1st National Article Writing Competition 2026 by Mar Gregorios College of Law, Thiruvananthapuram [Online; register by 30 Nov]

The Centre for Human Rights at Mar Gregorios College of Law, Thiruvananthapuram, in association with IQAC, presents the 1st National Article Writing Competition, 2026. The Centre is a platform dedicated to promoting awareness, research and advocacy in the field of human rights, and seeks to sensitise students and the community to issues of human dignity, equality and social justice.

Mar Gregorios College of Law was established in 2012 and is described as Kerala's first NAAC-accredited law college. It offers five-year integrated B.A. LL.B., B.B.A. LL.B. and B.Com. LL.B. courses and LL.M. programmes in Constitutional Law and Maritime Law.

The theme is Viksit Bharath 2047. The competition provides a platform for students, researchers, legal professionals and young scholars to explore contemporary issues relating to human rights, constitutionalism, social justice and inclusive development. It covers themes including civil liberties, digital rights and AI, access to justice, climate justice, health and education, women's rights, housing, food security, labour rights, data privacy, national security, and the rights of children and persons with disabilities.

• Constitutional Safeguards and Civil Liberties in an Evolving Democracy
• Human Rights in the Era of Digital Public Infrastructure, Cybersecurity and AI
• Access to Justice, Legal Aid and Systemic Reforms for Marginalized Communities
• Socio-Economic Rights and Corporate Accountability in a Rapidly Growing Economy
• Climate Justice, Environmental Rights and Sustainable Development Frameworks
• The Right to Health, Medical Equity and Bioethics Regulation
• Balancing National Security, State Surveillance and Civil Liberties
• The Right to Education and Inclusive Human Capital Development
• Women’s Rights, Intersectional Gender Justice and Social Protection
• The Right to Housing, Anti-Eviction Laws and Inclusive Urban Governance
• The Right to Food, Agrarian Livelihoods and Rural Resource Rights
• Data Privacy, Freedom of Expression and Platform Accountability in Digital Markets
• Labour Rights, Social Security and Protection Against Exploitation in the Modern Workforce
• Rights of Children, Persons with Disabilities and Inclusive Welfare Legislation

The list is indicative and not exhaustive; papers on closely related aspects of the theme are also welcome.

Students pursuing Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Diploma or Doctoral programmes from any recognised university, college or academic institution in India are eligible. Participants from all academic disciplines and domains, including Law, Management, Social Sciences, Humanities, Commerce, Engineering, Technology, Public Policy, Media, International Relations and allied fields, are eligible. Multiple teams from the same institution are permitted. Entries may be submitted individually or in teams, with a maximum of 2 individuals in a team.

• All submissions must be in English.
• The abstract should not exceed 300 - 400 words, with a minimum of 5 key words. It should be accompanied by a title page giving the title of the paper, name of the author(s), email ID, contact number, designation, and institutional affiliation.
• The word count for the main body of the article must not exceed 3,000 words (excluding footnotes and abstract).
• Submissions must be original and not published or under consideration elsewhere. A similarity threshold may be applied at the discretion of the Organising Committee.
• Participants must remove document metadata prior to submission.
• Submissions are accepted in .doc, .docx and .pdf formats only, named TeamCode.doc, TeamCode.docx or TeamCode.pdf.
• Articles: Times New Roman, 12 Pts, line spacing 1.5 Pts, justified, standard international A4 size page.
• Footnotes: Times New Roman, 10 Pts, line spacing 1 Pts, justified.
• Footnotes must strictly conform to the Harvard Bluebook (20th Edition) citation format.
• Entries must be submitted through the official link or mode notified by the Organising Committee. Submissions through any other means shall not be considered.
• In case of any dispute regarding interpretation of rules, the decision of the Organising Committee is final and binding.

Participants fill and submit the registration Google form; further details are shared via email.

• Individual registration: ₹800
• Co-author registration: ₹1,000

Payment is made through the payment gateway. The brochure gives the route as website > General > Online Payments > 1st National Article Writing Competition 2026 (Individual/ Team), and the payment link https://feebook.southindianbank.bank.in/FeeBookUser/userhome.

• First prize: ₹5000
• Second prize: ₹3000
• Third prize: ₹2000

A Certificate of Merit is awarded to the top 10 participants or teams from each of the sub-themes. A Certificate of Participation is provided to all participants.

• Registration starts: 04 October 2026
• Last date for registration: 30 November 2026
• Last date for full paper submission: 10 December 2026
• Result publication (tentative): 30 December 2026

Student coordinators: Devarsh K (+91 97876 12425), Parvathi R Unnithan (+91 94961 07109) and Ashtami Suresh (+91 88480 48747).