UNCITRAL 60 Global Essay Competition: From Foundations to Frontiers, UNCITRAL's Role in Shaping Tomorrow's Trade Law

In 2026 the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) marks its 60th anniversary. As part of the UNCITRAL 60 celebratory events, the UNCITRAL secretariat has launched a global essay competition open to all researchers with an interest in international trade law and related disciplines.

The competition aims to engage researchers in shaping debates on the future direction of international trade law, promote interdisciplinary thinking and innovative approaches to legal development, strengthen global awareness of UNCITRAL's work, and foster inclusive participation across diverse legal systems, regions and academic traditions.

“From Foundations to Frontiers: UNCITRAL's Role in Shaping Tomorrow's Trade Law”. The call invites original research and thought-provoking contributions that address:

• The social and economic impact of UNCITRAL texts, assessing their role in facilitating international trade and promoting legal certainty across jurisdictions.
• Innovative and forward-looking ideas on the future of international trade law, exploring how UNCITRAL can continue to serve as a solution-oriented, inclusive and responsive forum in an evolving global context.

Interdisciplinary perspectives that integrate legal analysis with insights from economics, technology and other relevant disciplines are encouraged.

• Open to researchers from all disciplines with an interest in international trade law, at all career stages.
• Students are eligible only if they are currently enrolled in, or have completed, a research-focused master's or Ph.D programme in law. Undergraduate (LLB / BA LLB) students are therefore not eligible.
• Every submission must be endorsed by a university or recognised research institution, by an official communication evidencing the endorsement. A recognised research institution is any research institution legally established in its home jurisdiction.
• One university or institution may endorse any number of submissions from different researchers.

Joint submissions are permitted, with no limit on the number of co-authors. A single institutional endorsement is sufficient even where co-authors come from different institutions. If a winning essay has several authors, all co-authors will be invited to present it at the UNCITRAL Commission session in 2027, but travel support will be provided for only one author.

• Language: any of the six official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish).
• Length: up to 10,000 words, counting body text and footnotes/endnotes; the bibliography is excluded.
• Abstract: an abstract in English or French of up to 300 words is required and is excluded from the word count.
• Format: both the essay and the abstract must be in Microsoft Word format.
• Citation: follow the editorial guidelines for footnotes and references in the United Nations Editorial Manual.
• Both published and unpublished works are admissible.
• Copyright: authors retain copyright; winning authors are expected to sign a licence form allowing UNCITRAL to publish the essay as part of UNCITRAL 60 documentation.

Essays will be evaluated by a panel of current and former members of the UNCITRAL secretariat and eminent professors with recognised expertise in international trade law.

• The top ten winning authors (ideally two from each regional group) will be invited to present their essays during the UNCITRAL Commission session in Vienna in June/July 2027.
• The winning essays will be published as part of UNCITRAL 60 documentation.
• Winners will also be offered a visiting scholarship at the UNCITRAL secretariat, in accordance with applicable United Nations rules and regulations.

Email the essay, the abstract and the institutional endorsement to the UNCITRAL secretariat at uncitral60@un.org with the subject line “Global Essay Competition”. The call states that submissions must reach the secretariat before 31 December 2026, so send yours by 30 December 2026 at the latest.