$3,000 prize + discretionary $1,500 prize for a commendable runner-up
We invite you to submit an academic essay that approaches a contemporary issue using a Law and Economics lens. The essay should apply economic analysis to an existing or possible legal rule or institution and explain the rule’s effects on behaviour. It can discuss whether these effects are socially desirable. The essay can concern any area of law including competition law, regulation, property rights, contracts or public management.
Deadline for submissions is 28 February 2026.
Open to under- and post-graduate university students or recent graduates (enrolled in the 12 months prior to deadline for submissions) of any New Zealand university faculty.
2,000 to 15,000 words with no adverse inferences drawn from essay length, provided the subject matter is well addressed.
Essays that have been submitted for university courses in the 18 months preceding the deadline are eligible.
- Maximum of one essay per applicant.
- The judging panel will comprise members of the LEANZ Committee or LEANZ Fellows (https://www.leanz.org.nz/aboutleanz-fellows/).
- Entry eligibility and prizes shall be decided at the sole discretion of the judging panel.
- The prize winners will be invited to present or receive recognition for their essays at a LEANZ seminar event, and to share their essays on the LEANZ website.
- Send any questions and essays for submission to: [email protected].
- More information on LEANZ can be found at https://www.leanz.org.nz/.
Past winning topics include:
“Plugging the gaps in consent: standard form contracts and their failings” (2024).
“Devicive: Medical Device Regulation and the New Zealand Therapeutic Products Act 2023” (2023).
“Should the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Continue their Endeavours to Implement a Central Bank Digital Currency for Retail Application” (2022).
“Five-Eyes, Spies and International Ties: A Common Whistleblowing Regime” (2021).