Human Rights Essay Contest

As part of the State Bar of Texas International Law Section’s commitment to providing information and guidance on international human rights issues, the Section sponsors a writing contest that is open to individuals attending law school (including LL.M. programs) within the State of Texas and Texas residents in law school outside of Texas.

PRIZES

A first-place prize of $1,500 will be awarded for the best entry as judged by representatives from the Section. If sufficient entries are received, second and third place prizes may also be given. The winner(s) will also be publicly recognized at a future ILS event. Additionally, the winning essay(s) will be published in the Section’s quarterly International Newsletter.

SUBMISSION

Submissions are due April 1, 2021 on or before 11:59 PM (Central Time) prior to the Annual Institute and should be sent by email attachment to Diana Marin at admin@ilstexas.org. The email should have the subject header “State Bar of Texas International Law Section Writing Contest” and contain the contact information for the author(s). The contestant’s name and other identifying markings such as school name are not to be listed in the attachment.

GUIDELINES

The essay may address any aspect of international human rights law that the contestant chooses. There are no minimum or maximum word limits, and papers should be double-spaced, with twelve-point font and one-inch margins. Our preference, however, is for papers to be 2500 words or less. We will accept longer documents for consideration, but they will have to be edited for publication. Papers submitted to us can be published elsewhere with attribution to the original publication in the ILS International Newsletter.

RULES

The first-place winner will be required to submit a completed W-9 form prior to receiving the award, and is responsible for all taxes associated with the award. The ideas and work reflected by each entry must be the author’s or authors’ own. This contest is governed by U.S. law and all relevant federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. The winner will be required to submit proof of eligibility.

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