Law Student Writing Awards Program

The IIC sponsors an annual competition for full-time undergraduate students in Canadian Law Schools. The purpose of the IIC Law Student Writing Awards Program is to stimulate interest among law students in the research and development of papers based on corporate insolvency and restructuring topics and to recognize outstanding achievements in this endeavour.   

The awards program allows undergraduate students to research insolvency issues, develop ideas, and bring proposals for reform to the attention of the business and legal community.

Past winning papers are available to members through the members-side of the website.

IIC 2022-2023 Law Student Writing Awards

The 2023 program is now open!  Papers can be submitted at any time from fall or winter classes, before the June 15, 2023 deadline.

First, second and third prizes of $7,500, $5,000, and $2,500 will be awarded. 

Both the first-place winner and their faculty sponsor will be invited guests at the 2023 IIC Conference which will be held on October 19-22, 2023 at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, in Ottawa, ON. Complimentary conference registration (including accommodations) and travel costs will be provided.

If a co-authored paper is selected for first place, the division of the prize and the reimbursed travel costs will be entirely at the discretion of the winners.

Eligibility

  • The competition is open to law students in full-time undergraduate law programs at Canadian universities. Entries may be submitted in English or French.
  • Each student is limited to one entry. There is no limit to the number of entries that may be submitted from one university, but each paper must bear the endorsement of a law faculty member.
  • Papers must be no longer than 3,000 words (exclusive of footnotes) and must be typed. Papers may be jointly written.
  • Papers must be submitted electronically to the Executive Director at the email provided in the entry form by the deadline.
  • The paper must be focused on restructuring in an insolvency context.
 2023 Brochure and Entry Form

Congratulations to the 2022 Award Winners!

We were pleased to celebrate the achievements of our first-place award winner in person this year, at the 2022 Annual Conference in Kelowna, BC, Sept. 8-11, 2022. It was the first in-person IIC Annual Conference since the pandemic.

Please join the IIC Board of Directors and the Judges Panel in congratulating the following winners:

Daniel Alievsky
First Place - $7,500

Western University
Faculty Sponsor: Prof. Alfonso Nocilla
Paper: Reverse Vesting Orders: Did We Forget About Creditor Democracy?

Daniel was the guest of honour at the Saturday Awards Dinner at the Grand Okanagan Resort in Kelowna, BC on September 10th, where he was presented his prize and recognized for his outstanding accomplishment. He was joined by his faculty sponsor, Prof. Alfonso Nocilla, as a guest at the conference.

Kimia Jalilvand & Gregory Scott
Second Place - $5,000

Thomson Rivers University
Faculty Sponsor: Prof. Richard Butler
Paper: From Discretion to Compliance: How UNDRIPA Mandates Indigenous Participation in CCAA Proceedings

Chelsea Angel
Third Place - $2,500

Western University
Faculty Sponsor: Prof. Thomas Telfer
Paper: In the Aftermath of Quadriga: The Valuation and Priority of Cryptocurrency Claims under the BIA

Congratulations to Daniel, Kimia, Greg, and Chelsea for a job well done. Thank you to all the students who submitted their hard work and excellent papers, and to the faculty sponsors for their support of their students and the IIC Law Student Writing Awards Program. Information on the 2023 Law Student Writing Awards will be posted on the website in the coming months.

Thank you to the members of the 2022 Judges Panel for their hard work and dedication to the process.