university of law essay competition

The Competition

We want to hear your opinions on the current Real World Questions being asked of lawyers, public and business professionals today.

Choose one of the three questions below and write an essay that argues the differing views across the industry. Be inquisitive, research to expand your knowledge in the area and develop key skills that will help you achieve your ambitions.

We have given possible ideas you may want to explore and provided resources to get you started .

Find out about The University of Law’s Real World Questions campaign by clicking here .

Does the world need more entrepreneurs?

Things to consider:

• What is entrepreneurship?
• Do individual people make a business succeed?
• What role does Organisational Structure play in the success of a business?
• To what extent do People and Dynamics influence a thriving business?
• How much of a business’ success is due to Environment and Competitive Advantage?

Will stop and search protect or polarise our society?

Things to do consider:

• What rights do police officers have to stop and search under the Criminal Justice and Public Order act?
• Is stop and search effective in leading to lawful arrests?
• Are perceptions of stop and search affected by cognitive and/or implicit biases?
• What role does Procedural Justice Theory play in how society views stop and search?
• What role do future generations of police officers have?

How is Mental Health protected by the Law and is it enough?

• What does ‘Mental Health Disorder’ mean under the Mental Health Act?
• What rights do patients with Mental Health Disorders have?
• How does the Mental Health Act operate to protect people with Mental Health Disorders?
• How do Human Rights interact with the Mental Health Act?

Why should you take part?

Develop key study skills for future study (Researching, referencing and essay writing)

Support and enhance your current study (subject area and EPQ)

Strengthen your Personal Statement and CV

Gain professional knowledge

2021 Law winning Essay

Click the icon to download the winning essay for 2021 in the Law category.

2021 Business winning Essay

Click the icon to download the winning essay for 2021 in the Business category.

2021 Criminal Justice winning Essay

Click the icon to download the winning essay for 2021 in the Criminal Justice category.

Find out what our winners have to say

Hear from our 2021 winners on their experience; how they felt receiving their first prize awards, their cash, laptops, mentoring and work experience placements

Entry instructions

How to enter.

The competition is open to all students studying in years 10-13. See the entry page for more details and to submit your essay. Don’t miss out, the closing date is 18 September 2022.

Choose a title

Judging criteria, terms and conditions, meet the judges.

Our judging panel draws from a wide range of backgrounds and expertise. Click below for details of our eight judges.

Director of Employability, University of Law

John watkins.

Campus Dean, University of Law

Lawyer and Project Coordinator at Deutsche Bank

Chris miller.

General Counsel, Food and Ventures, the Co-op

Gill gardner, the university of law.

What really sets us apart from other universities is the guiding principle that future lawyers and business leaders should learn in a realistic, professional and contemporary context, with plenty of practical interactive engagement. That's why we keep our contact hours high and our teaching groups small.

Our undergraduate courses   combine academic rigour with practical skills to provide you with the essential groundwork needed to begin your journey into a variety of careers. 

You can attend a variety of live virtual events that will help support your decision making around future career pathways.

Our track record of excellence in learning and development has helped us establish worldwide connections within the legal and business industries. More than 250 of our tutors are qualified lawyers and business professionals, all have extensive practical experience which they are able to pass on to our students. 

Find more about our staff and alumni competition judges here .

Real World Questions essay competition: Meet the winners

We were delighted with the standard of entries in our essay competition, Real World Questions , aimed at students studying in years 10-13 with a chance to win work experience at leading law firms up for grabs. We wanted to get students opinions on two topical questions facing law and business today.

• How fair is the Criminal Justice System?
• How do businesses adapt to change effectively?

By Cara Fielder . Published 1 February 2021. Last updated 17 August 2021.

Both overall winners were awarded prizes including £1000 cash, a week’s work experience with either Clyde & Co or the Co-op, a 2 hour session with The University of Law’s Director of Employability , and the regional winners were awarded a set of Bose Soundlink II speakers and a Lenovo MIIX two-in-one tablet.

Today we’re talking to the overall winners of our Real Life Questions essay competition to discuss their entries and their career hopes for the future.

How fair is the Criminal Justice System? – Milena Prochorovaite

I study at Winstanley College in Wigan and after I complete my studies, I want to train to become a detective serving with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in London. I discovered the Real World Questions essay competition when I was doing virtual work experience with ULaw. My college promoted it to our class too.

