Previous Writing Competitions
This list of Previous Writing Competitions may be helpful as you make long-range plans. Often, sponsors repeat their contests, and the deadline may fall at the same approximate time of year. If you are interested in a Writing Competition on this list, please verify the topic, prize, and due date with the sponsor. For a list of current Writing Competitions with upcoming deadlines, please click “Currently Active Writing Competitions.”
| Competition Name | Topic | Sponsor | Prize | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
H. Thomas Austern Writing Competition | Overview and Eligibility Requirements:
|
Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) |
Winners are awarded a complimentary one-year FDLI membership. |
06/11/2021 |
Food and Drug Law Institute's 2021 Austern Writing Competition | The H. Thomas Austern 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. Students currently enrolled in a JD program at any of the nation’s ABA-accredited law schools and 2020-2021 academic year graduates are eligible to participate. A committee comprised of FDLI members who are practicing attorneys and law professors will judge the papers over the summer, and winners will be announced in the fall. Top papers will receive a monetary prize, FDLI membership, and will be considered for publication in the Food and Drug Law Journal. |
Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) |
Winners are awarded: $750 for first place, $500 for second, and $250 for third, and a complimentary one-year FDLI membership. Top papers will be considered for publication in the Food and Drug Law Journal. |
06/11/2021 |
The Hogan/Smoger Access to Justice Essay Competition | Eligibility: Format: Judging Process: |
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. |
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. |
04/30/2021 |
2021 Antitrust Writing Awards | We are thrilled to announce that submissions are now open for the 2021 Antitrust Writing Awards. Now in their 10th year, the Antitrust Writing Awards are the field’s largest awards for written thought. Participation in the Awards process, whether as an author, jury member, or reader, helps highlight the best antitrust ideas of the past year. The Antitrust Writing Award for Best Student Paper rewards one student paper that stands out by its originality or relevance to current antitrust issues. The goal of the Award for Best Student Paper is to promote antitrust laws, antitrust economics, and antitrust policies among Law and Economics students and to support student scholarship in the field. 1. Eligibility Students who want to participate in the competition must be graduate students currently enrolled in a law school, business school, or graduate school economics program at the Master’s level or higher for the academic year 2020-2021. Eligible papers must have been written or published by the student(s) between January 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021. Students must submit the name of their school and proof of their enrollment when submitting their paper. Papers may be co-authored, but one individual participant cannot submit more than three (3) papers. 2. Format Participants must submit a paper in the format of a case summary or commentary of a specific antitrust case, investigation, regulation, guideline, or policy. The paper may cover antitrust cases that are criminal or civil, at the local, regional, national or international level, public or private enforcement, within any jurisdiction globally. Papers must be between 2,000 and 3,000 words long and must be written in English. Papers can be individual or co-authored. 3. Selection & Voting procedure The Best Student Paper Award will be awarded to the paper which collects the most votes from a peer jury composed of five (5) George Washington University Law School students under the mentorship of Prof. Bill Kovacic. |
Concurrences: Antitrust Publications & Events |
The winners will have their submission published in the Concurrences e-Competitions Bulletin (which covers antitrust cases from 85+ jurisdictions globally), and will receive a one-year Concurrences+ subscription (which gives access to the entire database of writings, photos, and videos from Concurrences antitrust conferences, articles, and books). In addition, the winners will be invited to accept the Award at the Concurrences + GW Antitrust Writing Awards Ceremony, held this year virtually in front of 200+ top antitrust enforcers, lawyers, economists, and academics from around the world. |
04/05/2021 |
Companion Animal Law Writing Contest | Students are asked to choose between two topics: forfeiture of an animal and the legal treatment of animals as property. This year’s topics offer students the unique opportunity to discuss legal perspectives on issues currently in the news and at the forefront of animal law. |
American Kennel Club |
The contest will offer a first-place prize of $2500 and a second-place prize of $500. |
03/31/2021 |
The Fourth Annual Companion Animal Law Writing Contest | The American Kennel Club® (AKC) is pleased to announce the fourth annual Companion Animal Law Writing Contest! The contest begins on August 10th and is opens to all students currently enrolled at an ABA-accredited law school. Students are asked to choose between two topics: forfeiture of an animal and the legal treatment of animals as property. This year’s topics offer students the unique opportunity to discuss legal perspectives on issues currently in the news and at the forefront of animal law. Entries will be judged by legal and public policy professionals with experience in laws impacting companion animals. Contestants can enter now through March 31, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. EST. To learn more about the contest, including official rules and policies, please click here. |
The American Kennel Club |
The contest will offer a first-place prize of $2500 and a second-place prize of $500. |
03/31/2021 |
