NLU Jodhpur:1st NLUJ CELP Online Essay Writing Competition 2025

The Centre for Economics, Law and Public Policy [CELP], National Law University, Jodhpur is inviting submissions for the first NLUJ CELP Essay Writing Competition, 2025 on the theme, 'Viksit Bharat 2047: Envisioning India's Journey to Development', in association with Erudite Legal.

National Law University Jodhpur (NLUJ) is one of India's Law Schools situated at the vibrant and colourful city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Since its establishment in 1999, NLUJ has produced lawyers and legal scholars aimed at pushing and challenging the existing boundaries of knowledge. NLUJ attracts students coming from diverse social, cultural and religious backgrounds from all corners of India. NLUJ is committed to the advancement of knowledge with learning and is striving to become a centre for excellence in legal studies. It is dedicated to churning out lawyers of highest academic and professional standards and producing legal scholars.

The Annual Essay Competition is the initiative of the CELP at National Law University Jodhpur to engage with contemporary issues through an interdisciplinary lens. This year's competition invites participants to express their views on “Viksit Bharat 2047: Envisioning India's Journey to Development”, encouraging insights and reflections on how legal and institutional reforms can drive inclusive, sustainable, and innovation-led growth.

Suggested Sub-Themes

• Justice Delayed, Development Denied: Reforms in India's Legal System
• Technology and Access to Justice: Building an Efficient and Inclusive Legal System
• Tapping the Demographic Dividend: Education, Employment, and Equity
• Women's Empowerment through Inclusion and Reform
• Revitalizing Indian Agriculture: Innovation, Sustainability, and Farmer Welfare
• Health and Well-Being as Pillars of Development
• Startups and the Innovation Ecosystem
• Sustainability, Law, and Policy: Pathways to a Greener Future
• Digital Governance and Administrative Efficiency
• Empowering Villages for Inclusive Growth

Note: The sub-themes provided above are indicative. Participants are encouraged to undertake in-depth research and may submit essays on any relevant topic aligned with the central theme.

Eligibility Criteria

Participation is invited from students belonging to the following categories:

1. Students pursuing the Five-Year/ Three-Year LL.B. programme

2. Students pursuing a One-Year / Two-Year LL.M programme

3. Students pursuing any other undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the disciplines of law or social sciences at a recognized university in India.

Event Timeline

• Last date of registration: 22 June, 2025
• Last Date of submission of manuscripts: 22 August, 2025
• Declaration of results: 22 September, 2025

Awards

• 1st Prize: INR 11,000 + Certificate of Merit
• 2nd Prize: INR 8000 + + Certificate of Merit
• 3rd Prize: Rs. 6000 + Certificate of Merit

All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation

Note - Selected essays will be published as part of an edited book by a reputed publisher

Registration Fees

• Single author: Rs. 250
• Co-author: Rs. 400
• The registration fee is non-refundable.
• To proceed with the payment of the registration fees,
• Please follow this link: https://nlujodhpur.ac.in/nlu-fees/

Submission Guidelines

• The first page of the submission should only contain the title of the paper, followed by the 200-word abstract.
• The second page must contain a table of contents, and the main body of the manuscript should begin immediately thereafter.
• The word limit for the essay is 5000-7000 words. The word limit is exclusive of the footnotes.
• All the submissions must be original and unpublished work of the author(s). All the submissions will be checked for plagiarism and those with plagiarism percentage over the permissible limit (i.e., 20%) will be summarily rejected.

• Disclosure of information regarding the identity of the author(s), including, but not limited to name, institutional affiliation, professional details, etc., within the body of the manuscript or other properties of the document submitted is strictly prohibited. Any violation of the anonymity requirement will lead to the disqualification of the manuscript from the competition.
• Formatting Guidelines: Garamond; Size 12; Justified; 1.5 Spacing. Footnoting Guidelines: Garamond; Size 10; Justified; 1 spacing.
• The participants are required to submit their manuscript ONLY by sending their entries through email [celp.nlujodhpur@gmail.com].
• All submitted files must be named after the author or co-author(s)

Contact Information

Email: celp.nlujodhpur@gmail.com

• Shivi Sharma: +919352666184
• Thejas Velaga: +917338418006

For more details, refer to the brochure here.