This class runs in the fall semester at the University of Nevada – Boyd School of Law
IMGL Student Writing Competition – invitation for entries
| The IMGL Student Writing Competition is relaunching as a single global competition and we are inviting entries from qualifying students. The competition for the academic year 2025/2026 is to be launched in September 2025, which hopefully ties in with term dates and thesis deadlines. The deadline for entries is 1st March 2026 to allow for a judging process to take place although we ask potential competitors to indicate in September 2025 that they intend to enter the competition. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to the IMGL Spring Conference in Washington DC in April 2026. A judging panel comprising academics and gaming law practitioners will be convened and shortlisted students will be invited to make online presentations in support of their papers. Judges will make their determination in March of 2026 with the results being announced at the IMGL Spring Conference. I MGL has set aside a prize budget of $10,000 to cover student travel and accommodation and a cash prize element. It will be decided by the judges how the prize will be split according to the quality of entrants. Eligibility: 1) The paper must be written as part of a course or program held during the academic year 2025-2026 2) The paper’s topic must be directly related to gaming law, gaming regulation, or gaming policy. Entries are also invited from beyond gaming law students to other law students with an interest in researching gaming, to those studying responsible gaming and problem gambling and to those studying compliance in regulated industries with relevance to gaming. 3) The instructor of the course, or the director of the program, must nominate the student’s paper as a high-quality paper appropriate for this competition; high-quality papers ordinarily should have earned an “A” grade or be within the top ten percent of papers produced in the course. 4) The student must be enrolled in law school, a graduate program, or an undergraduate program at the time the student’s paper was written. No prizes will be awarded to former students although we could choose to publish their paper in the IMGL Magazine under our usual editorial policies. The emphasis is on final-year undergraduates, masters and doctorate students in the hope that entries will include genuinely new and insightful papers. Submission Requirements: 1) The student should submit their initial interest in via email to Brien Van Dyke at brien@imgl.org by September 30 2025. (Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required). 2) Final papers must be submitted by March 1st 2026, via email to the same address. 3) Each submission must include— a. A paper meeting the eligibility requirements above, and that is—No more than 10,000 words including footnotes or other references or bibliography, andSubmitted in pdf format; b. An abstract or summary of the paper of 150 words or less; and c. A brief statement of nomination from the instructor of the course or director of the program. Evaluation of Submissions and Selection of Finalists: 1) Submissions will be reviewed and finalists will be selected by the IMGL Education Committee. Students will be expected to prepare an online presentation in support of their paper. 2) Prior to review and selection, the Committee shall decide on a process that evaluates each submission according to— a. Quality of writing and research, and b. Value of the paper’s contribution to gaming law practitioners, gaming regulators, or gaming policymakers. 3) The Committee shall select no more than six finalists; all finalists will be invited to present on their paper topic at the Spring conference 2026 in Washington DC Finalist Presentations and Selection of Winners: 1. A “Best Paper” winner shall be selected from among the finalists’ papers. a. The finalists’ papers will be evaluated by an ad hoc committee consisting of three members of the IMGL Executive Committee, as appointed by the President, and two IMGL Educator members, as nominated by the chair of the IMGL Education Committee and appointed by the President. b. The ad hoc committee shall select a winning paper by determining which paper is best suited, both in terms of quality and topic, for publication in the Gaming Law Review and/or the IMGL Magazine. 2. A “Best Presentation” winner shall be selected from the finalists who present their papers at the annual IMGL spring conference 2026. a. Each finalist will be invited to present on their paper topic as part of a panel during the conference; all finalists who make such a presentation will have their expenses (travel, hotel, and conference fees) paid by the IMGL. Additionally, the educator nominator (the instructor of the courseor director of the program) for each finalist who makes such a presentation will be invited to attend and will have the conference fee waived. b. Panel audience members will vote for the best presentation; in casting their votes, audience members will be asked to take into account: Quality of the finalist’s presentation skills, and Relevance of the finalist’s presentation topic to gaming law practitioners, gaming regulators, or gaming policymakers. 3. The “Best Paper” and “Best Presentation” winners will be announced at the President’s lunch on the last day of the conference. Prizes: 1. The “Best Paper” winner will receive a cash prize along with the opportunity to develop the paper for publication in the IMGL Magazine. 2. The “Best Presentation” winner will receive a cash prize. 3. All finalists will receive recognition in the IMGL Magazine and/or on the IMGL web site. We hope you will share this opportunity with your students and look forward to receiving their papers. Prospective entrants should confirm their interest by end September 2025 in writing to phil@IMGL.org. Further guidance may also be sought and questions answered via this route. |
| International Masters of Gaming LawPO Box 27106 * Las Vegas, NV 89126 USA |