Young Scholars Initiative

The Young Scholars Initiative (YSI) is an esteemed student competition designed to inspire and empower young scholars with a profound interest in the realms of Interdisciplinary research, providing them with a platform to showcase their exceptional research and writing skills. Aligned with the ICAL’23 program’s mission to foster the growth of emerging intellectuals, YSI serves as a transformative and inclusive milieu where young scholars can passionately explore novel perspectives. YSI offers a unique opportunity for participants to establish meaningful connections with a distinguished network of scholars who specialize in the fields of law and technology. This vast network facilitates invaluable collaborations and intellectual exchanges, enabling young scholars to engage in interdisciplinary discourse, explore innovative ideas, and contribute to the progressive evolution of intellectual discourse within their respective fields. Notably, selected papers from the competition hold the potential for publication in the esteemed International Journal of Law, Ethics, and Technology, thereby amplifying the reach and impact of participants’ scholarly contributions.

This competition is exclusively open to authors who are 29 years of age or younger, reflecting our commitment to fostering and acknowledging the exceptional talents of the next generation of scholars. By setting this age limit, we aim to provide a platform that specifically nurtures and celebrates the remarkable contributions of young and emerging scholars. We believe that by recognizing their achievements at an early stage, we can encourage their continued growth and inspire them to become future leaders in their respective fields.

Submission Requirements:

  • Papers must be an original work of the author.
  • Nominating statements from faculty/instructors supervising the paper, where required for submission, should be emailed by the faculty/instructor to ical@ijlet.org.
  • Papers must be focused on law, technology, or algorithms.
  • Papers must not have been published previously or be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
  • Papers must be written in English.
  • Papers must be between 5,000 and 8,000 words, including footnotes and bibliography.
  • Papers must be submitted in PDF format with the file naming convention: “Full name_YSI_Paper title“, and should be emailed by the author to ical@ijlet.org.
  • All YSI participants must adhere to the conference deadlines.

Winners and Prizes:

  • The Distinguished Scholar Prize: a highly esteemed accolade, recognizes the pinnacle of scholarly achievement by submitting an exceptional paper written by scholars who exhibit remarkable originality in research and analysis. The evaluation criteria encompass the quality of the legal analysis, the clarity and persuasiveness of the writing, and the paper’s significant contribution to algorithms and law.
  • The Young Scholar Prize: an exceptional scholarly work in the form of an outstanding paper written by young scholars who demonstrate a keen aptitude for analyzing topics from an interdisciplinary perspective. This esteemed prize serves as a testament to the significance of interdisciplinary research and its profound impact on advancing knowledge and understanding across academic domains.
  • Winning papers will be considered for publication in The International Journal of Law, Ethics, and Technology.
  • Authors of winning papers will receive a certificate of recognition.

Note:

We do accept submissions that have been submitted to other writing contests. However, articles must be unpublished during judging to remain in consideration for the competition. Articles accepted for forthcoming publication will still be eligible for placement in the competition but will not be considered for the prizes and publication in The International Journal of Law, Ethics, and Technology. Published papers will be disqualified from the competition.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and wish you the best of luck in the competition.