CIPR Essay Competition 2026, NUALS
The Centre for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR), National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), is inviting submissions for the 10th Edition of its National Essay Competition, 2026. This prestigious competition aims to promote high-quality research and critical thinking in the field of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), with a special focus on public interest and technological advancements.
About the CIPR Essay Competition
The CIPR Essay Competition is an annual academic initiative that encourages students, researchers, and scholars to engage with contemporary intellectual property law issues. Over the years, the competition has become a recognised platform for fostering discourse on how IP law interacts with equity, innovation, and public welfare in a rapidly developing world.
Essay Theme 2026
“The Public Domain in the Age of Technology: Emerging Challenges for Intellectual Property Law”
Participants are expected to critically analyse how technological developments are reshaping the public domain and creating new legal challenges for intellectual property regimes across jurisdictions.
Important Submission Details
- 🗓 Submission Deadline:
Friday, 27 February 2026 (11:59 PM IST) - 📤 Mode of Submission:
Online submission only through the official Google Form
(No other mode will be accepted) - 📁 File Formats Required:
- One .pdf file
- One .doc/.docx file
- 🔁 Re-submission:
Not permitted under any circumstances - 💰 Registration Fee:
No registration fee
Eligibility Criteria
- Participants who secured Top 3 positions in any previous edition of the CIPR Essay Competition are not eligible.
- Co-authorship is allowed:
- Maximum one co-author
- Authors may belong to the same or different institutions
Word Limit & Content Requirements
- ✍️ Maximum Length:
2500 words (excluding abstract, footnotes, tables, diagrams, bibliography, and authorship declaration) - 📌 The essay:
- Must strictly address the prescribed theme
- Must be original and unpublished
- Should not be under consideration elsewhere
- Must not contain any identifying information of the author(s)
File Naming Format (Mandatory)
The PDF file must be named strictly in the following format:
NameOfSubmittingAuthor-NameOfSecondAuthor-TitleOfEssay.pdf
📌 Example:
Peter Parker submitting “The Jurisprudence of Overlapping Patents in the Multiverse” should name the file as:
PeterParker-TheJurisprudenceOfOverlappingPatentsInTheMultiverse.pdf
❗ Essays with incorrect file names will be rejected outright.
Formatting & Citation Guidelines
- 📄 Font: Times New Roman / Garamond
- 🔠 Font Size:
- Main Text: 12
- Footnotes: 10
- 📐 Line Spacing:
- One-line gap between paragraphs and headings
- 📚 Citation Style:
OSCOLA (4th Edition)
Plagiarism & AI Policy
- All sources must be properly cited
- Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited
- ❌ Use of AI writing tools, if detected, will lead to summary rejection
- All submissions will undergo blind review
Author Declaration & Data Consent
- Authors must submit a signed Author Declaration Form
- Consent is required for:
- Processing the submission
- Communication regarding awards
- The declaration form is available on:
- CIPR website
- CIPR social media handles
- Or can be requested via email
Prizes & Awards
🏆 First Prize: ₹10,000
🥈 Second Prize: ₹5,000
🥉 Third Prize: ₹3,000
- Final decisions rest with the judges
- No correspondence regarding results will be entertained
- Awards are issued by the University Administration
Contact Information
📧 For queries related to the competition, write to: cipr@nuals.ac.in
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