I chose to answer the law subject question - How fair is the Criminal Justice System? I discussed how diverse the system is and why diversity is needed in a justice system, along with sharing some statistics. I also briefly explained how stop and search policies affect fairness in the system.

I entered the competition because I wanted to take part in a project that extended my knowledge on the criminal justice system. The question was very fitting for the current situation with the Black Lives Matter movement and how the system doesn’t execute fairness to all. The essay was a way I could help highlight this.

I was speechless to win the Real World Questions essay competition. I entered the competition thinking I didn’t have a chance of winning, so it’s given me a lot of confidence to know that I am very capable of getting my point across. Winning means a lot to me and I’m proud of myself.

The prize money has given me a solid starting foundation for life at university. It will pay for transport and anything else I need to survive, as well as treating myself a bit.

In five years, I hope to have finished my degree in professional policing with a high grade. I’ll be working on getting my driver’s and bike licence and trying to get fit for a career in policing and detection work.

My advice to anyone entering an essay competition is to make sure you get your points across clearly and directly. Try to answer the question from both sides, like a debate. Have evidence to back up what you’re saying. Other than that, trying your best is all that matters; you have the chance to succeed in anything if you believe in yourself.

How do businesses adapt to change effectively? – Winner Matthew Alex

I’m currently in Year 11 at Hymers College in East Yorkshire and in the future I plan to go into some form of engineering. That could be in robotics, artificial intelligence or something else. Eventually, I want to establish my own technology-based business which helps benefit people in less fortunate situations.

A teacher recommended the Real Life Questions competition to our year as something productive to do over the summer and my friends convinced me to do it.

In my ‘How do businesses adapt to change effectively?’ essay, I outlined some of the different ways businesses have succeeded through diversification, acquisitions, using technology and a number of other methods.

With the current coronavirus situation, we can see that many businesses have struggled while others have performed better than ever. I was interested in researching what determines a business’s success in this changing world. The University of Law also offered some very enticing prizes which were a good incentive for me.

I was pleased that the skills I'd been taught at school could be effectively used to answer a practical question. As of now, I am not exactly sure what I’ll do with the prize money, so I will save most of it for the time being. However; I did put some of it towards buying some Christmas presents.

In 5 years, I’ll be 21 and will probably be studying at a technology university. Hopefully, I’ll have a clearer perception of the career I want to pursue and I’d like to have developed my skills to work towards other such achievements as winning this competition.

I would definitely recommend other students to enter competitions like Real World Questions. Alongside some great prizes, the topics are very interesting to research and learn out more about. Entering the competition also develops your skills in essay writing, while providing an insight into how people are trying to solve important issues in our world.

Want to learn more about ULaw essay competitions? Read our blog from Change the World Fund winner Katie Landsborough .

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Halloween Laws

Writing Competition

The  Harvard Law Review  is composed of second- and third-year law students who are selected via a six-day writing competition at the end of each academic year. The Review strongly encourages all students to participate in the writing competition, which consists of two parts:

• Subcite: this portion, worth 50% of the competition score, requires students to perform a technical and substantive edit of an excerpt from an unpublished article
• Case Comment : this portion, also worth 50%, requires students to describe and analyze a recent case

The competition uses a closed universe of materials provided to all competition-takers; no additional outside research of any kind is allowed or required. The use of any form of Artificial Intelligence during the competition is also strictly prohibited.

Based on the competition, fifty-four second-year students are invited to join the Review each year, including:

• Twenty selected based solely on competition scores
• Seven (one from each 1L section) selected based on an equally weighted combination of competition scores and first-year grades
• Three (from any section) selected based on an equally weighted combination of competition scores and first-year grades
• Twenty-four selected through an anonymous holistic review (see below for details)

The  Review  is committed to a diverse and inclusive membership and encourages all students to participate in the writing competition. Harvard Law School students who are interested in joining the  Review  must write the competition at the end of their first year, even if they plan to take time off during law school or are pursuing a joint degree and plan to spend time at another graduate school.

Timeline & Resources

The 2024 Competition will take place from Sunday, May 12 to Saturday, May 18 . Writing competition tips and Q&A sessions will be held in early and mid-April.

Registration will open in April 2024. We expect to invite editors to join Volume 139 over the course of several days in late July. Orientation for new editors is scheduled for the week of July 22nd and will take place remotely. Volume 139 will resume a past practice of an in-person Orientation for half a day near the start of the Fall 2024 Semester. Editors are expected to be fully available during this time. In August, editors will have Law Review assignments, but these assignments can be completed simultaneously with other commitments (internships, events, travel, etc.).

