The Columbia Undergraduate Law Review (CULR) High School Essay Contest is a free annual legal essay competition open to current high school students worldwide. Each year, CULR selects a new prompt focused on a pressing area of law or constitutional issue.
Past prompts:
- 2026: Immigration law and legal protections for non-citizens
- 2025: Due process and the limits of government power
Requirements:
- Maximum 1,500 words (body only; footnotes and citations excluded)
- Must reference at least one court case or legal document
- Citations in Chicago format; submit as a PDF
- Deadline: typically late June (2026: June 26)
Awards:
- Winner — Essay published on the CULR website; invited to a CULR-hosted speaker event
- Runners-up — Invited to the speaker event
Results are announced in early August. The contest is run by CULR's Online Co-Executive Editors, with submissions reviewed throughout July.