disability, and race; Regulating science and medicine through an anti-racist lens, Policing and mental health law, Law, medical research, and racial bias, among others. 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. The winning paper(s) may be invited for publication in the Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics, if not already slated for publication elsewhere. Papers may be required to undertake edits prior to publication. The 1st Prize winner(s) will also be provided with a 1-year ASLME membership and a prize of $500.
Deadline: June 1, 2022
ASPL recognizes outstanding scholarship related to Pharmacy Law with the Simonsmeier Award. The Award recognizes an outstanding paper relating to the interests of ASPL published during the prior two years (2020 and 2021). The 2022 Award includes an honorarium plus support for travel to the ASPL Developments in Pharmacy Law Seminar XXXIII in Naples, Florida November 3-6, 2022. Papers related to Pharmacy Law, as defined above, 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.
Deadline: June 30, 2022
The American Inns of Court are sponsoring the annual Warren E. Burger Prize. 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. The winner will receive $5,000 and the essay will be published in South Carolina Law Review.
Deadline: July 1, 2022
The ABA Section of Criminal Justice is sponsoring its Annual William W. Greenhalgh Student Writing Competiton. The 2019 Topic is: Is the Katz reasonable expectation of privacy test, or the Jones trespass test, better suited to addressing the implications of technological advancements on the right to be free from unreasonable searches guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment? The winner will receive $2,500.
Deadline: July 1, 2022
American College of Employee Benefits Counsel
The ACEBC is sponsoring their 2022 Writing Competition. Papers may be on any legal topic in the employee benefits field and may be up to 40 pages. There are two prizes which may be awarded of $1,800 each. The winning papers may also be published in a BNA journal or another employee benefits journal.
Deadline: June 1, 2022
Theordore Tannenwald, Jr. Foundation for Excellence in Tax Scholarship
*2020 Updates Coming*
Theodore Tannenwald, Jr. Foundation for Excellence in Tax Scholarship is sponsoring their Annual Writing Competition. 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). First place will receive $5,000; second place will receive $2,500; and third place will receive $1,500.
Deadline: July 11, 2022
Asian Pacific American Bar Education Fund
The AEF is sponsoring the Robert T.Matsui Annual Writing Competition. Submissions must address a legal topic of importance to the Asian Pacific American community. The winner will receive a monetary award of $5,000, and the winning entry will be published by the UCLA Asian Pacific American Law Journal (APALJ), subject to APALJ’s standard editorial process and copyright policy.
Deadline: February 16, 2022
*2020 Updates Coming*
The Standing Committee on Law and National Security is sponsoring an annual Law Student Writing Competition. The winner receiver a cash prize of $500 and free registration to the Committee's Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law Conferenceto be held in Washington, DC. In addition to registration for the conference, the prize will include reimbursement for coach travel and one night’s lodging. Additionally, the essay will be published by the Standing Committee. Winner must be present at the conference to receive the award.
Deadline: August 31, 2019
The ELA is sponsoring the George Jay Joseph Award in Education Law. This award is intended to generate increased interest in, and recognition of, education law among not only graduate students in schools of education but also students in law schools. It recognizes an outstanding student manuscript addressing 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.
Deadline: August 1, 2022
The PIABA Foundation is sponsoring the 2022 James E. Beckley Securities Arbitration and Law Writing Competition. 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 winner will receive $1,000 and publication in the PIABA Bar Journal; second place receives $750; third, $500.
Deadline: September 16, 2022
ABA Section of Public Contract Law
*2020 Updates Coming*
The Section of Public Contract Law is sponsoring its Writing Competition. The paper should address a topical issue of interest to the public contract and grant law community. The first place winner will receive $5,000; second place, $2,500; third place, $1,000. Winning entries will be considered for publication in the Public Contract Law Journal and may be invited to present their papers at the Federal Procurement Institute.
Deadline: September 30, 2019.
American University Washington College of Law Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law
*2020 Updates Coming*
The American Univ. Washington College of Law Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law is sponsoring the International Humanitarian Law Student Writing Competition. Submissions papers should address the Intersection of International Humanitarian Law and Gender. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and a one-year American Society of International Law’s Lieber Society student membership. The winning author will also have the opportunity to present his or paper through a virtual conference with a panel of experts.
