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Contest Rules and Prize

The contest grand prize is a paid trip to the Sixth International Forum on Online Dispute Resolution being held in Hong Kong in December 2007, where the winner will act as a reporter of the conference. Fourteen runners-up also will submit papers for publication at the conference and receive cash prizes. The contest is open to scholars around the world; please note that the contest language is English. The first rounds of the contest consist of participation in the discussion boards as outlined below. The contest is a project of InternetBar.org.

Requirements

To participate in the contest, contestants must fulfill the following requirements:

  1. Register with InternetBarContest.org by May 10-- no charge. (If you have registered, please log in.)
  2. Prove either (a) enrollment in an undergraduate/graduate program or equivalent in Law, Dispute Resolution, Conflict Resolution, Peace Studies, Political Studies, Economics or Business or related fields, or (b) a degree from any such program, earned no earlier than 2002.
  3. Provide valid contact information.
  4. Fluency in English

Participation in the Internet Bar Contest requires a certain code of conduct, the violation of which is grounds for disqualification.

  1. Collegiality and respect must be maintained at all times. Contest participants must abstain from all forms of personal attack, and must address the viewpoints of others in a respectful fashion.
  2. Engage in a robust exchange of ideas, opinions, and principles. Participants are discouraged from speech or conduct that may have a "chilling" effect on open and free debate. Examples include threats, epithets, and slurs.
  3. Conflicts between ideas will only be resolved by allowing all sides and views the opportunity to express their opinions and state their case.
  4. Participants must abide by the decisions of the judges, who will act as arbitrators in the contest. By participating, contestants acknowledge the right of the judges to enforce the rules and that the judges will be held harmless for their decisions.
  5. Slander/libel of any kind (whether it be against the judges, the IBO, other participants, or entities which may be the subject of a case study) will not be tolerated.

Participation

Participants should begin at the contest question and the latest posts forum, where they can contribute their answers and ideas. Discussants may also inform their posts with the case study.

The contest will be judged in terms of the frequency, contribution, and value of each participant's posts to the Internet Bar Contest discussion boards. The nature of contribution and value will be determined by the judges based on a variety of criteria.

Judgment of each participant's collected body of work will take place in two rounds. In both cases, a participant's entire body of work will be considered, so participants should strive for the highest standards from the beginning.

Round One (Ends June 1)

  1. Contributing to the resolution of key points of contention.
  2. Demonstrating a knowledge of the legal principles involved.
  3. Demonstrating a resolutionary attitude, defined by the likelihood, as determined by the judges, that a participant can make a meaningful written contribution to legal scholarship in Round Two.
  4. Demonstrating leadership potential within a group that aims to create a trusted legal community on and through the Internet.

Round Two (Ends July 1)

In addition to overall scholarship, the finalists will be selected based on their commitment to:

  1. Ideas about building trust.
  2. Practical ideas about resolving the contest question.
  3. Depth of understanding demonstrated.
  4. Leadership potential.

Finalists & Prizes

Fifteen participants will be selected at the end of Round Two. All fifteen will be expected to write papers. IBO will circulate and advertise the papers in the Conference. On the basis of these papers, with special attention to their publishable quality, one of the fifteen finalists will receive the Grand Prize. The rest will receive prizes as well. The Grand Prize winner must attend the conference and act as a recorder for the conference.

Additional conditions relating to the choice of the finalists as well as the details of the travel package will be noted by IBO in writing before the beginning of the second round.

Note: If a Grand Prize winner cannot claim the prize--cannot attend the conference--he or she will remain as a finalist cash prize winner and the runner-up will become the Grand Prize winner.

The conversation will be moderated by Tamar Frankel, Michaels Faculty Research Scholar, Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law, LL.M. and S.J.D., Harvard Law School Diploma, Jerusalem Law Classes, Israel.

To participate, you must first register with InternetBarContest.org. (If you have registered, please log in.)

Begin at the contest question and latest posts forum, where you contribute your answers and ideas. Posts will regularly be moved to keep the conversation fresh, so don't forget to read the discussion archive. Discussants may also inform their conversation with the case study.

This contest is a project of: