Skip to Main Content

Writing Competitions for Law Students: Women & Law

Tip

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 requirements in 2025 Competition included: "Entries must not exceed fifteen (15) pages of text, excluding notes, with footnotes placed as endnotes. Citation style should conform to The Bluebook – A Uniform System of Citation."

  • Eligibility requirements in 2025 Competition included: "Essays are accepted from students enrolled and in good standing 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 for coursework or independent study are eligible for submission."

  • Reward in 2025 Competition was: "The author of the winning essay will receive a cash prize of $500.  NAWL will also publish the winning essay in the Spring/Summer issue of the Women Lawyers Journal."

  • Deadline in 2025 Competition was: "Entries are due April 18, 2025 (the third Friday in April each year). Entries received after the deadline will not be considered. Entries must be submitted via email as a Microsoft Word document to dpayne@nawl.org."