LWI AI & Innovation Writing Contest

The LWI Board is pleased to announce the LWI AI & Innovation Writing Contest – an exciting, new initiative that aims to promote and support thoughtful, timely scholarship that will situate LWI and our members as innovative thought leaders in the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI). Up to three winners will be selected.  The winner(s) will be announced during the 2026 LWI Biennial and each awarded a cash prize of $1000.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • A scholarly essay, scholarly article, or scholarly book chapter of any length and published in any medium that primarily focuses on the relationship between artificial intelligence and the discipline of legal writing
  • The piece must have been substantively researched and drafted during the 2024-2026 Biennium
  • The piece must have been accepted for publication or actually published during the 2024-2026 Biennium
  • Because this is a contest prize, not a grant, receiving a Joint ALWD/LWI grant and/or a grant from any other source does not bar eligibility.
  • A piece remains eligible if it has been workshopped or presented on because those activities enrich works-in-progress.
  • The piece can be solo-authored or co-authored (but if a co-authored piece wins, the $1000 prize will be split evenly among the co-authors).
  • At the time of the nomination and receipt of the award, the author must be a current member of LWI. Given that LWI membership is free, if the piece is co-authored, all authors must be LWI members at the time of nomination and receipt of the award.

Procedure for Nominations:

  • You can self-nominate or be nominated by someone else, although self-nomination is preferred to avoid duplicate nominations. If you do choose to nominate someone else, be sure to attain their prior consent before submitting the nomination and to the extent possible, ensure that no one else has already nominated them.
  • The subject line of your nomination email should state: Nomination for LWI’s AI & Innovation Writing Contest. It should attach the published version of the article, or, if the article has not been published, the latest version of the article as well as the offer of publication.
  • Defective or incomplete nominations will not be considered.
  • A person may only be nominated for a single piece of scholarship. In other words, only one submission/entry per person will be permitted.
  • You may nominate multiple different people and submissions.
  • You may self-nominate and also nominate someone else, although, as noted above, self-nominations are preferred for administrative convenience.
  • All nominations must be received by or before midnight on Monday, April 13, 2026. Late submissions will not be considered, and extensions will not be granted.

Selection Criteria:

The LWI President will assemble a small panel of judges to thoughtfully review the nominations and make a recommendation regarding the winner to the Board. Judges will be ineligible for contest entry. The Board will vote on the recommendation to select the final winner. Selection criteria will include, among other things, the originality, innovation, thoughtfulness, quality, and impact of the submission. The winner(s) will be announced at the 2026 LWI Biennial Conference.

Submitting a Nomination:

To submit your nomination, please email it to lwionline2016@gmail.com by or before April 13, 2026. Extensions will not be granted. To be considered, your email must include the subject line: Nomination for LWI’s AI & Innovation Writing Contest. Attach the nominated piece in its published form, and if it has not been published, attach the offer of publication along with the submission.