4th National Essay Competition by NLSIU Bengaluru: Submit by October 20!

NLSIU Bengaluru invites essays on consumer protection for its 4th National Essay Competition 2026. Submit by October 20, 2026.

About National Law School of India University

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, was established in 1986 to pioneer legal education reform and anchor the transformation of the Indian legal system through research and policy interventions.

About the Competition

The Chair on Consumer Law and Practice, NLSIU is organising the 4th National Essay Competition 2026 to commemorate the celebration of National Consumer Day (24th December). The Essay Competition endeavours to stimulate interest and foster growth amongst students, academics, professionals and consumer advocates to explore and engage with contemporary and seminal issues in the field of consumer law and policy. Participants are invited to critically examine an issue of consumer protection — whether legal, regulatory, technological or policy-driven — and to present a well-researched, original and analytically sound essay that contributes meaningfully to the ongoing discourse on consumer rights in India.

Theme

• Consumer Protection in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmic Decision-Making
• Dark Patterns, Drip Pricing and Manipulative Design in E-Commerce
• Cross-Border Consumer Protection in Digital Trade
• Consumer Rights in the Gig and Platform Economy
• Data Privacy as a Consumer Protection Concern
• Children and Young Consumers in the Digital Age
• Digital Payments, Online Financial Fraud and Cybersecurity for Consumers
• Consumer Protection in Healthcare, Pharma and Telemedicine
• Sustainable Consumption and the Case Against Greenwashing
• Access to Consumer Justice: e-Daakhil, Mediation and the Three-Tier Commission System

The above themes are only indicative, and participants are free to choose any other topic under the broad theme of consumer protection, provided its relevance to consumer law and policy is clearly established in the essay.

Eligibility

The Competition is open to all — including students (undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma or school level, any discipline), academics, professionals, government officials, members of consumer fora, Voluntary Consumer Organisations (VCOs)/NGOs, and any other individual with a genuine interest in consumer law and policy.

Submission Guidelines

• The essay must be written in English and submitted in Microsoft Word document format (.doc/.docx).
• Co-authorship of up to a maximum of two authors is permitted.
• Only one submission is allowed per author/team. Multiple submissions, whether as a co-author or as a single author, will result in disqualification of all such entries.
• The essay must be the original, unpublished work of the author(s). Plagiarism or copyright infringement will lead to summary disqualification.
• Submission can be made only through the Google Form given below this post. Any submission made to the Chair email id will not be accepted.

Format Guidelines

• Main Body: Font – Times New Roman, Font Size – 12, Line Spacing – 1.5.
• Footnotes: Font – Times New Roman, Font Size – 10, Line Spacing – 1.0.
• Margins: 1 inch / 2.54 cm on all sides.
• Word Limit: 3000–3500 words, excluding footnotes. Footnotes must follow the Bluebook system of citation (Harvard, 20th edition).
• The essay must contain an abstract not exceeding 250 words (excluded from the overall word limit), clearly indicating the theme/topic chosen.

Important Dates

• Competition opens (submission portal live): 15 August 2026.
• Last date for submission of entries (no extensions): 20 October 2026, 11:59 PM IST.
• Screening and evaluation by the Jury constituted by the Chair on Consumer Law: October–November 2026.
• Announcement of results on NLSIU / CLAP official channels: 24 December 2026. Winners felicitated on National Consumer Day – early December 2026 (tentative).

Contact

For any queries, please contact at consumerlaw@nls.ac.in.

Application Procedure

All submissions must be made through the official online submission form linked below. Along with the essay file, participants must submit their full name, contact number, email address and institution/organisation name (if applicable). Incomplete or plagiarised submissions shall be summarily rejected. The last date for submission is 20 October 2026, 11:59 PM IST — no entries will be accepted after this deadline, and no extensions will ordinarily be granted.