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 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).
A group of Russian experts in public international law, including Vladlen Vereschetin, Roman Kolodkin, Sergey Punzhin, Leonid Skotnikov, Bakhtiyar Tuzmukhamedov, and Aleksandr Khodakov came up with the idea of establishing the Award.
The Competition is held annually. Its objectives include promoting and fostering in-depth research in public international law and supporting original research within the field. Results of 10 years
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 ICLRC Library for the preparation of their research papers.
The Competition is held in accordance with the Regulation on the Competition and the Rules for the Submission of Competition Materials .
To be admitted to the Competition, a submitted research paper must meet the following requirements:
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.
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.
The paper and other required materials must be submitted by 9 March 2026—by e-mail to prize@iclrc.ru and/or by filling out the form on this webpage.
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.
Graduate of the Master’s program at MGIMO University
Ph.D student at the School of International Law of the Faculty of Law of the National Research University Higher School of Economics; associate (international disputes) at Ivanyan & Partners Law Offices.
Graduate of MGIMO University under Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (cum laude), Associate at ELWI law firm.
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International Policy Advisor to Deputy Minister of Transport. Holds an LLM from the University of Cambridge (2014) and BA with honours from MGIMO University (2013). Was an exchange student at Sciences Po Paris, France.
Holds an LLB (2017) and an LLM with honours from MGIMO University (2019). She won national and international essay competitions. She has a number of publications on international investment law.
Employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, graduated from the International Law School of MGIMO University (2017), has a number of publications on international criminal law, international humanitarian law, the law of international organizations.
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Associate at Clifford Chance (international arbitration and litigation). Holds an LLB from Lomonosov Moscow State University (2015) and an MJur from the University of Oxford (2016), where he was a Hill scholar and awarded the Volterra Fietta Prize for International Dispute Settlement. In 2018, the London Court of International Arbitration awarded him the Gillis Wetter Memorial Prize for International Arbitration.
A graduate of the IKBFU
(Kaliningrad) and the
Georg-August-Universität
Göttingen (Germany). In 2023,
he successfully defended a
PhD thesis at the University
of Göttingen. Aleksei specializes
in international law and is
experienced in inter-State
litigation (WTO). Currently,
he works at the ICLRC on issues
linked to public international law
and teaches related subjects at
the Higher School of Economics
(Moscow).
The head of constitutional litigation practice of the Institute of Law and Public Policy** and a graduate of the Lomonosov Moscow State University and Harvard Law School.
*Designated as foreign agent **A non-profit organization performing the functions of a foreign agent
Protection of Foreign Investment in Armed Conflicts
MIC: From Theory to Practice
Investor-State dispute settlement reform initiatives of European Union: Investment chapter of Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between European Union and Canada
Procedure matters: legislative process in the Procrustean bed of the European Court of Human Rights case-law
Exceptio inadimplenti contractus in International Law: Dead or Alive? The Status of the Exception in Contemporary International Law
The ‘Journey’ of Rehabilitation in International Criminal Law and Beyond: From Sentencing Goal to Precondition for Reconciliation
Is the MPIA a Real Practical Solution to Overcome the WTO Appellate Body Crisis?
On the commercial development of space resources
The Martens Clause in the light of the theory of war and international law
All data (except for the competition paper) must be submitted in Russian
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Yury Bezborodov is Doctor of Law, Professor of International and European Law Department at the V. F. Yakovlev Ural State Law University, Professor at the Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin.
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Recent Publications: A Legitimate End to ‘Until Everything is Agreed’? 57(2) Journal of World Trade 2023 [with Olga Starshinova and Amrita Bahri] Not Just Sea Turtles, Let’s Protect Women Too: Invoking Public Morality Exception or Negotiating a New Gender Exception in Trade Agreements? 33 (1) European Journal of International Law 2022 [with Amrita Bahri] The WTO’s Collapsing Judicial and Legislative Wings: Is ‘Consensus’ the Real Elephant in the Room? 17 (2) Global Trade and Customs Journal2022 [with Amrita Bahri] Food Safety under WTO Law, Cinzia Caporale, Ilja Richard Pavone, Maria Pia Ragionieri (ed), International Food Law: How Food Law can Balance Health, Environment and Animal Welfare, Wolters Kluver (2021) ‘The First WTO’s Ruling on National Security Exception:Balancing Interests or Opening Pandora’s Box?’ 19 (1) World Trade Review 2020 [with Amrita Bahri]
‘Combating Climate Change under the WTO: Exploring the Relevance of Process and Production Methods’, Amrita Bahri, Weihuan Zhou and Daria Boklan (ed), Rethinking, Repackaging, and Rescuing World Trade Law in the Post-Pandemic Era
Trade in electricity under WTO and EAEU Law: compatibility of two legal regimes, 13 (2) Journal of World Energy Law and Business. 2020. [with Olga Belova]
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Education: Degree in international law (with honors), Moscow State University (1982); postgraduate studies, Moscow State University (1982-1985).
