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Writing Competitions

Click the links below for more information about each competition:

• The Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits Paul Faherty Tax Law Writing Scholarship
• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition
• Tannenwald Foundation for Excellence in Tax Annual Writing Competition
• The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel Annual Writing Competition
• The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Student Writing Competition

The Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits Paul Faherty Tax Law Writing Scholarship

We're proud to offer an annual writing competition in honor of Paul Faherty, former director of the Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits.

Award: $3,000 (grand prize); $1,000 (two honorable mentions)
Deadline: April 15, 2011

Eligibility
All JD and LLM candidates currently attending an ABA-accredited law school in the U.S. may enter. Entries will be evaluated on topic selection, analysis, quality of research, grammar, spelling, usage and syntax, clarity, structure, and overall appearance.

Topic
Any topic on tax law is acceptable, although papers on a public policy issue, a critique of a leading case or doctrine, a comment on a statute or the need for statutory modification, or a comment on a common law doctrine are encouraged.

Rules
Submitted papers must be the applicant's original work. Applicants are limited to one entry; multiple entries are expressly prohibited. Additionally, the paper must not be under consideration for any other publication or written as part of paid employment.

Specifications
Papers should be typed double-spaced, set in Times New Roman on letter-sized paper with one-inch margins on all sides. Entries should be formatted with endnotes and be 25-30 pages long, not including endnotes. Papers submitted with footnotes will not be accepted. Citations must conform to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation.

Submissions
All papers should be submitted by email to Steve Szydelko at 6szydelko@jmls.edu. Please put "Writing Competition" in the subject line. Please direct any additional questions or concerns to Steve Szydelko.

Additional Resources
Download the writing competition rules
Download the writing competition poster
Read the 2011 winning submissions

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Mary Moers Wenig Student Writing Competition

Award: $5,000 (first place); $3,000 (second place); $1,000 (third place)
Deadline: June 1
Candidate Eligibility: Any JD or LLM degree candidate

Please see Professor Morris if interested. Based on the length requirement (20 to 30 pages), Professor Morris may be able arrange an appropriate number of credits towards independent research. This article can be written in conjunction with any class assignment. In addition to the award, the top papers will be published by ACTEC.

Tannenwald Foundation for Excellence in Tax Annual Writing Competition

Award: $5,000 (first place); $2,500 (second place); $1,500 (third place)
Deadline: July 1 at 9 p.m.
Candidate Eligibility: Any JD, LLM, or SJD degree candidate

Each paper must be sponsored by a faculty member, and no more than 5 students from any law school may submit articles. Please see Professor Kennedy if interested. Based on the length requirements in the rules (25 to 50 pages), Professor Kennedy can arrange an appropriate number of credits towards independent research. This article can be written in conjunction with any class assignment. In addition to the award, the first place article will likely be published in the ABA Section of Taxation journal, The Tax Lawyer.

The American College of Employee Benefits Counsel Annual Writing Competition

Award: $1,500 (first place); $1,500 (second place)
Deadline: June 1
Candidate Eligibility: Any JD, LLM, or SJD degree candidate

Please see Professor Kennedy or contact Adjunct Professor Sally King at sking@mcguirewoods.com if interested. Based on the length requirements in the rules (25 to 50 pages), Professor Kennedy can arrange an appropriate number of credits towards independent research. This article can be written in conjunction with any class assignment. In addition to the award, the first place article will likely be published in the BNA Pension and Benefits Reporter or the BNA Tax Management Compensation Planning Journal.

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Student Writing Competition

Award: $1,500 (first place); $1,000 (second place); $500 (third place)
Deadline: May 30 at Noon
Candidate Eligibility: Any JD, LLM, or SJD degree candidate

Please see Director Kozak if interested. Based on the length requirements in the rules (25 to 50 pages), Director Kozak can probably arrange an appropriate number of credits towards independent research, if the topic has a substantial nexus to federal income taxes or employee benefits. This article can be written in conjunction with any class assignment. In addition to the award, the first place winner will be honored at the fall NAELA Symposium in Kansas City, MO, and will receive up to $1,000 for travel- and meeting-related expenses. The top eight articles will be published in the NAELA Student Journal.