White River Environmental Law Competition: Accepting Submissions Now!
The White River Writing Competition, sponsored by VJEL and Vermont Law and Graduate School, is an annual writing competition that seeks law students with a passion for environmental law to illuminate creative solutions to current legal frameworks at the local, state, federal, and international levels. The competition, named after the White River that flows through VJEL’s home in South Royalton, Vermont, embraces the broad view of environmental law, just as the river brings the local community together, flowing through the state of Vermont, until finally connecting to a larger river system progressing through many other states to ultimately reach the Atlantic Ocean. Please see below for competition details.
2025 Submission Requirements
Any article that explores a legal environmental topic is generally eligible. Topics generally include environmental law, natural resource law, energy law, environmental justice, land use law, animal law, and agricultural law. For examples of Articles VJEL looks for, please see our Publications Page. All students currently within an ABA-accredited JD or LLM program are encouraged to apply. All submissions must:
- Address a relevant topic in environmental law
- Be in a Word format and around 20-30 double-spaced pages in length
- Contain accurate Bluebook citations in footnote form
- Adhere to standard conventions of American grammar and spelling
- Display original work and research that has not been previously published
All submissions must be in Word format and be emailed to ArticlesVJEL@vermontlaw.edu with the subject line: “White River Submission” by 5:00 PM EST on Monday, April 7, 2025. The winning author will be notified in Spring 2025 and will receive a $1,000 cash prize along with a publication offer from VJEL. At the discretion of our senior editors, additional entries may receive publication offers.
The submission must include a cover page that includes your name, address, phone number, email address, law school, and year of graduation to ensure anonymity and impartiality for the judging process. Do not include your name or any other personal information in any other part of your submission. Articles should adhere to Redbook and Bluebook conventions and be at least 20 pages.
Current VLGS Law Review Staff Editor Notes are not eligible for submission. However, Staff Editors may submit works other than their Note. Senior Staff may apply with their Note or any other work. Any questions regarding the Competition may be directed to Editor- in-Chief christinakarem@vermontlaw.edu or Senior Articles Editor alexanderhume@vermontlaw.edu. For general questions about VJEL, please visit our website at https://vjel.vermontlaw.edu/.
All of us at the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law look forward to reading your submissions!
