This annual competition is designed to challenge law students to analyze the environmental issues confronting us today.
Presented by: Environmental and Energy Law Section
Contact: Amy Jasiewicz at: [email protected]
Nomination Deadline: Essays are encouraged throughout the year from September – May , with the final deadline as June 3, 2025. Winners will be announced August.
Date Presented: Section’s Fall Meeting
Award Criteria: Contest is open to all students enrolled in a New York State law school. Essays may have been submitted for course credit or for law reviews, but not as part of paid employment. Criteria for judging entries will be organization, practicality, originality, quality of research, clarity of style.
Length: Maximum length, 35 double-spaced pages (including footnotes, which may be single-spaced).
Format: Each entrant MUST submit a hard copy AND an electronic copy in either Microsoft Word or Wordperfect 5.0. Essays may be emailed to Amy Jasiewicz
Prize Awarded: 1st place: $1,000 and publication by the NYSBA. 2nd and 3rd place: $500 and $250 respectively – consideration of publication by the NYSBA. Certificates.
2024 Winners
First Place: Abigail Pelton, Columbia Law School
Second Place: Andrew Fitch, Columbia Law School
Third Place: Jessica Staley, St. John’s University School of Law
2023 Winners
First Place: Celeste Fleetwood, Columbia Law School
Second Place: Caroline Chen, Pace Law School
Third Place: Elizabeth Sanchez, Albany Law School
2022 Winners
First Place: Tal Avrhami, Columbia Law School and Jared Gilmour, Columbia Law School
Second Place: MacKenzie Thurman, Columbia Law School
Third Place: Liam Fine, Columbia Law School
2021 Winners
First Place: Ian Bennett – Columbia Law School
First Place: Anderw Shifren – Columbia Law School
Second Place: Suzana Kondic – Columbia Law School
Second Place: Adam Herron – Albany Law School
Third Place: Robert O’Connor – Pace Law School
Third Place: Luther Caulkins – Columbia Law School
Previous Award Recipients
2020 Alisha Faherty, Pace Law School (First Place)
2002 Joel Beacher, Columbia Law School (Second Place)
2020 Isabella Kendrick, Columbia Law School (Third Place)
2020 Natalie Roy, Columbia Law School (Third Place)
2019 Frederick A. McDonald, III, Pace (First Place)
2019 Qidi Zhang, Columbia (Second Place)
2019 Ian R. Murray, Pace (Third Place Tie)
2019 Meghan McElligott, Buffalo (Third Place Tie)
2018 Rachel Mannng – Fordham (1st Place)
2018 Raquel Parks – Pace (2nd Place Tie)
2018 Anthony Raduazo – Columbia (2nd Place Tie)
2018 Robert Reagan – Pace (3rd Place)
2017 Anna Joy Baxendale – Columbia (1st Place)
2017 Matthew S. Scarano – Columbia (2nd Place Tie)
2017 Joseph Margolies – Columbia (2nd Place Tie)
2017 Christian Termyn – Columbia (3rd Place Tie)
2017 Lauren Packard – Columbia (3rd Place Tie)
2016 Channing R. Jones – Columbia (1st Place)
2016 Esmeralda Colombo – Columbia (2nd Place)
2016 Dennis T. Scanlon – Syracuse (3rd Place)
2015 Gregg Badichek – Columbia (1st Place)
2015 Ahmed Javaid – Fordham (2nd Place)
2015 Nicholas Zapp – Albany (3rd Place)
2014 Abiola Fasehun – Columbia (1st Place Tie)
2014 Michael Molina – St. John’s (1st Place Tie)
2014 Max Lindsey – Albany (2nd Place)
2014 Paige Pavone – Columbia (3rd Place)
2013 Edward Hyde Clarke – Albany (1st Place)
2013 Frank Piccininni – Hofstra (2nd Place)
2013 Paul J. Brown – St. John’s (3rd Place Tie)
2013 Robert P. Wilson – St. John’s (3rd Place Tie)
2012 Jennifer Chen – NY Univ (1st Place)
2012 Patrick Siler, Esq. – St. John’s (2nd Place)
2012 Devin McDougall – Columbia (3rd Place)
2011 Caryn Davies – Columbia (3rd Place)
2011 Patrick Siler, Esq. – St. John’s (1st Place)
2011 John M. Amandolare, Esq. – Syracuse (2nd Place)
2010 Frances M. Kabat, Esq. – Buffalo (3rd Place Tie)
2010 Ben Schifman – Columbia (2nd Place Tie)
