Deadline: February 1, 2018
The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law is now accepting submissions for the Human Rights Essay Award. The Human Rights Essay Award is an annual competition sponsored by the Academy that seeks to stimulate the production of scholarly work in international human rights law.
Topic for 2018: Gender Violence and International Human Rights Law. Participants have the flexibility to choose any subject related to the assigned topic. The essay must be a legal article. The Academy will grant two Awards, one for the best article in English and one for the best article in Spanish.
Award
The Academy will grant two awards, one for the best article in English and one for the best article in Spanish. The Award in each case will consist of:
- A full scholarship to the Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law for either the Diploma or Certificate of Attendance options
- Travel expenses to and from Washington D.C.
- Housing at the university dorms
- Per diem for living expenses
- The best articles may also be published in the American University International Law Review
Eligibility
- Candidates for the Award must hold a law degree
- Candidates should have a demonstrated experience or interest in international human rights law.
- Past Winners cannot submit essays in future competitions.
Essay Requirements
Application
- To apply for the Human Rights Essay Award, candidates must choose a subject pertaining to the topic chosen by the Academy for the year. Participants will have the flexibility to choose any subject related to the substantive law relevant to the field. International human rights law can be understood to include international humanitarian law and international criminal law. The paper must be within the scope of the topic or it will be disqualified.
- A Candidate for the Award must submit an unpublished legal article/paper in English or Spanish written solely by that candidate.
- Only one submission will be accepted per applicant in either language. If more than one article is received, it will be left up to the applicant to decide which article to officially submit. Should the applicant not indicate a preference, the first article received by the Academy will be the one considered for the competition.
- In addition, each participant must also include a curriculum vitae of no more than three pages in length explaining the experience or interest of the author in human rights issues. Please submit the CV as a separate file from your paper.
- Any appended materials other than a CV will not be accepted. Do not include a bibliography, a list of websites, or any other extra materials. These will be immediately discarded and not considered.
The Honor Jury decision will be announced on April 1st, 2018 through the Academy’s web site. The winners will also be notified immediately in order to make the necessary arrangements to travel to Washington D.C. The decision of the Honor Jury will be final and will admit no recourse.
Essays must be submitted using the online submission form. No emailed entries will be accepted.
For more information, visit Human Rights Essay Award.
