ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The International Section comprises approximately 1,500 members of the New York State Bar Association (both American and foreign lawyers) who practice, or have an interest in, public and private international law.
The Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition, which began in 1988, fosters legal scholarship in international law by encouraging law students and new legal practitioners to write on topics in public or private international law. The International Section believes that by providing a forum to disseminate their ideas and articles, the professional and academic communities are enriched. Furthermore, the competition offers an opportunity to submit law review-quality articles to the Section for possible publication in one of its publications (e.g., the New York International Law Review).
A committee of practicing attorneys will review all submissions, and a winner will be chosen based on a variety of factors, including the significance and timeliness of the subject matter, thoroughness of research and analysis, clarity of writing style, as well as the importance and originality of the topic to the understanding of private/public international law or comparative law.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Submissions are open to current law students (J.D., LL.M., and Ph.D. candidates) at any law school worldwide at the time of submission, provided the following conditions are met:
- The author must not have more than three (3) years of experience (past or present) as an actively licensed attorney in any U.S. or foreign jurisdiction.
- The submission must not have been published or be under contract for publication with any other outlet, except for the New York State Bar Journal, the New York International Law Review, or the International Law Practicum (see rule 5 for more details).
- The submission must be a piece of legal scholarship (i.e., a law review-style article) primarily focused on an aspect of law in any area of public or private international law or practice.
- Submissions must include proof of enrollment in law school as a J.D., LL.M., or Ph.D. student, along with a copy of the author’s resume/CV.
Note: Faculty members of any college or university and legal practitioners with three (3) or more years of professional experience as a licensed attorney in any U.S. jurisdiction are ineligible to participate.
PRIZE
The winner will receive:
- $2,000 USD; and
- Publication of the article (subject to editorial approval) in the New York International Law Review.
TIMELINE
- Submission Deadline: 4pm on Friday, January 16, 2026 (see competition brochure for more details)
- Announcement of Winner: Last week of February 2026
- Award Presentation: March 2026 (more details to follow)
- Publication of winning article in the NYILR: Fall 2026 Issue
CONTACT
Carra Forgea
Section Liaison, Program and Event Manager
New York State Bar Association
One Elk Street Albany, NY 12207
2025 Award Winner
Kwang Woo Kim
He has experience at the New York State Office of the Attorney General, Civil Rights Bureau, where he conducted legal research and drafting on constitutional and statutory enforcement matters. He has also contributed to scholarship at the Center on Law, Inequality and Metropolitan Equity (CLiME), examining post–Students for Fair Admissions frameworks and the role of land-grant institutions in higher education.
His academic work has been published in the International Law & Business Review, and his article, Land-Grant Exceptionalism: Reclaiming Access and Equity in Admissions, is forthcoming in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Law & Social Change. His broader research interests include comparative constitutional systems, digital trade governance, and the interaction between domestic and international legal regimes.
Prior to law school, he served with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as an interpreter and external relations coordinator, facilitating high-level engagements and drafting operational frameworks for international cooperation. He has also worked with institutions including the Green Climate Fund, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Ministry of Justice of Korea.
He holds a Master’s degree in International Cooperation from Seoul National University and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Kyung Hee University.
Past Award Winners
2024 – DR. KABIR DUGGAL
Harvard Law School
The Birth of the Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET) in Private International Law: An Archival Study of Treaty Negotiations During the Truman Administration
2023 – LAUREN HUBBARD
University of North Carolina Law School
Judicial Enforcement of Oregon’s New Constitutional Right to Afford Health Care
2022 – IAN ROBERT MADDOX
University of North Carolina Law School
South Africa’s Dormant Emergency Clause and the Value of an Emergency Constitution
2021 – RYAN MIGEED
The George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C.
