Call For Submissions: National Essay Writing Competition 2025 By Centre For Human Rights, NUALS In Collaboration With LiveLaw
The National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi, is one of India's premier national law universities, known for its research-driven academic culture and its long-standing commitment to advancing constitutional values. Within NUALS, the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) works to promote interdisciplinary scholarship, policy engagement, and student-led research on emerging human rights issues in India and beyond.
LiveLaw, India's leading legal news and analysis platform, is dedicated to facilitating accessible legal knowledge, encouraging informed public dialogue, and amplifying high-quality student research. The partnership between CHR and LiveLaw reflects a shared vision: to create meaningful academic opportunities for students nationwide and to strengthen human rights discourse in contemporary India.
In furtherance of this shared mission, CHR and LiveLaw invite submissions for the National Essay Writing Competition 2025 on the theme “Human Rights: Law, Policy and Practice in a Changing India.” This competition seeks to encourage rigorous analysis, original perspectives, and research-driven insight into the evolving challenges of human rights in India.
Themes:
Students may write on any one of the following themes:
Algorithmic Justice – How algorithmic decision-making in welfare delivery, credit scoring, and policing impacts equality, due process, and discrimination.
Data as Dignity – Privacy as an autonomous human right amidst widespread public and private data collection.
Climate Migrants and Constitutional Protections – Legal issues arising from climate-induced displacement and the scope of State obligations under Article 21.
Gender, Technology and Safety – Legal responses to deepfakes, doxxing, online sexual harassment, revenge porn, and related harms.
Environmental Rights of Indigenous Peoples – The operation and challenges of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in development contexts affecting indigenous communities.
Who Can Participate?
Undergraduate and postgraduate law students enrolled in any Indian university/college.
Submission Guidelines
The name of the author(s) or any other identifying detail must not appear anywhere in the essay or document.
Maximum of two (2) authors per submission.
1500 – 2000 word limit, excluding footnotes, index, and bibliography.
Submit two versions:
Word (.docx)
Formatting Requirements
Font: Times New Roman
Font size:
Body – 12
Footnotes – 10
Line spacing:
Body – 1.5
Footnotes – 1.0
Standard margins
Citation Style
Bluebook 21st Edition (footnotes only)
Plagiarism & AI Use
Plagiarism limit: ≤ 10% (as per UGC guidelines)
Use of AI tools for drafting, editing, or generating content is strictly prohibited.
Evaluation Criteria
Originality of thought and analytical depth
Quality and accuracy of legal research, including use of cases, statutes, reports, and international instruments
Structure, coherence, and strength of argumentation
Relevance to the selected theme and contemporary human rights discourse
Language, presentation, and citation accuracy
Registration Deadline : 15.12.2025
Submission Deadline : 25.12.2025
Prizes
1st Prize: ₹5,000
2nd Prize: ₹3,000
3rd Prize: ₹2,000
Winning essays will be published on LiveLaw.
Submission Link
https://forms.gle/8qGL5eYLgm84yHF57
Contact
For queries, write to: chr@nuals.ac.in