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Writing Competitions for Law Students: Women & 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.  

Women & Law

Selma Moidel Smith Law Student Writing Competition (annual)

  • Sponsor: National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL)
  • Topic: "Entrants should submit a paper identifying a historical individual or event and explaining how this individual or event aligns with NAWL's mission.  The mission of NAWL is to provide leadership, a collective voice, and essential resources to advance women in the legal profession and advocate for the equality of women under the law.  We invite writers to explore NAWL's History page for inspiration."
  • Format in 2024 Competition was: "Entries must not exceed fifteen (15) pages of text, excluding notes, with footnotes placed as endnotes."

  • Eligibility requirements in 2024 Competition were: "Essays will be accepted from students enrolled at an ABA-accredited law school.  The essays must be the law student author’s own work and must not have been submitted for publication elsewhere.  Papers written by students for coursework or independent study during the summer, fall, or spring semesters are eligible for submission.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, students may incorporate professorial feedback as part of a course requirement or supervised writing project." 

  • Prize in 2024 Competition was: "The author of the winning essay will receive a cash prize of $500. NAWL will also publish the winning essay in the 2024 Spring/Summer issue of the Women Lawyers Journal."  

  • Deadline: "Entries are due February 1 each year."