For more information about the competition, the following resources are available:

• The 2024 Application and Information Packet . The application information packet is designed to provide some specific guidance about approaching the case comment and subcite portions of the competition. Please note that the sample competition submissions included in the packet are merely representative and are by no means definitive examples.
• Tips Session and Q&A. Video of our April 1, 2024 writing competition tips session and our April 11, 2024 subcite Q & A session is available on our YouTube channel. The. This questions and answers document summarizes the Q&A portion of the April 13, 2023 session.
• Factsheet: This document responds to common questions and concerns we have heard.
• Sample Schedules: This includes a variety of writing competition schedules used by current editors.
• FAQ on Accommodations . See below for more information on disabilities and accommodations.

Competition & Membership Policies

Holistic consideration.

Applicants will have the opportunity to convey aspects of their identity which have led to the development of character qualities or unique abilities that can contribute to the Law Review , including but not limited to their racial or ethnic identity, disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Applicants can do so by submitting an additional expository statement.  Statements will be considered by the Selection Committee only after grading of the competition has been completed. Statements will remain anonymous and will not be evaluated for quality of writing or editing, nor will they be assigned a numerical score.

Applicants are welcome to draft their expository statements before the competition week begins, and the prompt for the 200-word statement is as follows:

“You are strongly encouraged to use the space below to submit a typed expository statement of no more than 200 words. This statement may identify and describe aspects of your identity which have impacted your development of certain character qualities or unique abilities that can serve as an asset to the Law Review and are not fully captured by the categories on the previous page, including, but not limited to, racial or ethnic identity, socioeconomic background, disability (physical, intellectual, cognitive/ neurological, psychiatric, sensory, developmental, or other), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, country of origin or international status, religious identity or expression, undergraduate institution(s), age, academic or career trajectory prior to law school, military status, cultural background, or parental/caretaker status. Additionally or alternatively, you may use this statement to identify and describe areas of academic or scholarly interest, career goals, or any other element of your identity that you would bring to your work on the Law Review .

Statements will be considered only after grading of the subcite and case comment sections of the competition has been completed. Statements will not be evaluated for quality of writing or editing, nor will they be assigned a numerical score. No applicant will be penalized in any way for not submitting an optional statement, and all optional statements are completely confidential.”

Deferral & Leave

Harvard Law Review will invite students to join Vol. 139 in mid-July. Students invited to join Vol. 138 who are taking a full-year leave of absence from HLS will be allowed to defer their membership in Law Review for the year. They may then join the Law Review as members of Vol. 140 in fall 2025 and serve as editors for two years. Editors typically serve for two full academic years to ensure ample time for training, acclimation to their roles on the Review , and opportunities to make collective decisions about our work.

Students invited to join Vol. 139 who are taking a fall-semester leave of absence from HLS are encouraged to still join as editors with Vol. 139. If joining with Vol. 139, editors will be expected to complete Law Review work during the fall, even though they are on leave from HLS. They will then serve as editors for two years. Alternatively, students taking a one-semester leave may wait to join until fall of the following year (fall 2025); in that case, they will have no Law Review obligations during the 2024-2025 academic year and will participate as Law Review editors for a single year.

Transfer Students

Prospective transfer students may take the competition at the same time as Harvard Law School 1Ls. Prospective transfer students are selected on the same anonymous grading basis as Harvard 1Ls and are eligible for 44 of the spots on the Review (in other words, all spots besides the 10 allotted to Harvard 1Ls for whom first-year grades play a role). Prospective transfer students may submit an anonymized, unofficial transcript when their 1L grades are released if they would like their grades to be considered in the Law Review ’s holistic review process. The Review ’s membership decisions do not affect the admissions decisions of Harvard Law School.

Recognizing that the competition schedule poses unique challenges to prospective transfer applicants, the Review also allows transfer students to take the competition at the end of their 2L year. Up to four spots are available for such students. However, no student may attempt the competition more than once, and this option is only available to transfer students who did not previously take the competition. Like prospective transfer students, rising third-year students may submit their grades, but they will not be eligible for the 10 slots that incorporate first-year grades.

Prospective 1L transfer students should email [email protected] for information about registering.

