The competition invites top-ranked essays to answer this year’s essay question: How effective have laws protecting the rights of children been to reduce poverty and support economic development? How could they be improved?
Lex: lead is a group of international lawyers and friends who support economic development focusing on the world’s least developed countries. They offer an annual essay competition on topics of law and development to students from eligible countries. In 2015 they also started placing their students in internships with the World Bank and NGOs and in 2018 they began offering mentoring to their winners. Launched with funding from the International Bar Association Foundation, Lex: lead is a partner to the World Bank-supported Global Forum on Law, Justice and Development.
Eligibility
Eligible students should have citizenship and enrolment with at least one law class in an eligible country.
Finalists will need to show citizenship and current enrolment at an accredited institution in one of the eligible countries with at least one law class to be confirmed for an award.
Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Rep., Chad, Comoros, DR Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan (Rep.), Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Awards
Up to 16 US$500 awards will be available. Awards are generally payable to the winner’s educational institution on his/her behalf and not to the winning student directly. Funds received may also be less any necessary bank conversion fees and/or taxes. Lex: Lead will never charge a fee to participate.
A Certificate of Participation will be sent to all registered candidates who submit an essay by 31 December 2023.
