Law Student Writing Competitions: Writing Competitions

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

• The Marshall Manne Schulmann Competition for student Papers in Criminal Law and/or Criminal Procedure

  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.

• AUWCL National Health Law Writing Competition

  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.

• Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Student Writing Contest

  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.

• SEER Law Student Writing Competitions

  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.

• The Judge John R. Brown Scholarship

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

• Cornelius Vander Broek Memorial Essay Contest for Freethinking Graduate Students

  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.

• The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel Writing Competition

  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.

• James B. Boskey Law Student Essay Contest on Dispute Resolution

  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.

• Adam A. Milani Disability Law Writing Competition

  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.

• H. Thomas Austern Writing Competition

  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.

• Annual Law Student Writing Competition

  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.

• K. William Kolbe Writing Competition

  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.

• Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition

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

• Warren E. Burger Prize

  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.

• William W. Greenhalgh Student Writing Competition

  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?

• George Hutchinson Writing Competition

  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.

• The Zimmerman Law Firm 2023 Law School Scholarship

  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.

• Honorable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “Pursuit of Justice” Legal Writing Competition

  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.

• New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Business Law Section

  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.

• The Aviation and Space Law Committee Writing Competition

  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.

• James E. Beckley Student Writing Competition

  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

• International Fiscal Association, USA Branch 2023 Writing Competition

  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.

• Public Contract Law Journal Writing Competition

  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.

• Modern Agricultural Legal Issues Essay Contest

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

• Sarah Weddington Writing Prize

  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.

• Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition Award

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

• Law Student Writing Contest of the Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law (SCAFL)

  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.

• ABA Law Student Tax Challenge

  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.

• American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers (ACCFSL) Writing Competition

  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.

• 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.

• David S. Rosenbaum Scholarship

  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.

• American Journal of Mediation National Dispute Resolution Writing Competition

  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.

• The Dukemineier Awards Student Writing Competition

  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.

• Armstrong, Lee & Baker Law School Contest

  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?