Essay Competition

For this edition, we invited you to give a reasoned answer, in a maximum of 3,000 words, to the title question:

“Has technology diminished the human element in arbitration—and should this shift be embraced?”

The 2026 winner will be awarded with a speaking slot at the upcoming ICCA Congress in Madrid, on the panel entitled “Knowledge and Innovation: Scholarship, AI, and the Future of International Arbitration”. The Madrid Congress will take place from 12-15 April 2026.

If you have any questions about the Young ICCA Essay Competition, you can email the Young ICCA Competition Committee at essaycomp@youngicca.org.

Key submission requirements: 

• Deadline: 30 November 2025 (23:59 CET)
• Word count: no more than 3,000 words (not including footnotes).
• Entries are collected through a submission form that is available on the Young ICCA website.
• Participants may only submit one entry, which must be original work. Co-authored works will be declined.
• Submissions are to be written in the English language.
• There are no specific requirements regarding formatting e.g. double spacing, font type/style, citation style. 
• Open to all practitioners and students under the age of 40 at the date of entering the competition.
• Entries must be anonymized, i.e., do not add your name to the essay document. Personal information is collected through the submission form.
• You need not be a member of Young ICCA to participate, but we encourage you to apply for membership and become part of the world’s leading arbitration knowledge and skills network for young practitioners.

• Manini Brar
• Alex Haden
• Chizaram Mbah

• Stavros Brekoulakis
• Cavinder Bull
• Eduardo Damião Gonçalves
• Dyalá Jiménez
• Stephan Schill

Competition Terms & Conditions

1. The Young ICCA Essay Competition (the "Competition") is a biennial competition organized by Young ICCA, under the coordination and with the support of ICCA. The Competition is organized every two years and consists of an essay competition, in which participants take a position, in no more than 3,000 words, on a topical issue of relevance to the wider international commercial arbitration community. The Competition seeks to further Young ICCA’s stated purpose of opening the doors of international arbitration to young talent, and also to further the engagement between Young ICCA and ICCA itself.

2. The Competition Winner will be awarded a speaking slot at the forthcoming ICCA Congress and the winning essay will be published in the ICCA Congress Series. The Competition Winner will also receive: (a) a Congress registration fee waiver (provided by the Congress Host Committee in consultation with the ICCA Bureau); and (b) a monetary contribution towards economy class travel to the Congress venue and hotel accommodation during the Congress. The costs in paragraph (2)(b) will be covered from Young ICCA’s budget. The costs of attending the ICCA Congress cannot be converted to cash by the winner if they unable to attend the Congress for whatever reason.

3. All entries will be reviewed by the Young ICCA Essay Competition Committee made up of Young ICCA Members and appointed by the Young ICCA Co-chairs for each Prize ("Young ICCA Competition Committee"). The Young ICCA Competition Committee will be responsible for creating a shortlist of no less than 5 and no more than 10 entries, from which an Advisory Committee comprising, inter alia, members of ICCA’s Governing Board, will select the Competition Winner. The Young ICCA Competition Committee will ideally include members from both academia and arbitral practice.

4. The Winner of the Competition will be selected on an objective and non-discriminatory basis.

5. Eligibility:

• a. Authors must be under the age of 40 years at the date of entering the Competition. 

• b. Authors may but need not be members of Young ICCA.  All Authors are, however, encouraged to apply to become members of Young ICCA if this is not already the case as at the date of entering the Competition.

• c. Each author may submit only one entry.
• d. Co-authored works may not be submitted.
• e. Entries must be in English.
• f. Entries must be fully anonymised (both with regard to content and the metadata) and submitted in PDF format. 
• g. The Competition is open to authors of any nationality, race, colour and ethnic origin.
• h. The choice of the Winner of the Competition is based solely on the judgment of the Young ICCA Competition Committee and of the Advisory Committee.
• i. Any entrants that are related to ICCA Foundation, Inc. Board Members, ICCA NGO Governing Board Members or Advisory Board Members, Young ICCA Co-Chairs, the Young ICCA Competition Committee, the Advisory Committee and any individual involved in the decision-making process will be excluded from consideration. Related entrants shall mean the spouses, siblings, spouses of siblings, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, ancestors, and spouses of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these individuals. .
• j. In the event any entrant shares a close institutional affiliation with a Young ICCA Competition Committee or an Advisory Committee Member (e.g., the same law firm, law faculty, or arbitral institution) that Young ICCA Competition Committee or Advisory Committee member may recuse him- or herself from participating in the relevant decision.
• k. The Competition Winner is not required to perform any services to ICCA Foundation, Inc. or the ICCA NGO in return for the granting of the Prize.

6. All entries shall be submitted to Young ICCA via the application form before the deadline. Applicants are  required to provide the following information: full name; nationality; place of residence; gender (male, female, or specified); age; and contact details. For any questions regarding the Competition, please email essaycomp@youngicca.org.

7. By applying for the Competition, applicants agree to the terms of ICCA’s Privacy Policy as published on the ICCA website at www.arbitration-icca.org/icca-privacy-policy. Applicants consent to publication of their name, nationality, affiliation and photograph on the ICCA website and on ICCA social media platforms in the event they are named the winner of the Essay Competition.

8. ICCA grants must comply fully with US laws and regulations, including US sanctions requirements.