Announcement of the competition for the International Law in the XXI Century Award (2022-2023)

We are happy to announce the ninth annual International Law in the XXI Century Award for the best research paper on public international law!

The Competition is conducted in accordance with the Regulations of the Competition and the Submission Rules. Research papers can be submitted either in Russian or English and should address one or several public international law issues indicated in the Submission Rules:

  1. Climate Change and International Law (e.g., Sea-Level Rise and International Law; Climate Change and Human Rights, Migration; Climate Change and Issues of Responsibility in International Law);
  2. Subsidiary Means for the Determination of International Law / Subsidiary Sources of International Law;
  3. International Treaties, Other Legally Binding Agreements, Non-Legally Binding Agreements;
  4. Artificial Intelligence and International Law;
  5. The Eurasian Economic Union and International Law;
  6. Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reform.

Assessing submitted papers, the Council of the Award takes into account in-depth research in a selected subject, novelty and practical value of findings, the quality of analysis of the applicable law, the usage of up-to-date doctrine, the logic and clarity of writing, and the extent to which thesis statements formulated by an author are well-founded and reasoned.

The Library of the International and Comparative Law Research Center is open and ready to assist contestants by providing access to literature needed for the preparation and submission of their papers (email: prize@iclrc.ru).

Key requirements for the papers and contestants

The papers accepted for participation in the Competition shall be:

  •  prepared by one author;
  • not published previously, or published no earlier than January 1, 2022;
  • of 1-2 author’s sheets (40,000-80,000 characters);
  • not submitted to the Competition previously (it is not recommended to submit papers substantially repeating those that were previously submitted to the Competition).

Only citizens of the Russian Federation up to 35 years old inclusive (to the date of announcement), who completed higher legal education in law and/or hold a postgraduate degree in law to the date of announcement, are eligible to take part in the Competition.

Please, note that plagiarism is unacceptable. The Organizer checks the papers for plagiarism, including by using special automated systems. The Council of the Award will be informed about cases of plagiarism and incorrect citation.

The Award

The winner receives the International Law in the XXI Century Award, a diploma, and a prize of 300,000 RUB.

The winning papers of the previous contests can be found on the
Award’s website.

The timeline

The paper and other necessary materials must be submitted by April 9, 2023.

The results will be announced no later than June 30, 2023, if not specified otherwise in accordance with the Regulations of the Competition.