XII Competition for the International Law in the XXI Century Award

We are pleased to announce the twelfth Competition for the International Law in the XXI Century Award for the best research paper in public international law.

The Competition is held in accordance with the Regulation on the Competition and the Rules for the Submission of Competition Materials.

The award winning and specially recognised research papers of previous competitions are available on the Competition’s webpage.

The Award

The winner of the Competition is granted International Law in the XXI Century Award, an Award diploma, and a monetary prize in the amount of 500,000 roubles (before income tax).

Requirements for research papers and participants

To be admitted to the Competition, a submitted research paper must meet the following requirements:

• the research paper must include an abstract not exceeding 1,000 characters
• the volume of the research paper must be not less than 40,000 and not more than 80,000 characters, including spaces
• the research paper may be submitted in Russian or English
• the research paper must address one or more thematic areas defined in Annex 1 to the Rules for the Submission of Competition Materials

The Competition is open to citizens of the Russian Federation under the age of 35 inclusive (as of the date of the announcement of the Competition), who hold a completed higher legal education and/or an academic degree in law.

Strict compliance of the submitted documentation with all the requirements set out in the Regulation on the Competition and the Rules for the Submission of Competition Materials is required.

Evaluation of papers

The winner of the Competition is selected by the Award Council, consisting of prominent experts in the field of international law.

In assessing the research papers, the Award Council considers, inter alia, the depth of the research on the chosen topic, the originality of the work and the practical significance of its conclusions, the quality of the analysis of the applicable law, the use of up-to-date doctrine, the logic and clarity of argumentation, and the degree of substantiation of the statements made.

Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. The Organiser verifies papers for plagiarism, including through the use of automated systems. The Award Council will be informed of any instances of plagiarism or improper borrowing.

In addition to selecting the Award Winner, the Council may also decide to give special recognition to one or more research papers submitted to the Competition of the same year.

Deadlines

The paper and other required materials must be submitted by 9 March 2026 — by e-mail to

prize@iclrc.ru and/or via the website.

The results of the Competition will be announced no later than 30 June 2026, unless otherwise determined in accordance with the Regulation on the Competition.

Support

The Competition is held with the support of the law firm Ivanyan and Partners and the academic journal International Justice.

Participants in the Competition may use the resources of the Library of the International and Comparative Law Research Center for the preparation of their research papers.