Deadline: Please refer back to this page in the summer of 2021 for information on the 2021-2022 application.
If/When/How, the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice at UC Berkeley School of Law and the Center for Reproductive Rights now invite submissions for the 16th annual Sarah Weddington Writing Prize for New Student Scholarship in Reproductive Rights. More information on how to apply, the length and type of accepted submissions, and on the suggested theme for this year’s prize can be found here. Winning authors will receive cash prizes: $750 (1st place), $500 (2nd place), or $250 (3rd place), and a copy of the textbook Cases on Reproductive Rights and Justice (Murray & Luker). The first-place winning submission will also be granted a “presumption of publishability” and receive expedited review by the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice. The suggested theme for this year is “Supporting Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Beyond Roe v. Wade.” Submissions might explore topics that intersect with If/When/How’s strategic initiatives, such as removing barriers to 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.
Deadline: October 22, 2021
The ABA Health Law Section is sponsoring its Annual ABA Health Law Student Writing Competition. The ABA Health Law Section will present an award, based on excellence of the paper, to a law student who writes a substantive paper on any aspect of health law. Awards will be based upon authorship of superior literary effort that advances and serves the interests and understanding of an emerging issue in health law. Topic selection is one of the criteria judged. The paper should be an original, practical examination of issues (rather than a recitation of existing research) related to the student’s topic. Papers should either address a topic that was not previously addressed in the past two to three years in The Health Lawyer or expand on or present an alternative or new theory, angle, or perspective on a topic that was previously addressed in the journal. For a list of articles published in The Health Lawyer, go to: ambar.org/healthlawyer.
The first-place award is a $500 honorarium, consideration for publication in The Health Lawyer, the Health Law Section’s award winning flagship journal, and attendance at the ABA’s Emerging Issues in Healthcare conference, which includes the cost of economy- class airfare, at ABA rates, hotel for two nights and a $50 per diem for two days. A second-place winning paper will be named if deemed appropriate by the ABA Health Law Section. The second-place winner’s paper will be considered for publication in The Health Lawyer, but no cash or travel award will be presented to the second-place winner. Additional runners-up may be named at the discretion of the ABA Health Law Section. Additional awards, if any, will be recognized in The Health Lawyer and may be published in the journal.
Deadline: December 1, 2020 (12:00 PM CST)
American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers Writing Competition
The American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers is sponsoring the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers Writing Competition. Eligible entries must discuss some aspect of 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.
The awards include a cash payment ($5,000 for books, $3,500 for articles, reviews, or book chapters; and $1,500 for student work), a certificate or other token of recognition, and (if applicable) travel expenses to attend the College’s annual dinner (if held, typically in conjunction with the Spring Meeting of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association).
Deadline: December 1, 2022
Students at universities around the world can now enter the vLex International Law & Technology Writing Competition 2021, with a grand prize of £1,500, a three-month internship with a leading legal technology company and publication to an international legal audience on offer for the winning entry. Runners-up can also be in with a chance of winning £250, alongside publication.
This is the first time the organisation behind the competition has included an internship in its grand prize package. The competition was created to help students stand out from their peers in a competitive job market, and the inclusion of an internship aims to further the support available to students.
In its fourth year, the competition invites students to write a 1,000-word blog-style article on one of three topics relating to the law and technology. This year the three new topics include Money, Influence and Movements, providing an opportunity for entrants to explore important global events in their writing.
Students who would like to enter will need to sign up to the competition from the main competition webpage. This will ensure they keep up to date with requirements, informed about the submission process, and also receive guidance and inspiration.
Deadline: December 7, 2020 (Midnight GMT)
Dukeminier Student Writing Competition
The Williams Institute is sponsoring the Dukeminier Student Writing Competition. Entry topics should focus on a cutting-edge legal issue affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender communities. First place wins $1,000 and will be published within Volume 20 of the Dukeminier Awards Journal of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law. Previous winners can be viewed at https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/programs/dukeminier-awards-journal. This writing competition is made possible by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.
Deadline: December 18, 2020