Prize Submission Instructions

The 2025-2026 HLS Student Writing Prizes submission window is open March 5 to April 24.

Submission Deadlines

1. The deadline for prize submissions is 5:00 pm ET on April 24, 2026 unless otherwise noted below.
2. There will be NO deadline extensions.
3. There is a special deadline for the The Klemens von Klemperer Prize: 5:00pm ET on Monday, March 31, 2026.

Paper Requirements

1. Only papers submitted by current HLS degree candidates (J.D., LL.M., or S.J.D. ) enrolled during the 2025-2026 academic year will be considered for 2026 student writing prizes. Submissions by cross-registrants, Berkeley Exchange students, and students visiting HLS are not eligible.
2. Papers must have been written and completed while enrolled at HLS and for an HLS course, clinic, writing group, or independent writing credit led by an HLS faculty member / appointed instructor during the current academic year.
3. Co-authored papers are eligible for submission, but all co-authors must have been HLS degree candidate when the paper was written and enrolled during the 2025-2026 academic year. Each co-author should submit a copy of the eligible paper with their own prize submission form and indicate “(co-authored)” after their paper title in the paper title field on the submission form.
4. Papers submitted for coursework may be revised by the author for writing prize submission, but papers edited by others in preparation for submission to a journal or other publication may not be submitted for a student writing prize in that edited form.
5. Students may submit multiple papers. They may submit the same paper for no more than two writing prizes, unless otherwise noted in the prize description . Each paper is eligible to win only one of the prizes for which it is submitted. This rule applies to winning papers submitted in a prior prize year.
6. Only one paper may be submitted for one writing prize per submission form. If you would like to submit the same paper for a second writing prize, complete a separate submission form. If you would like to submit a second paper for a prize, complete a separate submission form.
7. Papers must be anonymized: remove your name from the paper itself.
8. Save and upload your paper as a PDF file with the file naming convention: “HUID_Paper title“. Please do NOT submit your paper as a Word document file.

Prizes with Special Instructions

• John M. Olin Prize in Law and Economics: Prior to submitting a paper for consideration, a student must request that the professor under whom the paper was written email a statement of evaluation of the paper directly to Professor Steven Shavell by the deadline below.  
• Yong K. Kim ’95 Memorial Prize: Submissions for the following prizes are NOT collected by the Submission Form. Please submit one electronic copy of your paper via email to Majesty Zander by midnight on Friday, May 1, 2026. This should be accompanied by a brief statement describing how you have contributed to the East Asian Legal Studies program and endeavored to foster understanding at Harvard Law School regarding East Asia and its interaction with the U.S. Please do not remove your name from your paper submitted for the Yong K. Kim ’95 Memorial Prize.

Oberman Signature Form

Submissions for Oberman Awards must include a signed Oberman Signature Form.

Winning Papers

1. The name and paper title of all prize winners will be published on the HLS Website by June 1, 2026.
2. The names of graduating prize winners and prizes won will be listed in the Commencement Program. Please note: non-graduating prize winners’ names will be listed in the Commencement Program in the year they graduate.
3. Students may self-submit prize-winning papers to the School’s DASH student-paper repository.
4. If a prize has more than one winner, the prize monetary award will be divided among the prize recipients.

Any award is subject to the constraints of federal immigration law.