3rd Baxter Family Competition on Federalism | The Peter MacKell Chair on Federalism is delighted to launch the 3rd edition of the Baxter Family Competition on Federalism. We invite you to consult the Call for papers. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2021. This edition’s overall theme is Federalism, Identity and Public Policy in Challenging Times. This broad theme should allow for reflections about the impact of federalism on the current COVID-19 crisis – and vice versa – but by no means should entries be limited to this context. Comparative perspectives are particularly encouraged. For the first time, the Competition will be open both to law and political science students/PhD candidates, as well as junior scholars and practitioners from around the world. Contributors must be registered students or have obtained their degrees, in law or political science, less than 5 years before the submission deadline of 1 February 2021. Submissions must be of a maximum 8,000 words in English and 8,800 words in French, including footnotes. Please see the Call for papers for information on author eligibility and paper criteria. Information on the first two editions of the Competition (as well as the winning essays) may be found here. |
Peter MacKell Chair on Federalism |
The three winners will be invited to present their papers at a symposium in May 2021 in Montreal (circumstances allowing). First-, second- and third-place winners will be awarded prizes of $5,000, $3,000, and $1,000 (CAD) respectively. |
02/01/2021 |
Call for Papers | The University of Michigan Law School is pleased to invite junior scholars to attend the 7th Annual Junior Scholars Conference which will take place virtually on April 16-17, 2021. The conference provides junior scholars with a platform to present and discuss their work with peers and receive feedback from prominent members of the Michigan Law faculty. The Conference aims to promote fruitful collaboration between participants and to encourage their integration into a community of legal scholars. The Junior Scholars Conference is intended for academics in both law and related disciplines. Applications from graduate students, SJD/PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, lecturers, teaching fellows, and assistant professors (pre-tenure) who have not held an academic position for more than four years, are welcomed. |
Michigan Law School 2021 Junior Scholars Conference |
We are excited that this year the Conference will collaborate with several Michigan Law journals, all of which are among the highest ranked in their respective fields. The Michigan Law Review, Michigan Journal of International Law, Michigan Journal of Law Reform, Michigan Journal of Gender and Law, Michigan Journal of Race and Law, Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law, and the Michigan Business & Entrepreneurial Law Review will give serious consideration to publish papers selected for the Conference that are within each journal’s research agenda and meet its requirements. Additional details on the publication process will be provided after selection for participation in the Conference itself has been completed. In any event, there will be no obligation to accept any offer of publication that you may receive. |
01/04/2021 |
Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI) Writing Competition | The Entertainment Law Initiative fosters future careers in entertainment law by seeking out the nation’s top law students and giving them invaluable networking and educational opportunities. For the past 22 years, the program has included a legal writing competition that offers law students the chance to win up to $10,000 in tuition-based scholarships. 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. |
Recording Academy |
ONE WINNER WILL RECEIVE: |
01/04/2021 |
Arnold & Itkins LLP Academic Scholarships | Are you a law student? If yes, then Arnold & Itkins LLP is offering their Academic Scholarship for the law students who share the passion of serving the underprivileged and victims of the tragedy. The second-year or third-year law students enrolled in an ABA-accredited school in the United States are welcomed to apply for the scholarship. The motive of the Arnold & Itkins LLP Academic The scholarship is to empower and encourage law students pursuing law to achieve the goal of serving people in need. Academic Scholarships will grant students financial benefits to assist them in becoming brilliant lawyers. |
Arnold & Itkins LLP |
$5000 |
12/01/2020 |
Third-Annual Criminal Record Policy Essay Competition | For our third annual law student writing competition, our goal is to continue to increase awareness of the impact of laws governing the retention and dissemination of criminal records by courts and state agencies, as well as the laws governing the public’s use of such records. 2019-2020 Essay Topics: How to improve the expungement process in (state of your choice) When, if ever, should government stop reporting criminal records to the public? What effects do criminal records have on former offenders ability to re-assimilate? |
Higbee & Associates and The Foundation for Continuing Justice |
The Prizes For The Winning Essays Are As Follows: |
09/30/2020 |
2020 Aviation and Space Law Committee Law Student Writing Competition | Submissions should address a recent development in any area of aviation or space law or |
Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association |
(1) $500 cash prize; (2) up to $1,500 reimbursement for hotel and transportation expenses to attend and speak at the ABA TIPS Aviation and Space Law Annual CLE Seminar in Washington, DC on October 28th and 29th, 2020, and (3) publication in an upcoming edition of the TIPS Aviation and Space Law Committee’s newsletter. |
09/09/2020 |
2020 Warren E. Burger Prize | The American Inns of Court invites judges, lawyers, professors, students, scholars, and other authors to participate in the competition. 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. |
American Inns of Court Foundation |
