Call for Blogs: SymBLawg 2026 Edition on Data Protection in the Age of Algorithms and ESG [Free, Online]

Symbiosis Law School (SLS), Nagpur is a constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, established to provide contemporary and interdisciplinary legal education. The institution offers the five-year integrated B.A. LL.B. and B.B.A. LL.B. programmes along with an LL.M. programme. Its academic approach combines legal studies with humanities, social sciences, business and management, so that students understand law within its broader social and institutional context. The university is re-accredited by NAAC with an A++ grade and has been awarded Category-I status by the UGC.

The Research and Publication Cell of Symbiosis Law School, Nagpur is an academic platform dedicated to fostering legal research, critical thinking and scholarly writing among students. The Cell runs research projects, article and blog writing initiatives, seminars, guest lectures, workshops, competitions and publication ventures.

SymBLawg is the Cell's publishing initiative and annual competition. It gives law students a platform to engage with contemporary legal issues and evolving areas of law, and encourages them to carry out critical research and write on thematic areas set for each edition. Selected pieces are published on the official Symbiosis blog, SymBLawg.

The organisers note that we are moving towards a world where everything from design to governance, words to videos, and even the recognition of behavioural patterns is being reshaped by artificial intelligence and by algorithms that were once entirely a matter of human intellect. Artificial intelligence now determines the content we consume, assesses our reactions and influences the decisions we make by building an echo chamber around us. Its growth is not confined to human behaviour: it also strains natural resources such as biodiversity and hydro-energy, which raises the question of how companies will take responsibility and to what extent they can reduce the damage.

The call frames two interrelated challenges. The first is the ability of individuals to keep control over their own personal information and to avoid being shaped by the echo chamber. The second is the environmental cost of an expanding artificial intelligence industry, which raises serious concerns about energy consumption, carbon emissions and broader ecological impact, and points towards corporate responsibility, ESG compliance and carbon credits. The 2026 edition invites submissions that critically examine the socio-legal implications of artificial intelligence and propose equitable and sustainable solutions.

• Theme 1: Data Protection in the Age of Algorithms: Safeguarding Privacy in an AI-Driven World. This theme is an opportunity to explore the challenges to individual autonomy, privacy and behaviour that follow the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence, including concerns such as erasure of data and profiling.
• Theme 2: ESG and Carbon Credits: Regulating Environmental Impact in a Digitally Accelerated Economy. This theme allows an examination of the environmental consequences of the growth of artificial intelligence and allied technology, including the carbon footprint, resource exploitation, greenwashing of ESG claims, and carbon credits in the digital economy.

Every submission must align with one of these two themes, and the theme is selected on the submission form.

SymBLawg is open to law students. The official submission form asks each author to state the course being pursued, choosing from the 3-year LL.B., the 5-year LL.B. and the LL.M., along with the batch and the institution, and it does not restrict entries to students of Symbiosis Law School, Nagpur.

Only one submission per author is permitted. Co-authorship is allowed up to a maximum of two authors per submission, and the form collects the name, batch, course, email address, contact number and institution of the co-author.

• The submission should align with either of the two themes announced for this edition.
• There is no strict word limit, but the organisers prefer posts of around 1,300 to 1,500 words. Content should be original, well structured and diverse in presentation, in a formal tone.
• The submission must be in English only and in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx). The Word file must be saved using the title of the paper followed by the name of the author or authors.
• Only one submission per author is permitted, with co-authorship allowed up to two authors per submission.
• A maximum of 10 per cent plagiarism is permitted, beyond which the submission attracts immediate disqualification. Submissions incorporating AI-generated content will not be accepted, and any compromise on this leads to disqualification.
• Citations must strictly follow the Bluebook, 21st edition.
• Submissions must not contain offensive, abusive, derogatory or potentially defamatory content.
• Every submission goes through strict scrutiny, and the decision of the editorial board is final and binding.

• Font: Times New Roman.
• Font size: 12 for the content and 10 for the footnotes.
• Alignment: justified for the content and left-aligned for the footnotes.
• Line spacing: 1.5 for the content and 1 for the footnotes.
• Language: English.

All submissions received undergo scrutiny by the editorial team, and any changes needed for publication are communicated to the authors. The decision of the editorial team is final and binding. On publication, all literary and copyright rights in the submission are transferred to the Research and Publication Cell, Symbiosis Law School, Nagpur.

Only ten selected blogs will be published on the official Symbiosis blog, SymBLawg. Authors whose submissions are accepted for publication receive an e-certificate of publication, and all participants are awarded an e-certificate of participation.

The brochure and rules prescribe no submission or registration fee, and the official submission form carries no payment step. Participation is free.

Submissions are made through the official Google Form linked below, which is hosted inside the Symbiosis Law School workspace. The form asks for the full name, email address, contact number, course, batch and institution of the author, the same details for a co-author where there is one, the title of the submission, the chosen theme, and an upload of the manuscript as a Word document. A Google account is needed because the form records the account name and email on upload. The last date to submit is 30 September 2026.