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Writing Competitions for Law Students: Entertainment Law

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Sponsors/facilitators of student writing competitions provide more detailed instructions and rules at their websites.  Students need to review the information and rules available at these websites.  

Entertainment Law

Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Contest (annual) + Official Rules

  • Sponsors: Recording Academy Entertainment Law Initiative & American Bar Association
  • Topic: "The writing contest challenges students to identify, research, and write an essay with a proposed solution on a compelling legal issue confronting the music industry."
  • Format: "Essays shall be no longer than 3,000 words not including endnotes/footnotes. Entrants must use The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, for citation style."  "Essays must be in English."
  • Eligibility: "1. This contest is open to Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM), or joint JD/LLM program candidates currently enrolled at a U.S. law school.  LLM students who are, or who have been at any time in the past, licensed as an attorney or who have performed professional services as an attorney are not eligible to enter.  JSD/SJD students are not eligible.  2. Entrants must be an enrolled student at least eighteen (18) years old as of January 1, 2025.  3. Entrants must be legal residents (including foreign students who at the time of entry hold a valid U.S. Student Visa) enrolled in a JD or LLM program at a law school located in the United States.  Contest is void where prohibited by law or regulation.  4. Current regular, full-time, part-time and temporary employees, contractors, interns, GRAMMY U representatives, directors and officers of Sponsor, its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, distributors, sales representatives, retailers, and advertising, promotion and judging agencies and all other service agencies involved with the Contest, and members of the immediate family (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouse) and household of each such employee are not eligible to participate.  5. Previous winners and/or finalists are ineligible."
  • Submission Requirements: "All essays must be original works specifically written for the Contest.  Previously published works are ineligible.  The submission of works previously written for academic purposes is acceptable, provided that the work is edited to meet the guidelines of the Contest and is not identical to the prior academic work."  "Co-authorship of the Essay is not permitted.  Papers may be reviewed by law school faculty or colleagues for editorial feedback, but such assistance may not rise to the level of co-authorship."
  • Winner + Runners Up: "A national panel of music law experts will judge the papers in a blind process and select one winner and two runners-up."
  • Prizes: "Winner receives a Ten Thousand Dollar ($10,000) cash scholarship paid directly to the law school where the student is enrolled.  A one-hour mentorship session with an Entertainment Law Initiative Committee attorney member.  Also, subject to the provisions in Sections 30-36 inclusive, two (2) tickets to and recognition on stage at the 27th Annual ELI event currently scheduled to take place in or about February 2025 in Los Angeles, two (2) tickets to MusiCares® Person of the Year gala event currently scheduled to take place in or about February 2025 in Los Angeles, two (2) tickets to the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards® currently scheduled to take place in or about February 2025 in Los Angeles, round-trip coach airfare for two (2) from a major U.S. airport near Winner’s residence to Los Angeles for the events, hotel accommodations for two (2) for five (5) days/four (4) nights based on double occupancy.  Approximate retail value (“ARV”) of Winner prize: $13,000."  "Each Runner-Up receives a Two Thousand, Five Hundred Dollar ($2,500) cash scholarship paid directly to the law school where the student is enrolled and a one-hour mentorship session with an Entertainment Law Initiative Committee attorney member. Also, subject to the provisions in Sections 30-36 inclusive, one (1) ticket to and recognition on stage at the 27th Annual ELI event currently scheduled to take place in or about February 2025 in Los Angeles, round-trip coach airfare for one (1) from a major U.S. airport near Runner Up’s residence to Los Angeles for the event, hotel accommodations for one (1) for three (3) days/two (2) nights.  Approximate retail value (“ARV”) of Winner prize: $1,200."  "Meals, gratuities, luggage fees, incidental hotel charges and any other unspecified travel-related expenses are the sole responsibility of Winner or Runner Up, as applicable."
  • Deadline: "Completed manuscripts and accompanying documents ... must be submitted via email to eli_submissions@recordingacademy.com on or before November 8, 2024 at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST)".

New York State Bar Association Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section: Phil Cowan – Judith Bresler Memorial Scholarship

  • Sponsor: Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section of the New York State Bar Association
  • Topic: "Each Scholarship candidate must write an original paper on any legal issue of current interest in the area of entertainment, art or sports law."
  • Format for the 2024 Competition was: "The paper should be twelve to fifteen pages in length (including Bluebook form footnotes), double-spaced"
  • Eligibility requirements for the 2024 Competition stated: "The Competition is open to all students – both J.D. candidates and L.L.M. candidates — attending eligible law schools.  'Eligible' law schools mean all accredited law schools within New York State, along with Rutgers University Law School and Seton Hall Law School in New Jersey, and up to ten other accredited law schools throughout the country to be selected, at the Committee’s discretion, on a rotating basis."
  • Prizes for the 2024 Competition were: "Up to two awards of $2,500 each on an annual basis in Phil Cowan’s and Judith Bresler’s memories to law students who are committed to a practice concentrating in one or more areas of entertainment, art or sports law."  "All students submitting a paper for consideration, who are NYSBA members, will immediately and automatically be offered a free membership in EASL (with all the benefits of an EASL member) for a one-year period, commencing January 1st of the year following submission of the paper." 
  • Deadline for 2024 Annual Phil Cowan-Judith Bresler Memorial Scholarship Writing Competition was: January 3, 2024.