Honorable William Conner Writing Competition
Scholarship Sponsored by New York Intellectual Property Law Association
Introduction
The Honorable William Conner Writing Competition honors outstanding legal scholarship produced by law students and is presented each year at the NYIPLA Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner.
Awards and Deadline
The first-place entry will receive a $3,000 cash prize; the runner-up will receive $2,000. All submissions must be received by March 6, 2026.
Eligibility
1. Entrants must be currently enrolled in a J.D. or LL.M. program (day or evening) at an accredited United States law school, with an expected graduation date later than March 6, 2026.
Subject Matter
2. Papers must address intellectual property law—examples include patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and unfair trade practices. Topics in antitrust or data security/privacy are eligible only to the extent they are tied to intellectual property issues. Submissions that do not focus on intellectual property will be disqualified.
How to Submit
All entries must be emailed by March 6, 2026, to the NYIPLA Executive Office:
- Email: admin@nyipla.org
- Phone: (201) 461-6603
Formatting and File Requirements
3. Files must be submitted in PDF format and adhere to the following specifications:
- Double-spaced text throughout, except that headings, block quotes, and text in footnotes may be single-spaced.
- 8½ x 11-inch paper size, portrait orientation, with minimum one-inch margins on all sides.
- Main text typed in a font of at least 12-point; footnotes in at least 10-point.
- All citations must appear in footnotes.
- Include a cover page containing the paper title and the entrant’s name and law school. Do not place the entrant’s name or school on any other page of the manuscript.
- The paper title must appear in the header of every page except the cover page.
- Maximum length: twenty (20) pages total, including footnotes but excluding the cover page and any table of contents. Submissions exceeding this page limit or failing to meet these formatting requirements will not be considered.
Originality and Use of AI or Third-Party Work
4. Entries must be the author’s original work and reflect the entrant’s own analysis and conclusions. Use of artificial intelligence tools or material produced by third parties is prohibited.
Evaluation and Selection
5. Papers will be judged on: interest and suitability for publication by NYIPLA, organization, legal analysis, writing quality, and overall professionalism. A summary of the grading rubric is provided below. If you have questions about the rubric or evaluation criteria, contact admin@nyipla.org. The highest-ranking submissions will be forwarded to the NYIPLA Board for final review and selection of a winner and runner-up.