Junior scholars, jumpstart your scholarship! Law faculty who have been teaching for five years or fewer are encouraged to submit a scholarly paper to the annual Scholarly Papers competition—note that time spent as a VAP or law fellow counts toward the requirement of being a full-time educator.

Two smiling people holding their plaques at a conference
2023 Scholarly Papers Competition winners Jonathan Choi (University of Minnesota Law School) and Nicole Summers (Georgetown University Law Center).

If you are a full-time teacher at an AALS member or fee-paid school and have been teaching for five years or less as of July 1, 2024, you are eligible to submit a paper on a topic related to or concerning law. A committee of established scholars will review the submitted papers with the authors’ identities concealed. The competition winner will be honored at the 2025 AALS Annual Meeting.

Learn more about the competition requirements.