In 1986–1990, served at the USSR Ministry of Merchant Marine.
In 1990–1991, served at the Committee on Inter-Republic Relations of the Supreme Soviet (Parliament) of Russia.
In 1991–1992, served as Assistant to and Head of Staff of the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
In 1992–1997, served as Head of Division, Deputy Director of the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
In 1997–2001 — Deputy permanent representative to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva.
From 2009 to 2015, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Netherlands, Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
In 2001–2009, 2015–2017, he served as Director of the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
In 2017–2020 — Director of Public International Law Studies, since 2020 — Advisor on Public International Law of the International and Comparative Law Research Center.
In 2003–2011, 2015–2018 — Member of the International Law Commission.
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Professor, Doctor of Law, Honored Jurist of the Russian Federation, winner (laureate) of the F.F. Martens prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Center for International and Comparative Legal Studies, University of Tyumen
Tatyana Neshataeva graduated from Perm State University with a degree in law. She began her professional career the same year in the Prosecutor’s Office of the Perm Region. From 1982 to 1985, she pursued postgraduate studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University and defended her Candidate of Sciences dissertation. Between 1985 and 1990, she served as an assistant and associate professor at the Department of State Law and Soviet Governance at Perm State University. From 1990 to 1993, she was a doctoral student at the Moscow State Law Academy, where she defended her doctoral dissertation. In 1995, she was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Commercial Court of the Russian Federation. Starting in 1998, she headed the Sector of International Law and Cooperation, and in 2005, became the supervisor of the International Law and Cooperation Department of the High Court of Arbitration of Russia. From 2012 to 2014, she served as a judge of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Community, and from 2013 to 2014, as its Vice-President. From 2015 to 2023, she was a judge of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union. Since 2024, she has held the status of Judge Emeritus. She is the author of 12 monographs and textbooks, and over 200 academic articles. Holds the highest judicial qualification class and has been awarded the honorary title “Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation.” Since 2000, she has chaired the Department of International Law at the Russian State University of Justice. She is Vice-President of the Russian Association of International Law. Participated in the drafting of the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements, the Arbitration Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, and the reform of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights. She has received state and departmental awards.
Arbitrator of the Rostec Arbitration Institution.
In 2011 – 2014 – Judge of the Supreme Arbitrazh Court of the Russian Federation. Since 2014 – Judge of the Judicial Chamber on Economic Disputes of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
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Ph.D. (Law), Principal Legal Secretary of the Court, Head of the Department of Legal Matters, International Court of Justice, Member, Institut de Droit International
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Head of the International Law Department, Faculty of Law, National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow; received a Doctor of legal sciences (Dr. hab.) degree in Moscow and holds a Master degree from the University of Göttingen; a Co-Chair of the International Law Association’s Committee on Use of Force, a Member of the European Society of International Law, and the Russian Association of International Law.
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Doctor of Law, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of International Law, Academic Director of the Research Institute, Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL).
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Vladimir Shumilov is Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation, and Distinguished Worker of Higher Professional Education. He is the Chair of the Dissertation Council on International Law at the Russian Foreign Trade Academy, Honorary Professor of several universities in the Republic of Kazakhstan, Member of the International Law Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and Expert of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He worked for many years in state authorities of the USSR and Russia, including assignments abroad; acted as a consultant and expert for state bodies and public organizations; and headed a foreign trade enterprise. He has been engaged in teaching and research in the fields of international law and international economic law. He is the author of more than 200 publications, including those published abroad. He is the author of textbooks such as International Law, International Economic Law, International Financial Law, WTO Law, and The Legal System of the USA (recent editions co-authored). He is a laureate of the A. N. Kosygin Prize of the Petrovsky Academy of Sciences and Arts for co-authoring a textbook on international economic law in Kazakhstan. Professor Shumilov is a member of the Russian Association of International Law, serves on the editorial boards of several law journals and dissertation councils, and acts as an arbitrator at the International Commercial Arbitration Court (ICAC). He is also a member of the Writers’ Union of the Russian Federation. He is fluent in Italian, English, and French. He is the author of several memoirs based on his diaries, including The First Twenty Years Are the Hardest and MGIMO — and Beyond…, as well as the repeatedly republished poetry collection Poems in the Spirit of Russian Existentialism. His literary works are available online, and he maintains personal pages on stihi.ru and proza.ru.
