Federalism, Identity and Public Policy in Challenging Times: The Baxter Family Competition on Federalism 2020-2021

Federalism, Identity and Public Policy in Challenging Times: The Baxter Family Competition on Federalism 2020-2021

Deadline: Mon, 01 Feb 2021

McGill University’s Faculty of Law

Contact: baxter-competition.law@mcgill.ca


Website

Call for Award Description

McGill University’s Faculty of Law and the Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism are proud to announce that the prestigious Baxter Family Competition on Federalism will return for a third edition in early 2021.

For this edition, participants are invited to submit an original essay related to Federalism, Identity and Public Policy in Challenging Times, by 1 February 2021.

This broad theme should allow for reflections about the impact of federalism on the current COVID-19 crisis – and vice versa –, without being limited to this context. Comparative perspectives are particularly encouraged.

Made possible through the generous support of Rachel Baxter (BSc’84, BCL’88) and Colin Baxter (BCL’90, LLB’90), the Baxter Family Competition on Federalism seeks to promote informed debate on federalism by students and young professionals from around the world. For the first time in 2021, the Competition will be open to law and political science students/PhD candidates, junior scholars and practitioners who graduated in these disciplines.

The three winners will have the unique opportunity to present their papers at a Symposium in May 2021 in Montreal (circumstances allowing). First-, second- and third-place winners will receive prizes of $5,000, $3,000, and $1,000 (CAD) respectively. The prizes will be awarded by a stellar international jury.

For the first two editions, we received in average thirty high-quality submissions, with authors originating from a total of fifteen countries and with various degrees of experience. We enthusiastically expect that the 2021 edition will again attract a rich diversity of contributions.

Submission Guidelines – 2021 Edition

Author eligibility

  • All law or political science students, PhD candidates as well as junior scholars, lawyers or practitioners who graduated in these disciplines with five (5) years of experience or less, from anywhere around the world;
  • To be eligible, authors must either;
  • Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in law or political science;
  • Hold a law or political science degree and have obtained their most recent degree (in law or political science, or otherwise) after 1 February 2016; or
  • Have been admitted to the Bar (or the local equivalent) after 1 February 2016.

Criteria for submission

  • Original text in English or in French;
  • Maximum of 8,000 words for texts in English and of 8,800 words for texts in French (the maximum number of words includes, in both languages, footnotes);
  • Not yet submitted for publication as of 1 February 2021;
  • Written in 12-point font, double-spaced, with 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins on all sides;
  • Numbered in the upper right corner;
  • Submitted in Microsoft Word format;
  • Include complete references in footnotes;
  • Introduced by a distinct document including:

-Title
-Author’s name
-Author’s contact information (e-mail, phone number, address)
-Statement affirming the eligibility for the Competition (date of graduation)
-Unpublished status of the paper;

  • Include an abstract summarizing the main question and main conclusions (maximum 200 words).

Deadline
Deadline for submission of essays: 1 February 2021, at 12h00, Eastern Standard Time (Montreal time).

Submissions are to be emailed to Professor Johanne Poirier, Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism, at baxter-competition.law@mcgill.ca with “Baxter Competition” as the email subject line.

The finalists (those whose papers will be sent for a second round of evaluation) will be invited to submit a 3-5-minute video that will synthesise their main research question, argument and conclusions (in English or in French), in early March 2021. We will provide technical details in due course.

The prize-winning papers of the previous editions of this essay contest may be found on the Baxter Family Competition on federalism web page.