The Centre for Advanced Legal Studies, Training and Research (CALSTAR) at Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai (MNLU Mumbai) has announced the CALSTAR Law and Policy Review Blog Writing Competition 2026.
The competition seeks to encourage analytical and research-oriented legal writing on contemporary issues concerning corporate, financial and economic law, providing participants with a platform to examine evolving jurisprudence, regulatory developments and policy questions.
About CALSTAR:
The Centre for Advanced Legal Studies, Training and Research (CALSTAR) was established at MNLU Mumbai in 2022. The Centre brings together academic, research and training activities relating to contemporary and emerging areas of law.
CALSTAR functions through dedicated Research and Publication, Social Media and Marketing, and Events and Public Relations wings, with a focus on research, publications, academic engagement and outreach.
About the Competition:
The competition is organised against the backdrop of significant developments in corporate, financial and economic regulation.
The brochure identifies areas including banking, competition, mergers and acquisitions, taxation, insolvency, securities and capital markets, trade law and contemporary legal issues as relevant domains for submissions.
The competition aims to:
- Encourage scholarly engagement with contemporary developments in corporate, financial and economic laws.
- Promote analytical and research-oriented legal writing in a structured blog format.
- Provide participants with a platform to articulate well-reasoned legal arguments and perspectives.
- Foster awareness of regulatory and judicial responses to economic challenges.
- Identify and recognise excellence in legal research and writing.
Broad Themes:
Participants may write on topics falling within the following broad areas:
- Banking Laws
- Competition Law
- Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)
- Taxation Laws
- White Collar Crimes
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy Law
- Securities and Capital Markets Law
- Trade Law
- Contemporary Issues
Participants therefore have considerable flexibility in selecting a contemporary legal issue within these broad domains.
Eligibility:
The competition is open to:
- Undergraduate students enrolled in any course
- Postgraduate students
- Research scholars
- Academicians
- Legal professionals
Co-authorship of up to two authors is permitted.
Registration Fee:
| Category | Registration Fee |
|---|---|
| Single Authorship | ₹300 |
| Co-authorship | ₹500 |
Participants can register by scanning the QR code provided in the official brochure.
Important Dates:
| Particulars | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration Deadline | 25 September 2026 |
| Submission Deadline | 5 October 2026 |
| Announcement of Results | 30 October 2026 |
The above dates are specified in the competition timeline on page 13 of the brochure.
Prizes:
The competition offers the following prizes:
Winner
₹5,000 cash prize + Internship opportunity at a reputed firm
Second Prize
₹3,000 cash prize
Third Prize
₹2,000 cash prize
In addition, top-performing participants may be considered for internship opportunities based on the quality of their submissions.
Training Opportunities
The competition also includes a training component for registered participants.
The organisers will conduct a foundational workshop on academic blog writing, covering:
- Blog structure
- Clarity of argument
- Basic drafting techniques
- Writing a blog from scratch
Selected top-performing participants will additionally be invited to an advanced workshop covering topic identification, research questions, argument development, draft refinement and common mistakes in academic and policy-oriented writing.
The brochure states that no additional fee will be charged for the advanced session.
Submission Guidelines:
The organisers have specified the following guidelines:
- Submissions must be the original work of the author(s).
- References should preferably be provided through hyperlinks linked to relevant keywords and phrases within the body of the submission.
- Footnotes/endnotes should be used only where a hyperlink reference is unavailable.
- Where footnotes or endnotes are necessary, OSCOLA (4th edition) must be followed.
- Co-authorship is limited to two authors.
- Submissions should be analytical and solution-oriented rather than merely descriptive.
- The preferred word limit is 1,200–2,000 words.
- The similarity index should not exceed 15%.
- AI-generated content must remain below 10%.
Board of Advisors:
The brochure lists the following members on the Board of Advisors:
- Himanshu Aggarwal — Principal Associate, Vaish Associates
- Aman Durga — Partner, Sayaki Legal
- Reshma Oak — Principal Associate, J. Sagar Associates, Advocates & Solicitors
- Chitrangada Singh — Principal Associate, Clove Legal – Advocates & Solicitors
- Ritikaa Juneja — Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRER)
- Akanshaa Yadav — Assistant Professor, Vivekananda School of Law and Legal Studies
Contact Details
Event Coordinator:
Om Chandak
+91 74107 18040
Event Heads:
Rashi Nayak — +91 78220 76753
Radhika Agrawal — +91 73853 50195
Email: calstar@mnlumumbai.edu.in
Why Participate?:
The CALSTAR Blog Writing Competition provides participants with an opportunity to work on contemporary issues in corporate and financial law while developing research, legal analysis and structured blog-writing skills.
The combination of a cash prize, internship opportunity and academic writing workshops makes the competition particularly relevant for students and researchers interested in corporate law, M&A, competition law, insolvency, securities regulation, taxation and related areas.
For more info check out the official brochure
