NLSIR has announced its inaugural national essay competition for undergraduate law students on constitutional theory, economic models, and the Directive Principles.
About National Law School of India Review
The National Law School of India Review (NLSIR) is the flagship student-edited, bi-annual, double-anonymous peer-reviewed law journal of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. The journal is currently in its 38th year of publication and publishes scholarship combining doctrinal analysis with broader normative and theoretical inquiry.
NLSIR has announced the institution of the Chief Justice E.S. Venkataramiah Memorial Best Essay Prize with the support of the family of late Justice E.S. Venkataramiah. The annual national essay competition will be organised around a contemporary and significant legal theme, with shortlisted entries evaluated by a panel of academics and practitioners with relevant subject-matter expertise.
About the Opportunity
NLSIR is inviting entries for the inaugural edition of the Chief Justice E.S. Venkataramiah Memorial Best Essay Prize. The competition is open to undergraduate law students across India.
The winning essay will be published in NLSIR, and the winner will receive a cash prize of ₹25,000 and a citation plaque bearing the winner’s name.
The inaugural edition invites participants to examine whether the Constitution adopts, permits, or rejects particular economic visions, particularly through the Directive Principles dealing with ownership, distribution, and the common good.
Theme
The theme for the inaugural edition is:
“Does the Constitution Choose an Economic Model? Directive Principles and the Question of Ideological Neutrality”
The theme draws from the Supreme Court’s decision in Property Owners’ Association v. State of Maharashtra (2024), concerning the interpretation of Article 39(b) and whether privately owned property falls within the expression “material resources of the community”.
Participants are expected to use the judgment as a starting point for a broader constitutional theory analysis rather than preparing a conventional case comment. The competition encourages engagement with comparative constitutional perspectives, political theory, and economic theory.
Word Limit
Essays must contain between 8,000 and 10,000 words, inclusive of footnotes.
Prize
The winner will receive a cash prize of ₹25,000 and a citation plaque bearing the winner’s name. The winning entry will also be published in NLSIR.
Deadline
The submission deadline is October 10, 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
- The competition is open to undergraduate law students.
- Students enrolled in either three-year or five-year law programmes are eligible.
- Applicants must be enrolled at a law school recognised by the Bar Council of India.
- The essay must be original, unpublished, and single-authored.
- The essay must be written in English.
- Every essay must clear anti-plagiarism checks.
- Every submission must be accompanied by a bona fide certificate signed by the Registrar, Vice-Chancellor, or another appropriate authority confirming the author’s undergraduate law student status at the time of submission.
Submission Guidelines
- Essays must be original and unpublished.
- Abstracts or proposals are not required and will not be separately considered or reviewed.
- Essays must be formatted in Times New Roman, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing on A4 paper.
- Submissions must follow the OSCOLA citation guide.
- Essays must comply with the NLSIR Style Guide and other policies notified on the NLSIR Repository.
- The word limit is 8,000–10,000 words, inclusive of footnotes.
- Every essay must be accompanied by the required bona fide certificate.
- No prior registration is required.
- No registration fee is required.
Contact
Email: nlsir.communications@nls.ac.in
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Application Procedure
Interested candidates may apply through the following:
- Submit the essay through the submission form provided by NLSIR.
- The submission form will begin accepting entries from September 1, 2026.
- Candidates must ensure that their essays comply with the eligibility, formatting, citation, and submission requirements.
- The deadline for submission is October 10, 2026.
- No prior registration or registration fee is required.
