Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition Award 2026, New York State Bar Association (Prize USD 2,000)

The International Section of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) announces the annual Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition. The competition began in 1988 and fosters legal scholarship in international law by encouraging law students and new legal practitioners to write on topics in public or private international law.

The International Section comprises approximately 1,500 members of the New York State Bar Association, both American and foreign lawyers, who practise or have an interest in public and private international law. The 2025 award went to Kwang Woo Kim of Rutgers Law School; earlier winners include Dr. Kabir Duggal of Harvard Law School (2024).

Submissions are open to current law students (J.D., LL.M. and Ph.D. candidates) at any law school worldwide at the time of submission, provided that:

• The author has not more than three (3) years of experience (past or present) as an actively licensed attorney in any U.S. or foreign jurisdiction.
• The submission has not been published and is not under contract for publication with any other outlet, except the New York State Bar Journal, the New York International Law Review or the International Law Practicum.
• The submission is a piece of legal scholarship (a law review-style article) primarily focused on an aspect of law in any area of public or private international law or practice.
• The submission includes proof of enrolment in law school as a J.D., LL.M. or Ph.D. student, along with a copy of the author's resume/CV.

Faculty members of any college or university, and legal practitioners with three or more years of professional experience as a licensed attorney in any U.S. jurisdiction, are ineligible. Indian LL.M. and Ph.D. law students are covered by the 'any law school worldwide' wording.

• Written in English.
• Formatted for 8.5" x 11" paper with 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Cited according to A Uniform System of Citation (The Bluebook); all citations must appear in footnotes, not endnotes or in-text parentheticals.
• Body text in 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced; footnotes in 10-point Times New Roman, single-spaced.
• Maximum length of 40 pages (including cover page and footnotes), not exceeding 20,000 words inclusive of body text, footnotes and cover page text.
• Include only your name on the cover page of the article; do not include personal identifying information within the article itself.

Non-conforming submissions will be rejected without substantive review.

A committee of practising attorneys reviews all submissions. The winner is chosen on factors including the significance and timeliness of the subject matter, thoroughness of research and analysis, clarity of writing style, and the importance and originality of the topic to the understanding of private or public international law or comparative law.

The winner receives USD 2,000 and publication of the article (subject to editorial approval) in the New York International Law Review.

The winning or selected article(s) become the property of the International Section and the New York State Bar Association. If a student accepts publication with another journal before the results are announced, the student must write to Carra Forgea (cforgea@nysba.org) immediately and withdraw the piece. If a student accepts publication elsewhere without notifying NYSBA and is selected as winner, NYSBA reserves the right to withdraw the prize and select a new winner.

The official page and competition brochure do not mention any entry or submission fee.

Email the article to Carra Forgea, Section Liaison, Program and Event Manager, New York State Bar Association, at cforgea@nysba.org, together with proof of enrolment and your resume/CV.

In the cover email or letter, provide your full name, permanent address and daytime phone number.

Deadline: 4:00 pm EST (New York time) on Friday, 20 November 2026, which is 2:30 am IST on Saturday, 21 November 2026. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.

• Submission deadline: 4:00 pm EST, Friday, 20 November 2026 (2:30 am IST, 21 November 2026).
• Announcement of winner: NYSBA Annual Meeting, January 2027.
• Publication of winning article: Spring 2027 issue.