Call for submissions for the 2026 Human Rights Essay Award, Deadline for submissions: February 3rd, 2026

The Human Rights Essay Award is an annual award sponsored by the Academy aimed at encouraging the production of academic articles in the field of international human rights law. The topic for the 2026 will be: The right to protest under international human rights law: legal protection and challenges ahead.

Participants have the flexibility to choose any subject related to this topic. However, the scope of the essay must directly correspond to the 2026 theme, or it will be disqualified. Additionally, we would like to note that we believe international human rights law includes international humanitarian law and international criminal law.

ABOUT THE TOPIC

The Academy has chosen the topic, “The Right to Protest under international human rights law: legal protection and challenges ahead.” In recent years, many countries have seen an increase in unlawful restrictions on this right despite its universally recognized protections. Historically, the right to protest has been a decisive instrument for securing social progress and democratic transformation. Its protection is not only fundamental to international human rights law, but also essential to ensuring that states remain obligated to respect and safeguard individual rights and liberties. This issue can be explored from multiple perspectives, including domestic regulation, criminal legislation, redress mechanisms, and root causes, among others.

Participants Eligibility Requirements:

Must hold a law degree, Juris Doctor, (J.D.), Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), or equivalent.
Shall have a demonstrated experience or interest in international human rights law.
Have the flexibility to choose any subject related to the 2026 topic: The right to protest under international human rights law: legal protection and challenges ahead.
Must keep in mind the essay must be a legal article citation sources.
The submitted essay must be an academic legal article with proper citations and source references.