EnviroLegis AI Drafting Competition 2026 by Faculty of Law, Integral University, Lucknow [Online; Environmental Bill or Policy Drafting; Cash Prizes and Trophies]

The EnviroLegis AI Drafting Competition 2026 is organised by the Faculty of Law, Integral University, Lucknow, through its Environmental Law Society (ELS), a student-led body of the Faculty. The theme is Innovating Environmental Governance through AI-Assisted Legal Drafting.

Participants draft either a Bill or a Policy on one of six environmental problem statements. AI tools may be used for research, ideation and drafting, but the draft must show independent legal reasoning, originality and responsible judgment. The problem statements are set in the fictional country of Indica, which the organisers state stands for India.

Integral University is a state private university in Lucknow, established in 2004, approved by the UGC under Sections 2(f) and 12(B) and accredited A+ by NAAC. Its Faculty of Law was established in 2016.

• Animal Welfare, Responsible Feeding and Public Safety: regulated feeding zones, humane animal shelters, sterilisation and vaccination, and accountability of local authorities, balancing animal welfare with public safety.
• Urban Air Pollution and the Delhi AQI Crisis: pollution-source regulation, emergency measures during severe AQI episodes, institutional accountability, public participation and protection of vulnerable populations.
• Forest Conservation, Green Corridors and Wildlife Protection: green and wildlife corridors, regulation of tree and forest clearance for infrastructure projects, and ecological restoration.
• Carbon Taxation and Industrial Environmental Responsibility: a carbon-tax or carbon-pricing mechanism for high-emission industries, covering taxable emissions, exemptions or incentives, use of revenue, compliance and monitoring.
• Urban Flooding, Rainwater Harvesting and Climate-Resilient Cities: mandatory rainwater harvesting, protection of drainage systems and wetlands, storm-water management and flood-risk mapping.
• Integrated Waste Management, Plastic Pollution and E-Waste: waste segregation, single-use plastics, Extended Producer Responsibility, take-back systems, authorised recycling, penalties for illegal dumping and digital monitoring of waste movement.

Another theme relevant to the overarching subject may be taken up only with prior approval of the organisers.

• Open to students enrolled in undergraduate or postgraduate programmes of law, policy, governance, environmental sciences or allied disciplines at recognised universities and institutions in India.
• Participants may compete individually or in teams of two members.

The competition runs in two stages, entirely online.

• Stage I, Initial Submission: submit a Legislative Bill or a Policy Paper on one of the problem statements. Drafts are evaluated on clarity, originality, feasibility and drafting quality.
• Stage II, Final Presentation: the top 10 shortlisted drafts proceed to an online final, where participants present and defend their drafts before the judging panel and explain how AI tools were used in drafting, including the opportunities and challenges they met.

• Drafts must be uploaded through the official submission form in .doc or .docx format only.
• File name: the main brochure says Participant Name(s)_Drafting 2026, while the separate Draft Format and Submission Guidelines PDF says TeamCode_EnviroLegis2026. Confirm with the organisers before submitting.
• Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 line spacing; headings bold, size 14; 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Bill drafts: main body not more than 20 pages. Policy drafts: main body not more than 4,000 words. Annexures (schedules, charts, tables, sample forms, supporting data) are allowed and do not count towards the limit.
• Every draft must end with a 150 to 200 word AI Usage Statement explaining how AI tools were used (for example in research, structure or language refinement).
• Direct reproductions from statutes, judgments or official reports must be clearly cited.
• The guidelines give an indicative structure for a Bill (long title, preamble, enacting clause, short title, extent and commencement, definitions, operative, procedural and penal provisions, and so on) and for a Policy (purpose, objectives, scope, guiding principles, measures, institutional mechanism, implementation and monitoring). These are not restrictive.

• Individual participation: Rs 150.
• Team participation (two members): Rs 250.

The fee is paid online. Bank and UPI details are in the official brochure. After registering and paying, participants are directed to join the official WhatsApp group through a link at the end of the registration form, which is the main channel for updates.

• First, Second and Third Prizes: cash prize, trophy and a hard copy of the Certificate of Merit. The brochure does not state the cash amounts.
• Legislative Innovation (Best Bill Draft) and Policy Vision (Best Policy Draft): hard copy of the Certificate of Merit.
• Certificates of Merit for the top 8 finalists.
• E-certificates of participation for every valid submission.

Register through the official Google Form and pay the fee by 15 October 2026. Upload the draft through the separate submission form by 18 October 2026. Both forms require a Google sign-in. For queries, write to els.facultyoflaw.iul@gmail.com. For payment queries, contact the Treasurer, Taha Kaleem.