SJD Students

SJD students at Harvard Law School may serve as editors of the Law Review . To join, SJDs take the same writing competition as JD students and are eligible for 44 of the editorial positions (all spots besides those allotted to JD 1Ls for whom first-year grades play a role). SJDs should take the competition only if they are certain they have at least two years remaining in their program of study. Additionally, as with all candidates, SJDs are permitted to participate in the writing competition only once.

Disabilities & Accommodations

The Harvard Law Review is firmly committed to providing accommodations for students with disabilities and handles requests on a case-by-case basis. The Law Review is an independent entity and thus has its own accommodations system separate from Harvard Law School’s Dean of Students Office.

Accommodations requests can be submitted between Monday, March 11th and Friday, April 12th and will be processed on a rolling basis. Students are strongly encouraged to submit their accommodation requests as soon as possible even if they are not yet certain they will take the competition. Please see our answers to FAQ on accommodations to learn more about what documentation is needed.

The Law Review strives to keep information regarding disabilities and accommodations as confidential as possible. Nothing about your accommodations application or your receipt of accommodations will be part of the Competition entry that is considered in the selection process. All Competition grading is doubly anonymized. Jennifer Heath, a non-student HLR staff member manages the logistics related to our accommodations process, and accommodations recommendations to the Law Review are made by our testing consultant, Dr. Loring Brinckerhoff.

Oxford and Cambridge Essay Competitions

We have gathered together some of the key essay competitions to enter, hosted by colleges at oxford and cambridge university..

If you are applying for Oxbridge or a top UK or Russell Group university that interviews its applicants, it is worth noting that many of the competition questions are very similar to interview-style questions. Submitting an essay to one of these essay competitions is a great way to increase your super-curricular knowledge for personal statement or interview and many will provide feedback from top academics in their field. You may only have time to enter one competition, but check out similar ones relating to your course of application, and practise brainstorming/verbalising an answer to the question.

Could you be interested in having an Oxbridge-educated mentor support your writing process? Minds Underground™ is the brainchild of the wider educational company, U2 , with offerings curated by a team of 700+ Oxbridge-educated mentors , who would be able to support both your essay competition entry and wider Oxbridge application (sessions from £75/h).

Do also check out online Oxbridge Summer Schools , hosted by our team of Oxbridge graduates, with 12 different subject categories!

Course-wide Oxbridge Essay Competitions:

Robinson college, cambridge’s essay prize.

This essay competition is designed to give students the opportunity to develop and showcase their independent study and writing skills. Unfortunately, for external reasons, the essay won’t be running in 2023, but may well be running in 2024 so do keep an eye out so you don’t miss it!

Sample Essay Questions from 2020

Discuss, with reference to any academic discipline, any area of interest raised by one of the following quotations/ questions:

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” (Benjamin Franklin) Do you agree?

Does the theory of evolution by natural selection tell us anything interesting about how we should live?

Watch the following TED talk by novelist Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story.  TED Global . (2009) Available online via:  https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story . What are novels for? Answer in light of the TED talk and any one or two text(s) you have read recently

“A true war story is never moral. […] If a story seems moral, do not believe it. If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie. There is no rectitude whatsoever.” (Tim O’Brien,  The Things They Carried , 1990). Write about any piece of war literature or art about war in light of O’Brien’s claim

There is no such thing as ‘untranslatable’. Discuss

Sample Essay Questions from 2022

'Law and morality should never collide'. Discuss.

A character in a novel written by an African American woman in 1892 makes the following claim:"Miss Leroy, out of the race must come its own thinkers and writers. Authors belonging to the white race have written good books, for which I am deeply grateful, but it seems to be almost impossible for a white man to put himself completely in our place. No man can feel the iron which enters another man's soul." (From Iola Leroy by Francis Harper)Black feminist writer Patricia Hill Collins describes the above as a "belief in a special vision of those who have experienced oppression". Discuss this belief with reference to at least one book, play, or poem written by an author of colour.

Can science tell us how we should live?

In the twenty-first century, what is monarchy for?

"A good translation is like a pane of glass. It should never call attention to itself." (Norman R. Shapiro). Discuss.

Girton College, Cambridge’s Humanities Writing Competition

Aimed at giving Humanities applicants an insight into research at university level - candidates expected to produce extensively researched, clearly written and well-referenced essays ranging well beyond the set curriculum. This essay is a great way to extend your knowledge and research across a wide range of different humanities based subjects so useful if you are looking to apply for something like Human, Social, Political Sciences (HSPS).

