Annual Law Student Victims' Rights Writing Competition
- Sponsor: National Crime Victim Law Institute
- Topic in 2024 Competition was: "Submissions must be original papers that analyze the legal rights of crime victims. Preference is given to papers focusing on rights enforcement in the context of criminal justice systems, which is the area of victim law that receives the least attention." The 2024 Competition's web page listed possible topics.
- Format requirements in 2024 Competition included: "Submissions should be no longer than 3500 words (including footnotes), double-spaced with one-inch margins, and the font must be Times New Roman. If a submission is an excerpt of a larger paper please indicate that on the first page. Submissions may not have been previously published or accepted for publication unless accompanied by written authorization for re-print."
- Eligibility requirements in 2024 Competition included: "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."
- Prizes in 2024 Competition were: "Up to 3 papers from across the country will be selected. The top paper will receive a $300 prize; second and third-place papers will each receive a $100 prize. Authors of selected papers will be invited to attend (virtually or in person) and may be invited to present their paper at a national webinar. Conference tuition will be covered for those selected. Selected papers may also be included in one of NCVLI’s nationally distributed publications."
- Deadline in 2024 Competition was extended to: April 21, 2024.
Blanch Law Firm Scholarship Award - March 2, 2024: Emailed this law firm to verify whether description of this award is current.
- Sponsor: The Blanch Law Firm
- Contest Mission & Assignment: "We are looking for an excellent writer to contribute an outstanding article to our online publication....You will then be assigned a topic in the criminal law field that applies to a Federal or State legal issue. Each applicant will be given an outline to guide them on their research and writing."
- Format: "Essays should have a minimum of 2,500 words. Links to all sources must be included in a footnote."
- Prize: "Cash award totaling $5,000. Authorship – publication credit. An opportunity to come work with our lawyers in New York City for one day."
- Deadline: "Rolling deadline. Submissions due within 14 days of receipt of assignment."
Marshall M. Schulman 2024 Competition for Student Papers in Criminal Law and/or Criminal Procedure (annual)
- Sponsor: Criminal Law Section of the California Lawyers Association
- 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. The paper should be original and scholarly." This is "a nationwide competition" that focuses on California law.
- Format: "Papers should be between 1,500 and 4,500 words in length, including any citations...."
- Eligibility: "This is a nationwide competition; while the focus is on California law, past winners have included students attending schools from coast to coast." "To be eligible for consideration, the paper must be written solely by a student enrolled in law school at the time the author submits a paper to this Competition. First-year law students are encouraged to submit entries." "Papers that have previously been published in a book, journal, magazine, or newspaper are not eligible."
- Prizes: "Grand Prize: $2,500 cash prize. The Grand Prize-winning paper will be published in the Criminal Law Journal, the official quarterly publication of the Criminal Law Section of the State Bar of California. One-year student membership in the Criminal Law Section." "Three Honorable Mention Prizes: $1,000 cash prize. Each of the papers awarded Honorable Mention status will be published in the Criminal Law Journal, the official quarterly publication of the Criminal Law Section of the State Bar of California. One-year student membership in the Criminal Law Section."
- Deadline: "Papers submitted to the Marshall M. Schulman Student Writing Competition must be e-mailed no later than midnight, Sunday, May 12, 2024."
- Sponsors: Academy for Justice (Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University) and Arizona State Law Journal
- Topic: Academy for Justice's website states: "This national writing competition seeks to promote legal scholarship centering on criminal justice reform. Applicants are encouraged to write on any topic related to criminal justice reform with a focus on offering a recommendation or solution to the problem(s) being highlighted."
- Format in 2023 Competition was: "Articles must be no longer than 10,000 words, including footnotes. Shorter articles are also encouraged."
- Eligibility requirements in 2023 Competition included: "Applicants are required to be enrolled full-time at an ABA-accredited law school at the time of submission."
- Prize in 2023 Competition was: "The amount of $1,000 in prize money will be awarded, and the winner’s article will be considered for publication in Arizona State Law Journal."
- Deadline: Arizona State Law Journal's website states: "Submissions for the 2023 contest are now closed and a winner has been notified. Keep an eye out for next year's contest." Deadline for 2023 contest was: July 1, 2023.
William W. Greenhalgh Student Writing Competition
- Sponsor: Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association
- Goal: "[T]o encourage law students to become involved in the Section. It is also intended to attract students to the Criminal Justice practice field, and to encourage scholarship in this field."
- Topic: See detailed description of 2024 Competition Topic, which pertains to the use of AI-generated information.
- Format: "Only original and unpublished papers are eligible." "Entries cannot exceed 4,000 words, including titles, text, and citations."
- 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. Employees, officers, directors of the ABA and members of their immediate families are not eligible."
- Prizes: "The winner will receive a $2,500 cash prize that may be presented at an agreed-upon CJS event with approved transportation costs not to exceed $800 to be covered by the Section. (The winner is solely responsible for taxes on both the cash prize and reimbursed travel.)" "In addition, the winner’s law school will receive a plaque from the ABA’s Criminal Justice Section. At the sole discretion of the editorial board, the winning entry may be selected for publication in Criminal Justice magazine, subject to editing." All entrants receive one year's free full membership in the Criminal Justice Section.
- Deadline: "All entries must be received by the editor no later than July 1, 2024, 11:59 pm CST."
