About IDIA Rajasthan Chapter
Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA) is a national student-run initiative that works to support underprivileged students in gaining access to quality legal education. Founded by Prof. (Dr.) Shamnad Basheer in 2010, the initiative focuses on training and mentoring students from marginalised communities to help them enter leading law schools across India.
The IDIA Rajasthan Chapter, led by students of National Law University Jodhpur, actively conducts training programmes, awareness initiatives, and fundraising activities to support the IDIA Charitable Trust and promote inclusive access to legal education.
About IC RegFin Legal
IC RegFin Legal is a full-service law firm known for its expertise in financial regulatory advisory and complex transactional matters. The firm assists clients in navigating evolving regulatory frameworks and changing global investment environments and has been widely recognised for its domain expertise and professional consistency.
About the Essay Writing Competition
The IDIA Rajasthan Chapter, in partnership with IC RegFin Legal and in collaboration with the NLU Jodhpur Law Review Blog, is organising the 3rd IDIA–IC RegFin Legal Essay Writing Competition 2026 to encourage legal research and academic writing among law students across India.
Apart from academic recognition, the competition also contributes to fundraising efforts for the IDIA Charitable Trust, supporting initiatives that empower underprivileged law aspirants.
Themes
Participants may submit essays on contemporary legal issues within the following broad areas:
Investment Law and Alternative Investment Funds regulatory framework
Corporate Governance, sustainability, and stakeholder accountability
Jurisdictional challenges in digital commerce and smart contracts
Capital markets regulation and insider trading frameworks
Financial innovation, ODR mechanisms, and global market integration
The listed topics are indicative and submissions may address any relevant issue within these broader themes.
Eligibility
The competition is open to students pursuing three-year LL.B., five-year integrated LL.B., or LL.M. programmes from institutions recognised by the Bar Council of India.
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Word Limit and Formatting Guidelines
Submissions must be between 2000 and 2500 words excluding abstract and footnotes, and the abstract must not exceed 300 words.
Manuscripts must follow OSCOLA (4th Edition) citation style and be submitted in MS Word format. Submissions exceeding 25% similarity under plagiarism checks will be disqualified.
Registration Fees
The registration fee for single authors is ₹300, while co-authorship submissions (maximum two authors) require a fee of ₹500.
Prizes
Winner: ₹25,000
First Runner-Up: ₹15,000
Second Runner-Up: ₹10,000
Additionally, the top two essays will be published on the NLU Jodhpur Law Review Blog subject to editorial review, and the top two authors will receive a four-week internship opportunity with IC RegFin Legal.
Important Dates
Registrations for the competition opened on April 13, 2026, and interested participants must complete their registration on or before May 20, 2026, while the last date for submission of essays is June 20, 2026. The results of the competition will be declared on September 15, 2026.
