The Human Rights Essay Award 2026 is an international writing contest offered every year by American University Washington College of Law. The goal of this award is to support new research and writing in international human rights law. The theme for 2026 is “The right to protest under international human rights law: legal protection and challenges ahead.” All writers must choose a topic that is clearly linked to this theme or their essay will not be accepted
Students and lawyers can explore many ideas under this topic. They can write about how protests are controlled in different countries, what laws protect protestors, how governments respond to protests, or how people can seek justice if their right to protest is denied. The award also accepts topics connected to international humanitarian law and international criminal law as long as they relate to the main theme.
This theme is very important today because protests are happening around the world, and many countries are placing limits on them. The Academy wants to encourage strong research that helps people understand the law and protects this basic human right. Better research and writing can help create safer and fairer rules for people who want to speak up.
Winners of the Human Rights Essay Award 2026 will receive a full tuition scholarship to the Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Washington, D.C. The scholarship covers the academic courses but does not include travel, housing, or daily costs. Winning essays may also be published in the American University International Law Review, which is a respected journal for legal research.
Human Rights Essay Award 2026 by American University:
Host Country:
- USA
Host University:
- American University Washington College of Law
The topic of the Essay:
- Human Trafficking and Human Rights.
Benefits of American University Human Rights Essay Award:
- Winning essays may be published in the American University International Law Review.
- Participants may take part in the Moot Court Competition as judges if they choose to.
- Winners receive a full tuition fee scholarship for the Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.
- Six awards are offered in total, with three for English essays and three for Spanish essays.
- Awards include Best Essay, Second Best (Honorable Mention), and Third Best (Honorable Mention).
- All winners receive an official certificate from the Academy.
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Eligibility Criteria for American University Human Rights Essay Award:
- Applicants must have a law degree, such as a Juris Doctor (J.D.), Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), or an equivalent degree.
- Applicants should have interest or experience in international human rights law.
- The essay topic must be related to the 2026 theme, which is the right to protest under international human rights law.
- Past winners of this essay award cannot apply again.
- Applicants must submit an unpublished legal essay written by one person only, in English or Spanish.
- Only one essay can be submitted by each applicant, in either English or Spanish
How to apply for Human Rights Essay Award:
- Essays must be submitted through the online submission form.
- Sign in using the required login details on the submission form.
- Enter your full name, country, name of the institute where you obtained your law degree, email address, and contact number.
- Upload your resume (CV).
- Upload the essay file.
- Essays must be submitted in Word format only.
- Submit the CV and essay as separate files.
- Answer the other questions on the form and submit it.
- Entries sent by email will not be accepted.
- After submitting your essay, send an email to inform the Academy about your submission. No attachments should be included in this email.
- Participants must ensure that the essay does not exceed 35 pages, including footnotes.
- Use Times New Roman, 12-point, double-spaced font for the body of the essay.
- Use Times New Roman, 10-point, single-spaced font for citation footnotes.
- Use The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation for references.
- Character spacing of the document must be normal, with 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all sides.
- All essays must be on letter-size paper (8.5 × 11 inches / 21.59 × 27.94 cm). Other sizes will not be accepted.
- Participants must not include their names or any identifying information in the essay.
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Rules for Human Rights Essay Award 2026:
- The authors must not write their names or any other identifying information.
- The essays must be submitted in Word format.
- To cite sources, single-spaced footnotes should be used.
- The essay must not exceed 35 pages, including footnotes, using Times New Roman, 12-point, double-spaced for the body.
- One-inch margins must be used on all sides of the document.
- If the proper format is not followed, the essay will be reformatted and 5 points will be deducted from the final score.
- Past winners are not eligible to submit an essay.
- Only one essay may be submitted per applicant.
Documents Required for the Human Rights Essay Award:
- CV (no more than three pages)
- No other additional documents are required.
Submission Deadline:
- The last date of submission is February 3rd, 2026.
