2nd IDIA - NLIU CBCL National Essay Writing Competition 2026 (Cash Prizes Rs 60K + S&R Associates Internship)

The 2nd IDIA - NLIU CBCL National Essay Writing Competition invites law students and legal professionals from across India to engage with contemporary business and commercial law questions while supporting a social cause. The competition is organised by the IDIA Madhya Pradesh Chapter in collaboration with the Centre for Business and Commercial Laws (CBCL), NLIU Bhopal, and is sponsored by the law firm S&R Associates. It carries cash prizes totalling INR 60,000, an internship opportunity with S&R Associates for the winning law student, and publication of the top essays on the CBCL Blog.

All registration proceeds go towards IDIA's mission of making quality legal education accessible to underprivileged and marginalised students.

Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA) is a non-profit founded in 2010 by the late Prof. (Dr.) Shamnad Basheer that empowers underprivileged and marginalised students by giving them access to quality legal education. With over 1,000 volunteers across 20+ states, IDIA sensitises, trains and provides scholarships to students with an aptitude for law. The Madhya Pradesh Chapter, run by students of NLIU Bhopal, has 50+ volunteers.

The Centre for Business and Commercial Laws (CBCL), established in 2008 as a Centre of Excellence at NLIU Bhopal, is chaired by Prof. (Dr.) Ghayur Alam. CBCL runs one of India's oldest corporate law blogs, the NLIU-Trilegal Summit on Corporate & Commercial Laws, and the peer-reviewed NLIU Journal of Business Laws.

The competition is supported by Law Firm Partner S&R Associates (a full-service Indian firm with offices in New Delhi and Mumbai), Knowledge Partner CaseMine, and AI Partner Navneet Law Studio.

Submissions should address relevant and contemporary legal and policy issues under the following indicative themes:

• Corporate and Banking Law
• Capital Markets and Securities Regulation
• Commercial Contracts and Insolvency Law
• Taxation and Fiscal Regulation
• Cyber Law and FinTech Disputes
• International Trade and Intellectual Property Law
• Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate Restructuring
• Project Finance, Energy, and Infrastructure Law

You are eligible if you are currently pursuing an LL.B. / LL.B. (Hons) / LLM / Ph.D. from a recognised university, or if you are a working professional in the field of law. Individual participation and co-authorship (up to two authors) are both permitted.

• Manuscripts must be submitted only through the Google Form shared with candidates after registration and payment are completed. Submissions by any other means will not be considered.
• Word limit: 2,000 to 2,500 words.
• Title: Times New Roman, 14 pt, 1.5 line spacing, Bold, All Caps, Centre Aligned.
• Main body: Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1.15 line spacing, Justified, 1-inch margins on all sides.
• References must be hyperlinked to the source.
• Manuscripts already submitted or published elsewhere are not accepted.
• The deadline for submission of manuscripts is 11:59 PM, 07 August 2026.

• Single-author entries: INR 300
• Co-authored entries (up to two authors): INR 500
• IDIA Scholars, CAN Foundation Scholars, or persons in the PwD category: INR 100

All registration proceeds support IDIA's mission.

• Winner(s): Cash prize of INR 25,000, an internship with S&R Associates (for law students), and publication on the CBCL Blog.
• 1st Runner(s)-up: Cash prize of INR 20,000 and publication on the CBCL Blog.
• 2nd Runner(s)-up: Cash prize of INR 15,000 and publication on the CBCL Blog.
• Certificate of Merit for the top 10 manuscripts.
• Certificate of Participation for all participants.

Publication of winning manuscripts is subject to compliance with the submission guidelines.

• 27 January 2026: Registration opens.
• 30 June 2026: Registration closes (extended from 31 May 2026).
• 07 August 2026: Deadline for submission of manuscripts.
• 31 August 2026: Declaration of results.

Register and pay the applicable fee through the official Google Form. After registration and payment are confirmed, the manuscript submission form is shared with you. Submit your essay through that form by 07 August 2026.

• Confirm your eligibility (law student LL.B./LLM/Ph.D. or legal professional).
• Pick a theme and draft a 2,000 to 2,500 word essay following the formatting rules.
• Register and pay the fee via the official Google Form before 30 June 2026.
• Submit your manuscript through the form shared after registration, by 07 August 2026.