Newnham College, Cambridge’s Woolf Essay Prize

This year, the Woolf Essay Prize invites participation from all female students in Year 12 (or equivalent), irrespective of their school or nationality. The submission deadline is 12pm GMT on Friday, July 14th, 2023.

While this award might particularly interest those pursuing English Literature, History, Politics, Philosophy, or Sociology, the college encourages entries from curious students studying a diverse range of subjects.

Archaeology

Fitzwiliam college, cambridge’s archaeology essay competition.

Past questions: What are the challenges in reconstructing cultural identities from the archaeological record?// How does reconstructing diet help us understand past societies?

The college also runs writing Webinars in the months leading up to these essay competitions that would be really useful in getting yourself Cambridge and Oxford

Architecture

Fitzwilliam college, cambridge’s architectural design competition.

This is an exciting opportunity for secondary school students to analytically approach a design problem and creatively develop architectural design solutions. Students will design and communicate their design solutions through drawings and a design narrative

Oriel College, Oxford’s Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize

2019 questions included: Is anything special about the present moment?// Can one be mistaken about one's own state of mind?// Which is more important in determining the wrongness of a person's action: the person's intentions or the action's effects?

The Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize is open to students in Year 12 (or equivalent). The first prize is £250, and there may also be a second prize of £150.

Trinity College, Cambridge’s Philosophy Essay Prize

2020 Question 1: If you learn that humanity will be extinct in twenty years, what difference should it make to what you value?

Question 2: Could you be friends with a robot?

The competition carries a First Prize of £600 and a Second Prize of £400, to be split equally between the candidate and his or her school or college; the school or college’s portion of the prize to be issued in the form of book tokens.

St. Hugh’s College, Oxford’s The Julia Wood Prize

St Hugh’s College, Oxford offers a prize worth up to £500, for the best historical essay submitted by a pupil who, at the closing date, has been in the Sixth Form of any school or college for a period of not more than two years.

Entries should be 2,000 – 4,000 words in length, and should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document, together with the Julia Wood Prize cover sheet .

Trinity College, Cambridge’s Robson History Prize

2020 Questions : E.g. Can one write a history of women in Ancient Greece? Is it meaningful to speak of a ‘renaissance’ in intellectual life in twelfth-century Europe? What can historians learn from coins?

The competition carries a First Prize of £600, and second prize of £400 both to be shared equally between the successful essayist and their school or college.

St. Hugh’s College, Oxford’s The Mary Renault Prize

At least one prize will be awarded a pupil who is not studying either Latin or Greek to A-level standard

Prize worth up to £300

“Essays can be from any discipline and should be on a topic relating to the reception of classical antiquity – including Greek and Roman literature, history, political thought, philosophy, and material remains – in any period to the present; essays on reception within classical antiquity (for instance, receptions of literary or artistic works or of mythical or historical figures) are permitted.”

Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge’s Ancient World/ Classics Essay Competition

Trinity college, cambridge’s gould prize for essays in english literature.

“This Essay Prize has the following aims. First, to encourage talented students with an interest in English Literature to explore their reading interests further in response to general questions about the subject.”

Like the other Trinity essay competitions, the competition carries a First Prize of £600, and second prize of £400 both to be shared equally between the successful essayist and their school or college.

Queen’s College, Cambridge’s The Estelle Prize for English

Example question from 2019 competition: The following two poems, (a) 'To Autumn' by John Keats, and (b) 'Halcyon Days' by Walt Whitman, might be said to create for their readers an experience as well as an understanding of time. Making reference to the distinctive temporality of one or both poems, write about the experience of time in any other poem or poems you like.

The winner will receive a £500 prize; depending on the strength of the field of submissions, honourable mentions may also be made.

Linguistics

Trinity college, cambridge’s linguistics essay prize.

It may be of interest to students taking A-Levels in Modern Languages, English Language or Classics, but also to students taking Psychology or Mathematics

Land Economy

Fitzwilliam college, cambridge’s land economy competition.

