Third Annual International Writing Competition (2019-2020)

September 20, 2019

CLCT launched its annual Artificial Intelligence Writing Competition on September 13, 2019. This popular writing competition is in its third year and CLCT looks forward to receiving the submissions, by December 20, 2019.

All current law students* are cordially invited to submit one paper, which must:

  • Set forth the likely issue;
  • Explain why it likely will arise and to what degree; and,
  • Analyze the probability that it can be readily resolved by the application of existing law.

A submission is not required to contain a proposed solution to the issue; however, any plausible and well-articulated solutions put forward are likely to impress the judges!

Judges will select the best entries that creatively and innovatively address these criteria. Prizes will be awarded as follows:

  • First place: U.S. $2,500
  • Second place: U.S. $1,500
  • Third place: U.S. $1,000

The winners will also have the unique opportunity of presenting their papers to a selected audience of executives from Cisco Systems, Inc.

For further details, as well as terms and conditions, please read the Rules [PDF].

* Please see Section 1, “Participants’ Eligibility,” of the Rules for further explanation and exceptions.


Cisco Systems, Inc., (“CISCO”) has generously funded a grant for CLCT to educate lawyers and judges in the United States, the European Union, and Canada on the types of issues that can be expected to grow out of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things. The goal of the Competition is to ignite interest in and dialogue with law students as future members of the legal profession on the type of issues that can be expected to grow out of emerging technologies. We believe that the forthcoming generations of judges and lawyers can be more creative, flexible, and resourceful in anticipating and coping with these emerging legal issues if they engage with them during their legal education. At the same time, we hope that the Competition will act as a form of crowdsourcing so that judges, lawyers, and law students will have a better idea of the challenges we will soon face.