Cash prize of $5,000, and the essay will be published in the South Carolina Law Review. |
07/01/2020 |
Christopher E. Bergin Award for Excellence in Writing | The Christopher E. Bergin Award for Excellence in Writing recognizes superior student writing on unsettled questions in tax law or policy. It is named in honor of the late Christopher E. Bergin, former president and publisher of Tax Analysts and longtime editor of Tax Notes Federal. The award, given annually, epitomizes the qualities that Chris championed. Submissions should focus on an unsettled question in federal, state, or international tax law or policy. |
Tax Notes Federal |
Winning entries are published in Tax Notes’ weekly magazines and will be eligible to receive a 12-month subscription to Tax Notes’ daily and weekly products. Winners’ names and schools will be prominently featured on the Tax Notes website. |
06/30/2020 |
H. Thomas Austern Writing Competition | The H. Thomas Austern 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. |
Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) |
Winners are awarded: $750 for first place, $500 for second, and $250 for third, and a complimentary one-year FDLI membership. Top papers will be considered for publication in the Food and Drug Law Journal. |
06/19/2020 |
Michael Greenberg Student Writing Competition | The Michael Greenberg Student Writing Competition was established in memory of Michael Greenberg, a former National LGBT Bar Association board member and Philadelphia attorney who died in 1996 from complications of AIDS. This exciting competition is dedicated to encouraging and recognizing outstanding law student scholarship on the legal issues affecting LGBTQ+ persons. The winning article is considered for publication each year in the Tulane Journal of Law & Sexuality: A Review of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the Law, the first student-edited law review devoted to the intersection of LGBTQ+ issues and the law in the United States. |
National LGBT Bar Association and Foundation |
The 2020 winner and first runner-up will be awarded free registration for the Annual Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair where they will be officially recognized and presented with a congratulatory award certificate. |
05/14/2020 |
Smith-Doheny Legal Ethics Writing Competition | Any current student at an American or Canadian law school may submit an essay (minimum of ten pages and maximum of fifty pages) on any legal ethics topic. The essays that are submitted to the competition will be judged on their clarity, coherence, creativity, insight, and mastery of rules and cases relevant to the topic of the essay in question. |
Notre Dame Law School |
$2,500 prize |
04/24/2020 |
National Law Review 2019-2020 Law Student Writing Competition | The National Law Review (NLR) consolidates practice-oriented legal analysis from a variety of sources for easy access by lawyers, paralegals, law students, business executives, insurance professionals, accountants, compliance officers, human resource managers, and other professionals who wish to better understand specific legal issues relevant to their work. The NLR Law Student Writing Competition offers law students the opportunity to submit articles for publication consideration on the NLR Web site. |
National Law Review |
Winning submissions will be published according to specified dates. |
03/31/2020 |
22nd Annual Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Competition | The ELI Writing Competition challenges students to identify, research, and write an essay with 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 currently enrolled at an ABA-accredited law school. |
Recording Academy & ABA Forum on Entertainment and Sports Industries |
Top Prize: |
01/02/2020 |
Companion Animal Law Writing Contest | This year’s contest focuses on two questions, the first one is state legislature’s animal control and enforcement laws’ bond-for-care provisions, and the second one is on fraudulent claims of emotional support and service animals. Open to all students enrolled at ABA-accredited law schools in the US. |
American Kennel Club |
First Prize: $2,500 |
11/30/2019 |
Any current issue involving labor or employment law. The scope of permissible topics for the article is broad. All law school students. |
DR. EMANUEL STEIN AND KENNETH STEIN MEMORIAL LAW STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION |
First Prize $3,000 |
10/01/2019 |
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The Competition is open to all law students in good standing and attending an ABA accredited law school in 2018. The Competition is open to all law students in good standing and attending an ABA accredited law school in 2018.
|
ABA Writing Competition |
$2,000 |
07/09/2019 |
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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). |
The Theodore Tannenwald, Jr. Foundation for Excellence in Tax Scholarship and The American College of Tax Counsel |
Winning paper $5,000 |
07/08/2019 |
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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). The Competition is open to law students, undergraduate (J.D.) or graduate (L.L.M. or S.J.D.), enrolled full or part-time in a U.S. law school during the 2018/19 academic year |
The Theodore Tannenwald Jr. Foundation for Excellence in Tax Scholarship |
Winning paper $5,000 |
07/08/2019 |
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Want to write an AMICI CURIAE for Submission to the US SUPREME COURT? The winner WILL BE SUBMITTED to the US SUPREME COURT for review. AT THE NEW YORK MARRIOTT TIMES SQUARE. With Special Guests: STEPHEN B. KAUFMAN American University HONORABLE J. BARONE Harvard Law
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St. John's University School of Law Prof. Angelique Pescque, Esq. |
N/A |
07/08/2019 |
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| Competition Name | Topic | Sponsor | Prize | Due Date |
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