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Writing Competitions for Law Students: Legal Issues Concerning Indigenous Peoples

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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.  

Legal Issues Concerning Indigenous Peoples

American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources (SEER): Law Student Writing Competitions (5 competition topic categories) - see: American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources: 2024 Law Student Writing Competition Official Rules.

  • Sponsor: Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources of the American Bar Association
  • Topics: "Entries for the Competition should demonstrate original thought on a question of legal and/or policy significance relating to one of the following topics: (1) Air, Water, and Food, (2) Biodiversity, (3) Energy Law, (4) Indigenous Law, (5) Recycling.  Each entrant must select one of the five competition topics to write on. The decision of whether a particular essay qualifies as to subject matter is entirely within the discretion of the Section."
  • Eligibility: "The Competition is open to any law student who, at the time of entry, (1) is enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school during the academic year of the Competition, (2) is a legal resident of the United States, and (3) is at least 18 years old.  Directors, officers, and employees of the ABA and their immediate family or household members are not eligible."
  • Prizes: "The first-place winner in each of the five topic categories will receive a $1,000 cash prize. The winners will be announced on the Section’s website.  At the sole discretion of the Sponsor, the winning essay may be posted on the Section website."
  • Deadline: "Entries must be submitted by email on or before Friday, May 31, 2024, by 11:59 p.m. (central)."

American Indian Law Review National Writing Competition

  • Sponsor: University of Oklahoma College of Law
  • Topic of 2023-2024 Competition was: Papers on "any legal issue specifically concerning American Indians or other indigenous peoples."
  • Format: "Papers"  "Entries must be a minimum of 20 double-spaced pages in length and a maximum of 50 double-spaced pages in length exclusive of footnotes and endnotes."
  • Eligibility requirements in 2023-2024 Competition were: "The competition is open to students enrolled in J.D. or graduate law programs at accredited law schools in the United States and Canada as of the competition deadline of Thursday, February 29, 2024.  Editors of the American Indian Law Review are not eligible to compete."
  • Prizes: "The first place winner receives $1,500 and publication by the American Indian Law Review, an official periodical of the University of Oklahoma College of Law with international readership.  The second place winner receives $750, and third place receives $400.  Each of the three winning authors will also be awarded an eBook copy of Cohen's Handbook of Federal Indian Law, provided by LexisNexis."
  • Deadline for 2023-2024 Competition was: February 29, 2024.

Hager Prize

  • Sponsor: The Sovereignty Symposium
  • Topic in 2024 Competition was: "[A]warded for the best writing, either student or presenter, on the ICWA [Indian Child Welfare Act] or any legal issue concerning Native American children."
  • Format requirements in 2024 Competition included: "The entries in the writing competitions must be fifty (50) single-spaced pages in length or less."  "The paper used shall be 8-1/2” x 11” in size.  Use a 12-point font in Times New Roman format. The left and right margins must be 2”; the top and bottom margins must be 1.5”."
  • Note About Eligibility: Based on a March 26, 2024 email reply, a law student could submit "a class paper or similar."  Regarding a note or something similar written for a law review or law journal: the law student should contact Lori Harless.  "If you have any questions, call Lori Harless at (405) 208-5017."
  • Prize in 2024 Competition was: "$1,000"  "The winning entry will also be published in the Symposium publication."
  • Deadline for submission was: March 15, 2024.

National Native American Law Students Association Writing Competition (annual)

  • Sponsors: National Native American Law Students Association, in partnership with the University of California Davis School of Law, and the UC Davis NALSA Chapter
  • Theme in 2024 Competition was: "UC Davis Law Review submissions have an open criteria, requiring only that they are about contemporary Indian law issues.  Environs submissions must discuss environmental law, natural resources law, environmental justice or land use law."
  • Format in 2024 Competition was: "Scholarly articles"  "5,000-8,000 words of above-the-line text (approximately 20-30 pages)"
  • Registration/Eligibility stated: "This competition is ONLY open to law students who are registered members of the National Native American Law Students Association and members of their law school NALSA Chapter."  There are separate registration instructions for those writing on an environmental law issue and those writing on a non-environmental law issue. 
  • Prizes in 2024 Competition were: "The writing competition winner will have their submission published in the UC Davis Law Review Online Journal or the fall 2024 edition [of] Environs: Environmental Law and Policy Journal."  "UC Davis will also award the first place winners of each journal: $750 each.  Second and third place winners also receive financial awards of $500 and $250, respectively."  See box: Prizes and Publishing on this page.
  • Deadline for submission was: March 1, 2024.