Ending the Game of Environmental Politics in the Arctic: How the Arctic States Can Achieve Dispute Resolution Using Existing Legal Frameworks
2020 – DANIEL J. ALVAREZ
Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, White Plains, NY
China, Hong Kong, and the Foreign Offender’s Ordinance: How Proposed Amendments to Hong Kong’s Extradition Laws Threatened International Human Rights
2019 – RACHEL PHILLIPS
Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA
Toward A Safer Society: Guatemalan Responses to Femicide
2018 – CAMILA A. SOSA
St. John’s University School of Law, Queens, NY
The Forgotten Victims of Terrorism: Asylum Seekers Barred by the Board of Immigration Appeals’ Failure to Define De Minimis Support
2017 – CAROLINE A. FISH
St. John’s University School of Law, Queens, NY
Beyond “Sex Slaves” and “Tiny Terrorists”: Toward a More Nuanced Understanding of Human Trafficking Crimes Perpetrated by Da’esh
2016 – J. RAYMOND MECHMANN, III
St. John’s University School of Law, Queens, NY
Remedying Eternal “Inadequacy”: How Anonymous Juries in the Special Criminal Court Would Preserve Ireland’s Jury Trial Right
2015 – JULIA H. PURDY
University at Buffalo School of Law, Buffalo, NY
The Right to Water in International Arbitration: A Narrow Case Study of the Kishenganga Arbitration
2014 – RYAN H. HUTZLER
The George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C.
Building a Different Kind of Relationship
2013 – ROUZHNA NAYERI
Southern Methodist University – Dedman School of Law, Dallas, TX
No Longer the Sleeping Dog, the FCPA Is Awake and Ready to Bite: Analysis of the Increased FCPA Enforcements, the Implications, and Recommendations for Reform
2012 – BRANDON NAGY
Arizona State University – Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Phoenix, AZ
Unreliable Excuses: How do Differing Persuasive Interpretations of CISG Article 79 Affect its Goal of Harmony
2011 – ANTHONY ROCK
2011 – CASEY G. WATKINS
Rutgers Law School – Newark, Newark, NJ
Whaling in the Antarctic: Case Analysis and Suggestions for the Future of Antarctic Whaling and Stock Management
2010 – ALLISON LEIGH RICHMOND
Scrutinizing the Shipwreck Salvage Standard: Should a Salvor Be Rewarded for Locating Historic Treasure?
2009 – OLGA V. PETROVSKY, ESQ.
St. John’s University School of Law, Queens, NY
International Antitrust Agreement: Premature Proposal and Practical Solutions
2008 – STEVEN R. BLAU
Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA
The Federal Reserve and European Central Bank as Lenders-of-Last-Resort: Different Needles in Their Compass
2007 – CANON PENCE
University of North Carolina Law School, Chapel Hill, NC
Japanese Only: Xenophobic Exclusion in Japan’s Private Sphere
2005 – SAAD GUL
Wake Forest University School of Law, Winston-Salem, NC
The Bells of Hell: An Assessment of the Sinking of ANR General Belgrano in the Context of the Falklands Conflict
2004 – BABBACK SABAHI, ESQ.
Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA
The ICJ’s Authority to Invalidate the Security Council’s Decisions Under Chapter VII: Legal Romanticism or the Rule of Law?
2003 – MICHELLE RAE PINZON, ESQ.
Was the Supreme Court Right? A Closer Look at the True Nature of Removal Proceedings in the 21st Century
2002 – PERNILLE IRONSIDE
Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, Toronto, CA
Rwandan Gacaca: Seeking Alternative Means to Justice, Peace and Reconciliation
2001 – CHARLES T. KOTUBY, JR.
University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pittsburgh, PA
The External Competence of the European Community in The Hague Conference on Private International Law: Community Harmonization and Worldwide Unification
1999 – EMILY W. SCHABACKER
1998 – ALBERT H. KRITZER, ESQ.
1997 – EDWARD CHUKWUEMEKE OKEKE, ESQ.
New York Law School, New York, NY
1996 – ILIA B. LEVITINE
Washington and Lee University School of Law, Lexington, VA
1995 – MICHAEL J. WALD, ESQ.
1994 – MARIANNA ROTH
Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA
1993 – SUZANNE M. BERNARD, ESQ.
1992 – GABRIELLE BRUSSEL, ESQ.
1991 – KARL SCHWAPPACH
1990 – ADESEGUN AKIN-ALUGBADE
1989 – YVONNE C. LODICO
1987 – HAROLD R. BURKE
Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, White Plains, NY
Structuring Joint Venture Transactions to Avoid International Currency Controls
1986 – PATRICIA L. JANNACO, ESQ.