Freedom Law Clinic is pleased to announce the Freedom Law Clinic Essay Prize 2026.
Held every other year, the competition invites students and aspiring lawyers to engage with a major legal question shaping the modern world.

Essay Question- Is the international rules-based order collapsing?

For decades, Western governments have defended international law as the foundation of a “rules-based international order”. Yet recent conflicts and geopolitical tensions have raised serious questions about whether that order is still functioning.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war in Gaza, tensions in the South China Sea, and debates about humanitarian intervention have all prompted renewed scrutiny of international law and its institutions.

Does international law meaningfully constrain states? Or is the rules-based order increasingly giving way to raw geopolitical power?

We invite essays that critically engage with these questions and explore the future of international law in a changing world.

Prize Winner: £500

The winner will also have their essay published on the Freedom Law Clinic website.

Eight shortlisted finalists will be invited to participate in an online Freedom Law Clinic seminar, where the winning essay will be announced.

Please submit essays in PDF format to: hello@freedomlawclinic.org 

Subject: Essay Prize Submission