Most of you are knee deep in assessments at the moment but if anyone is ahead of themselves, and fancies doing some writing for fun (and in hope of a prize!) here are some options:

Golding Essay Prize 2026

Organised by the Competition Law Association, there is a grand prize of £1000 for the winner of this annual competition.

It is open to all students, as long as they are not currently practising as a qualified lawyer. It is open to trainee solicitors and pupil barristers and also qualified solicitors or barristers with less than 2 years PQE.

Submissions can be up to 5000 words in length and the deadline is 31 March 2026.

Find this year’s title and rules via the competition website and have a look at the winners from previous years for some inspiration (2024, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017).

Privacy Laws and Business Student Essay Competition 2026

This essay competition is a bit shorter (1500 words maximum) but gives you the chance to get some useful exposure and a brilliant opportunity to learn more about the international world of data privacy. You’ll meet policy-makers, regulators, companies and lawyers and strengthen your understanding of global privacy laws and their application.

The winner of the competition will be invited to attend in-person the prestigious 3-day Privacy Laws & Business 39th International Conference, 6-8 July 2026 at St. John’s College, Cambridge.

As winner, you would also see your essay published on PL&B’s website, and possibly in a future PL&B Report (at our Editor’s discretion). This would be terrific for your CV achievement and generate early professional recognition.

It is open to final year undergraduates and taught and research postgraduates, with a deadline of 26th February 2026. Find out more about the competition on the PL&B website but here is the question you’d be addressing:

“Should the EU’s adequacy criteria for international data transfers be changed? If so, how?”