2025 Annual Law Student Victims’ Rights Writing Competition

DEADLINE: Monday, March 31, 2025  11:59 pm (Pacific) in electronic format to ncvliconference@lclark.edu

RECOGNITION

• Up to 3 papers from across the country will be selected.
• The top paper will receive a $300 prize; second and third-place papers will each receive a $100 prize.
• Authors of selected papers will be invited to attend (virtually or in person) and may be invited to present their paper at Conference or a separate national webinar.
  
• Conference tuition will be covered for those selected.
• Selected papers may also be included in one of NCVLI’s nationally distributed publications.

GUIDELINES

• Submissions must be original papers that analyze the legal rights of crime victims.
• Preference is given to papers focusing on rights enforcement in the context of criminal justice systems, which is the area of victim law that receives the least attention.
• Submissions should be no longer than 3500 words (including footnotes), double-spaced with one-inch margins, and the font must be Times New Roman.  If a submission is an excerpt of a larger paper please indicate that on the first page.
• Submissions may not have been previously published or accepted for publication unless accompanied by written authorization for re-print.
• Authors/presenters must be enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school at the date of their submission or have graduated from such a school within the last 18 months.

Possible topics:

• Recent U.S. Supreme Court or state high court decisions
• Unique hurdles to victims’ rights for particular populations, e.g.: victims of sexual assault, stalking, dating or domestic violence; child victims; immigrant victims; trafficking victims
• Victim privacy and confidentiality
• Fraud and identity theft
• Intersection of hate and bias crimes and victims’ rights
• Intersection of immigration law and victims’ rights
• Intersection of environmental law and victims’ rights
• Intersection of disability law and victims’ rights
• Intersection of Title IX and victims’ rights
• Accommodations for victims to facilitate participation (e.g., support persons, alternative means of testifying, courtroom design).
• The intersection of privacy and media access
• Fourth Amendment applied to victims
• First Amendment issues from SLAPP to stalking

The transmittal email must include the following:

• Author Name.
• Law School.
• Date of (Anticipated) Graduation from Law School.
• Mailing Address.
• Email Address.
• Phone Number.
• Title of abstract/article.
• Author Biography: (150 word maximum). If selected, this bio may be used in Conference materials. If used, NCVLI may make non-substantive edits to the bio for formatting and marketing purposes without prior consent.