Call for Jessup 2026 Problem Proposals
ILSA invites all interested persons to submit proposals for the Jessup 2026 Problem. Proposals must be submitted to ILSA’s Executive Director, Michael Peil, no later than 1 November 2024.
Each year, the Jessup Problem presents a dispute between two fictional countries, to be argued before a simulated International Court of Justice. Proposals should take the form of high-level outlines of legal issues. They may include a short summary of facts and should consist of no more than 2,000 words. ILSA accepts proposals from solo candidates or from groups of candidates. Proposals should identify four interesting, important, and timely issues of international law, along with any critical sub-issues or secondary issues, to be addressed in the Problem. The issues should be framed to allow both sides to present strong arguments on each. Along with the proposals, candidates should provide: (1) a resumé or CV for each member of the group; (2) one or more writing sample(s) on an international law topic; and (3) a list of legal experts who might be consulted on the topics being proposed.
A committee of international legal experts will consider the submissions received. During its deliberations, the committee may request candidates to submit additional materials or to answer questions about their proposals. The committee’s selection criteria will include: (1) whether the proposal clearly identifies legal issues and sub- issues or secondary issues that will need to be considered in order for questions to be addressed properly; (2) the overall balance of the questions presented, permitting argument on both sides; and (3) whether the issues can be built into a fact pattern that is realistic, engaging and provocative, from both legal and narrative perspectives. Candidates whose proposals are selected for further consideration in a subsequent evaluation phase will be notified and may be asked to submit more robust outlines and/or first drafts prior to a final decision.
The successful proponents will be notified in January. The successful candidate(s) will be invited to serve on the Jessup Problem Committee, which annually spends January through June turning the successful proposal into an outstanding Jessup Problem. Although ILSA does not provide an honorarium or other compensation, the successful candidate receives recognition at the World Championship Round in Washington, DC and in the annual volume of the Jessup Compendium published by William S. Hein & Co., Inc.
Following selection, you will be expected: (1) to create, with the guidance of the ILSA Executive Office, an initial draft of the Problem, with full factual development, in January of 2025; (2) to serve on the Jessup Problem Committee to refine and rework the Problem from January until June; (3) to draft and revise the Bench Memorandum, a guide to assist judges of Memorials and oral arguments, during the summer and autumn of 2025; (4) to participate in the Corrections and Clarifications process; and (5) to assist in creating a list of basic research materials to be provided to student competitors.
ILSA retains editorial control over and ownership of all Jessup Competition materials, including the Problem, and expressly reserves all rights to revise, edit, add or delete all or parts of what you submit.
Problems from recent years are available for reference.