Past questions: ‘Governments should be accountable to their citizens for loss caused by climate change’. Discuss.// Critically analyse the costs and benefits of a large-scale infrastructure project of your choice. In making this assessment, consider in particular any regional disparities and how they are affected by such projects

Trinity College, Cambridge’s R.A. Butler Politics Prize

Aims to encourage students with an interest in modern politics and world affairs to think about undertaking university studies in Politics, International Studies or a related discipline; it is not limited to those already studying these subjects or indeed other social sciences

Trinity College, Cambridge’s Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law

Aims to encourage students with an interest in Law to explore that interest by researching, considering and developing an argument about a legal topic of importance to modern society.

2020 Question': ‘Should legal disputes be determined by artificial, rather than human, means?’

Peterhouse College, Cambridge’s Kelvin Science Prize

The Kelvin Science Essay Competition is open to students in their penultimate year of study (Year 12 in England and Wales, S5 in Scotland, Year 13 in Northern Ireland, or equivalent) who are educated in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Please find attached the questions for this years competition. 

Are you applying to Oxbridge? Join our Summer “ Beyond the Syllabus ” Classes for Oxbridge Preparation

Oxford and Cambridge offer environments where individuals are enriched through constant interaction and discussion with the world’s leading academics in intimate tutorial sessions of 1-3 students. At interview, prospective applicants are expected to demonstrate how they would perform in a tutorial session – they must exhibit high performance capability in their specific academic field as well as creative or abstract thinking. This means your preparation must go beyond school learning and activities. Excelling in an academic field or skill to the level required by Oxbridge, whether that be in the Social Sciences, Humanities or STEM subjects, requires exploring new material and ideas outside the standard curriculum, verging on 1st year university level learning.

Which is why our Oxbridge subject specialists have curated summer courses in 17 subjects, replicating the Oxbridge style of teaching and learning.

Our Online Summer Schools are specifically designed to encourage university level thinking and give you exposure to a range of exciting topic areas outside the curriculum

You’ll learn from our all-Oxbridge team of subject specialists

Let us know if you have any questions via email or call (+447772211241). We would be delighted to have you join us

Do also check out our free Oxbridge resources on our tuition division website, U2 Tuition ! We have new blogs on MLAT, BMAT and HAT preparation, Psychology personal statement writing and more!

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Law

Sharing News & Resources for Legal Professionals and Firms interested in Equality Diversity and Inclusion

• Opportunites

University of Law Essay Competition – Real World Questions

The Real World Questions competition from University of Law is a competition for students at an educational institution in Years 10-13, to submit an essay in response to one of the following three questions:

• Does the world need more entrepreneurs? (Business question);
• Will stop and search protect or polarise our society? (Policing and Criminology question);
• How is Mental Health protected by the Law and is it enough? (Law question).

The Prizes for the Law Essay will be:

• £1000 cash Prize for the overall winner 
• £1000 cash Prize for the overall winner’s educational institution
• A week’s work experience with the Co-op’s legal team, and a place on an exclusive Insight Day at Clyde & Co (plus £50 per day for travel expenses if required to travel)
• Two hour session with Employability Director, John Watkins on employability
• A Windows 10 laptop

See the entry page for more details and to submit your essay.

Closing date is 18 September 2022 .

Find out more information here.

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• School of Law
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• Competitions

Legal Analysis, Research and Writing Student Writing Competitions

Legal writing competitions offer a variety of rewards beyond the opportunity to practice writing, analysis, and research skills. Most competitions award significant cash prizes and some provide opportunities for travel and publication. In addition to the School of Law’s Edwards Prize[link], many outside organizations sponsor writing competitions.

The Judge William L. Dwyer Jury Project Award

This competition is open only to UW Law students who have completed at least one year toward a JD or LLM degree. Students may submit a short essay or article on any issue relating to any aspect of the American jury system. This competition is sponsored by the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington, the competition honors Judge William L. Dwyer, one of the nation's most respected federal judges.

Learn more about the Judge William L. Dwyer Jury Project Award

Competitions for UW Law Students

The School of Law’s Office of Admissions maintains a database of scholarships, awards and legal writing competitions open to law students. You can access this sortable list through Financial Aid ; relevant competitions are marked in the "writing" column.

Legal Writing Competitions

Additional Resources

Other schools and organizations also maintain lists of competitions. If you’re looking to broaden your search for writing competitions, these resources may be helpful:

• The ABA’s List of Writing Competitions and Contests
• Suffolk University’s iCompete Compilation of Legal Writing Competitions

Legal Analysis, Research and Writing

• Upper-Level
• Writing Center
• Edwards Award
• Student Writing Competitions
• Write to Counsel