IDIA Corporate Blog Writing Competition 2026 (Cash Prizes Rs 30K + Fox & Mandal Internship)

The IDIA UP-Hyderabad Chapter Corporate Blog Writing Competition 2026 invites law students and young scholars to engage with contemporary legal issues through critical and analytical writing. The organisers describe the competition as an attempt to foster meaningful conversations at the intersection of law, policy and society while refining participants' research and writing abilities.

In line with IDIA's mission, the competition also serves as a means to support the cause of increasing access to legal education for underprivileged communities, and participants contribute to ongoing legal conversations while supporting a larger cause of inclusivity and diversity in the legal profession.

Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education (IDIA) is a nationwide initiative founded in 2010 by the late Prof. (Dr.) Shamnad Basheer. It identifies students with a strong aptitude for law from disadvantaged backgrounds and equips them with sustained academic training and support to succeed in competitive law entrance examinations. IDIA operates through 25 chapters across the country, supported by a network of over 800 student volunteers.

• IDIA UP Chapter, at RMLNLU: Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow, established in 2005 by the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
• IDIA Hyderabad Chapter, at NALSAR: The National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, Hyderabad, established in 1998 by a statute of the State of Andhra Pradesh.

The competition invites participants to critically engage with Contemporary Developments in Corporate and Commercial Law. The sub-themes below are indicative only, and participants are free to explore any contemporary issue within the broader theme.

• Corporate Liability in the Digital Economy
• Corporate Fraud, White-Collar Crime, and Regulatory Enforcement
• Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate Restructuring
• Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Start-up Regulation
• Cross-Border Investments and International Commercial Law
• FinTech, Digital Assets, and Financial Regulation
• Shareholder Rights and Minority Protection

The competition is open to law students and young scholars. A maximum of two authors per submission is permitted, so entries may be single-authored or co-authored.

All submissions must be original. Manuscripts that have already been submitted elsewhere or published must not be entered. By submitting, authors confirm that the blog does not violate any third-party rights, and authors alone will be responsible for any legal issues that arise.

• Word limit: 1,500 to 2,000 words.
• File format: MS Word (.doc or .docx) only.
• Body text: Times New Roman, font size 12, 1.5 line spacing, justified.
• Footnotes: Times New Roman, font size 10, single spacing.
• Citations: Use hyperlinks for references wherever possible. Where hyperlinks are unavoidable, provide citations in OSCOLA (5th edition) format.
• Anonymity: Manuscripts must be completely anonymised, with no author names, institutional affiliations, acknowledgements or identifying data in the submitted article file.

Entries with over 15 per cent similarity will be rejected. Any use of AI tools for drafting will lead to disqualification, and plagiarism will result in an immediate ban from the competition. Entries may also be rejected for violation of privacy, formatting violations or deviation from the theme.

Submissions that clear the preliminary screening proceed to the evaluation stage, where shortlisted papers are assessed anonymously by a panel of experts. Entries are judged on originality, depth of research, clarity, coherence, relevance to the theme, quality of analysis and writing style.

• Single authorship: Rs 500
• Co-authorship: Rs 700

Payment is made to the IDIA Charitable Trust savings account with HDFC Bank (Bangalore Main Branch, Millers Road, Bangalore 560 052). The full account details and the payment QR code are set out on page 12 of the official brochure.

The top three contenders will have the opportunity to intern with Fox & Mandal, subject to the firm's conditions. Fox & Mandal, founded in 1896, is the competition sponsor and one of India's oldest full-service law firms, with offices in Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The top three articles will be published by the Arbitration and Corporate Law Review (ACLR), the official publication partner, which is indexed on HeinOnline, SCC Online and Manupatra. SCC Online is the exclusive media partner for the competition.

Registration and manuscript submission run through two separate Google Forms. Register first through the registration link and pay the applicable fee, then submit the anonymised manuscript through the submission form. Both steps must be completed by 31 October 2026. Queries may be sent to rmlnluteam@idialaw.org or nalsarteam@idialaw.org, or to the chapter coordinators listed below.