Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition

About the sponsor

The competition is run by the International Section of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA). According to its rules, it began in 1988 and encourages law students and new practitioners to write on public or private international law.

The award

The winner receives:

• US$2,000.
• Publication of the article in the New York International Law Review, subject to editorial approval.

Who is eligible

• Current law students (JD, LLM and PhD candidates) at any law school worldwide at the time of submission. That includes students at Sierra Leonean and other African law schools in those programmes.
• You must not have more than three years' experience as an actively licensed attorney in any US or foreign jurisdiction, past or present.

What to submit

• A piece of legal scholarship (a law review–style article) focused mainly on any area of public or private international law or practice.
• No more than 40 pages, including the cover page and footnotes, and no more than 20,000 words including body text, footnotes and cover page.
• Not published, or under contract to be published, anywhere else, except the New York State Bar Journal, the New York International Law Review or the International Law Practicum (see rule 5 of the official rules).
• Proof that you are enrolled as a JD, LLM or PhD student.
• A copy of your résumé or CV.

How to apply, step by step

1. Get the current official rules from the NYSBA International Section's competition page and read them in full; the listing we used advises this.
2. Pick a public or private international law topic and write a law review–style article within the length limits.
3. Check that it has not been published or committed elsewhere, apart from the permitted NYSBA outlets.
4. Prepare proof of enrolment and your CV.
5. Submit as instructed in the official rules before the deadline.

Deadline

Friday 20 November 2026 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time, which is 9 p.m. in Freetown (GMT).

Tips from the source

• Stay within both the 40-page and 20,000-word limits; footnotes and the cover page count.
• Write a scholarly article with proper footnotes, not an opinion piece.
• Use the official rules for the submission address and format, which the listing we used does not reproduce.

Official link

The competition belongs to the International Section of the New York State Bar Association, whose page and rules are authoritative. Our source was a law school's competition guide quoting those rules, so it is short; check NYSBA's page before you submit.