Call For Papers: 3rd GCRCJS Criminal Law Essay Writing Competition By GNLU [Submit By 21st October]

GNLU Centre for Research in Criminal Justice Sciences is going to organize its 3rd GCRCJS Criminal Law Essay Writing Competition on the theme "Transcending Boundaries in Criminal Justice: From Local Realities to Global Imperatives" and invites submissions for the same.

Recognizing that appreciation of the technicalities and patterns of criminal law are important for realizing the goals of the law, Gujarat National Law University established GCRCJS in 2019. It is a Centre dedicated towards carrying out research in the area of Criminal Law. The Centre provides a platform for a research environment and aims to further knowledge and academic discussions about criminal science.

About The Competition

The competition aims to provide a platform for students in the fields of Law, Criminology, Public Administration, Sociology, and related fields to engage with issues facing India and the world's criminal justice system.

Competition Themes

The main theme of the Competition is Transcending Boundaries in Criminal Justice: From Local Realities to Global Imperatives.

The competition will focus on the following sub-themes:

• Financial Crimes and Global Regulatory Standards
• Victim-Centric Approaches to Justice
• Juvenile Justice: Reform, Deterrence, and Protection Balance
• Challenges in Cross-Border Criminal Investigations
• Criminal Law and Environmental Offenses: Addressing Climate Change Crimes
• Evolving Frameworks for Witness Protection Across Different Criminal Jurisdictions
• Universal Jurisdiction in International Criminal Law

Participants are encouraged to strictly adhere to the competition themes.

Essay Guidelines

The name of the Author(s) or any other form of identification must not be mentioned in the Essay.

• Co-authorship is limited to a maximum of two (2) authors.
• Word limit: 1500-2000 words, excluding the Footnotes.
• Font style – Times New Roman.
• Font size – 14 for Headings, 12 for Body, 10 for Footnotes.
• Line Spacing – 1.5 for Body, 1.0 for Footnotes.
• Citation Style – OSCOLA.
• Margins – 1 inch (i.e., 2.54 cm) on each side.
• The plagiarism limit is 10% following UGC Guidelines.
• Use of Artificial Intelligence for submissions is strictly prohibited and highly discouraged.

Note: Speaking footnotes are allowed in the submissions but are not mandatory. If included, speaking footnotes should be limited to a maximum of 50 words each.

Registration & Submission Process

• A non-refundable fee of ₹100 is to be paid for each submission as registration fees.
• The registration fee must be paid online through the link provided below. Participants are advised to retain a copy of the payment receipt for future reference.
• The submission must be made through the provided Google Form link only.
• The name of the document should be in the following format for both Word Document and PDF: <Title of the Paper - EssayComp>
• Last Date for Submission is 21st October 2025.

Note: No extension shall be granted beyond the set deadline

Payment Link for the Registration Fees
Submission Link for the Essay

Important Deadline

Essay Submission Deadline: 21st October 2025.

Award and Certificates

All essays that meet the plagiarism requirements and comply with the prohibition on AI use shall receive a Certificate of Participation.

The top five entries will be published on the GCRCJS Crime & Justice Blog along with a Certificate of Merit.

The top three entries will receive the following cash prizes:

• 1st Prize: ₹7,000
• 2nd Prize: ₹5,000
• 3rd Prize: ₹3,000

Contact

Email: gcrcjs@gnlu.ac.in

• Mr. Vatshal Raval, Student Convener, +91 92653 84215
• Mr. Shivam Agrawal, Student Convener, +91 94130 29413
• Mr. Shubh Naik, Student Advisor, +91 98243 30830
• Ms. Durlabhya Singh, Student Co-Convenor, +91 78500 73174
• Ms. Sonia Dhawan, Student Co-Convenor, +91 73077 91958
• Mr. Aayush Agarwal, Student Co-Secretary, +91 69015 53987

For more details, refer to the brochure here.