The SCL Student Essay Prize honours the memory of Sir Henry Brooke CMG, a former President of SCL and his immense contribution to the field of computers and the law.
Essay question:
‘There is increasing concern that machine learning tools embed bias in their operations and outputs. To what extent does the law currently provide adequate protection from or adequate redress in respect of any such discrimination?’
This competition offers students the chance to stand out from the crowd and add credibility to their profile, whilst exploring a topic that will be pertinent to their future career.
The prize:
- Publication in the SCL's 'Computers & Law' Magazine and on the SCL website
- £300 cash
Who can enter
You are eligible to enter this competition if you are an undergraduate student (full-time or part-time) currently registered at an accredited academic institution.
Length of essay
The length of your essay should not exceed 2500 words (excluding footnotes, endnotes, bibliography and restatement of the assessment question). Full competition rules are available below.
The closing date for entries is 17.00 hours on Monday 21 June 2021.
We look forward to receiving your entry!
Essay requirements
Your essay must be your original work and not previously published, or submitted for publication, elsewhere. You must have written the essay in the current academic year, and you are welcome to re-use work you have done for your studies. No jointly authored papers are permitted. You may only submit one entry. Your essay must be in English.
How to submit your essay
You must send your essay as a PDF file by email to hello@scl.org to be received by 17.00 hours on Monday 21 June 2021. Your covering email must set out your name, mailing address, educational establishment and the course to which you are registered.
Copyright and publicity
You retain copyright ownership in your paper. You agree to your work being compared against electronic sources by automatic means, and other plagiarism checks the SCL considers appropriate. If you win, you grant to the SCL the non-exclusive right to publish the paper, in print and electronically, in SCL publications, and you agree not publish your papers elsewhere before 1 December 2021. You agree to make any prepublication editorial modifications to the winning entry that are required by the editor of Computers & Law for this purpose.
If you are the winner or your essay is “Highly Commended”, you grant SCL the right to publish your name, educational establishment and details of your essay.
The prize
The prize is £300 and publication in the Computers & Law magazine and on SCL’s website.
The judges may, in their discretion, in addition to declaring a winner, formally award one or more other essays the title ‘Highly Commended’.
How and when will the result be announced
The result of the competition will be announced on Monday 26 July 2021 on the SCL website but, if there are a large number of entries, this deadline may be extended. The prize will be awarded only if, in the opinion of the judges, the standard of entries merits the award.
The judges
The judges will be chosen by SCL. All entries will be anonymised before submission to the judges. The decision of SCL as to the interpretation of these rules and the awarding of the prize (and as to whether any prize is to be awarded) is final and no correspondence or discussions regarding its decision will be entered into.
Also see:
Free membership for UK students in full-time education: SCL provides free membership for UK students in full-time education with a valid ac.uk email address. SCL student members are also eligible to attend SCL events at concessionary rates. UK students in full-time education can apply to join SCL for free by emailing sarah.forster@scl.org
SCL University Ambassadors
Special Deal for Trainees: Free SCL membership until qualification
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