Undergraduate Essay Contest -- Animal Law & Ethics

I am posting the following notice I received from Brian Burton at Penn Law School.

2005-06 Undergraduate Essay Contest Guidelines

Overview: The Journal of Animal Law & Ethics, run by students of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, is sponsoring an essay contest intended to encourage consideration of the ethical implications of animals’ legal status. The author of the winning essay will receive a $200 prize.

Eligibility: This competition is open to all undergraduate students enrolled for the 2005-2006 academic year.

Entrants must write an essay answering the following question: Can animals have personhood, and if so, does it apply to all species? What are the moral ramifications of your position, and how should they affect animals' legal status?

Format: Submissions should answer these questions in an essay of 6-10 pages, 12 point font, Times New Roman, with 1 inch margins. Essays longer and shorter than the suggested 6-10 pages will be considered, within reason.

Submitting: Please send your submission by e-mail to jale@law.upenn.edu with the words “undergraduate essay submission” in the subject line, or mail them to:

Journal of Animal Law & Ethics
University of Pennsylvania Law School
3400 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Deadlines: Submissions are due March 31, 2006. Papers e-mailed or postmarked after this date will not be considered.

Author: Submissions must be an original work written by a single author.

Judging: Essays will be judged by the editorial board of the Journal of Animal Law and Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Criteria that will be used in judging submissions include: novelty of the ideas presented, strength of arguments, quality of writing, and thoroughness of research. Submissions should be accurately cited, free of typographical or other errors.