2010 Mark A. Popovsky, Esq. – Columbia (3rd Place Tie)
2010 Sorell Elizabeth Negro – Cornell (3rd Place Tie)
2010 Ashley Lorance – Hofstra (2nd Place Tie)
2010 Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, Esq. – NY Univ. (1st Place)
2009 Robert P. Goodwin, Esq. – Buffalo (3rd Place Tie)
2009 Tonya Lewis – Buffalo (3rd Place Tie)
2009 Scott K. Maxwell, Esq. – St. John’s (1st Place)
2009 Matthew Stuart, Esq. – St. John’s (2nd Place)
2008 Kristien G. Knapp – Cardozo (2nd Place)
2008 Steven Corey Sarno, Esq. – Pace (1st Place)
2008 Lauren C. Stabile – Pace (3rd Place)
2007 John A. Vassallo, III – Pace (1st Place)
2007 Ian Jared Silverbrand, Esq. – Cornell (2nd Place)
2007 Heather Lee Drayton, Esq. – Hofstra (3rd Place Tie)
2007 Patrick David Donnelly, Esq. – Pace (3rd Place Tie)
2006 Elizabeth Blair Ferrell, Esq. – Cornell (3rd place tie)
2006 Sarah Olinger – Pace (1st Place)
2006 David Scott Johnson, Esq. – Pace (2nd place)
2006 Kristen Sentoff – Pace (3rd place tie)
2005 Michael Donohue, Esq. – Albany (1st Place Tie)
2005 Thomas M. Tuori, Esq. – Buffalo (1st Place Tie)
2005 Katherine Diane Renshaw, Esq. – NY Univ. (2nd Place Tie)
2005 Jordan Michael O’Brien – St. John’s (2nd Place Tie)
2004 Wendy Thomas, Esq. – Columbia (2nd Place Tie)
2004 Jeffrey K. Roberson – NY Univ. (2nd Place Tie)
2004 Janice A. Dean, Esq. – Pace (1st Place)
2003 Carin M. Cardinale Perkins, Esq. – Albany (1st Place)
2003 Todd Mathes, Esq. – Albany (3rd Place)
2003 Alicia L. Peden – Cornell (2nd Place)
2002 Janet Kealy, Esq. – Albany (3rd Place)
2002 Cyane W. Gresham – Fordham (1st Place)
2002 Shorge Sato – NY Univ. (2nd Place)
2001 Joseph C. LaValley, III, Esq. – Albany (1st Place Tie)
2001 David P. Gold – Columbia (1st Place Tie)
2001 Jeffrey M. Tapick, Esq. – Columbia(1st Place Tie)
2000 Galen D. Wilcox, Esq. – Albany (1st Place Tie)
2000 David R. Green, Esq. – Albany (2nd Place)
2000 Jacalyn R. Fleming, Esq. – Albany (3rd Place Tie)
2000 Robert A. Panasci, Esq. – Albany (3rd Place Tie)
1999 Benjamin Lee Simmons, III, Esq. – Columbia (1st Place)
1999 Joseph R. Berger – Columbia (2nd Place)
1999 Rex D. Khan – Cornell (3rd Place Tie)
1999 Lauren A. Sears – Hofstra (3rd Place Tie)
1998 Joseph J. Mann – NY Univ. (1st Place)
1998 Allen F. Tobin, Esq. – Pace (3rd Place)
1998 Vernon G. Rail, Esq. – St. John’s (2nd Place)
1997 Jessica K. Reynolds-Amuso, Esq. – Albany (2nd Place)
1997 Maryellen Suhrhoff, Esq. – Albany (3rd Place)
1997 Matthew G. Morreale, Esq. – Columbia (1st Place)
1996 Kelly A. Keenan, Esq. – Albany (1st Place tie)
1996 Kristen Mollnow Walsh, Esq. – Albany (1st Place tie)
1996 Dorothea M. Capone, Esq. – St. John’s (3rd Place)
1995 Joseph S. Maniscalco, Esq. – Hofstra (1st Place)
1995 Ronald J. Gregorio, Esq. – NY Law (3rd Place)
1995 Michael J. Wald, Esq. – St. John’s (2nd Place)
1994 Dorinda D. Bolander, Esq. – Albany (3rd Place)
1994 Kimberly A. Troisi – Cornell (2nd place)
1994 James P. Power, Esq. – NY Univ. (1st place)
1993 Emily H. Schwartz, Esq. – Buffalo (1st Place)
1993 Jennifer Bernacki Smith, Esq. – Buffalo (2nd Place tie)
1992 Theodore E. Tsekerides, Esq. – Brooklyn (2nd Place)
1992 Elizabeth Beiring – Buffalo (1st Place)
1992 Daniel M. Weisberg, Esq. – Pace (3rd Place)
1991 Alfred Evans – Columbia (2nd Place)
1991 Bruce Taterka, Esq. – Pace (1st Place)
1991 Charles John Rinaldi, Esq. – St. John’s (3rd Place)
1990 Mary Critharis – Brooklyn (2nd place)
1990 Susan L. Gorman, Esq. – Fordham (1st place)
1990 Steven C. Bauman, Esq. – Pace (3rd Place)
1989 Dan Drazen – Cardozo (2nd place)
1989 Ginamarie Alvino, Esq. – St. John’s (1st place)
1989 Craig B. Kravit, Esq. – St. John’s (3rd place)
1988 Joseph P. Salvo, Esq. – St. John’s (1st place)
1988 Sheldon B. Winicour, Esq. – Fordham (2nd Place Tie)
1988 Craig B. Kravit, Esq. – St. John’s (2nd Place Tie)