Made possible by the generosity and vision of Sophie Nappert, BCLâ86, LLBâ86,Ìęa noted arbitrator in independent practice who is based in London, this essay contest invites participants to submit unpublished papers on commercial arbitration or investment arbitration. The next competition will take place in 2024.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 10-year anniversary edition of the Nappert Prize in International Arbitration.
Winners:
- First Prize ($4,000): Sara Nicola D'Sousa (Future Trainee Solicitor, Ropes & Gray; LLMâ23 LSE), âThe Protection of Crypto-Assets in International Investment Lawâ
- Second Prize ($2,000): Kseniia Soloveva (PhD Candidate, Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, Leiden University; LLMâ20 Leiden Law School, Leiden University), âInstrumentalising Nationality of Natural Persons: Legitimate Strategic Planning versus Abuse of Procedural Rightsâ
- Third Prize ($1,000): Joseph Ho (JD/BCL Student, Âé¶čÇű; MAâ09 JHU), âInternational Investment Treaty Compliance in Canadian Federalism: A Multi-Dimensional Challengeâ
The winners will present their papers at a symposium to be hosted (in person) on 7ÌęOctober 2024 at Âé¶čÇű. The three winners will compete for a $1,000 award for the Best Oralist. To attend the symposium, you can register here:Ìę
Honourable Mentions:
Helin Laufer (PhD in Law Candidate, University of Cambridge), âThe applicability of international investment agreements in times of armed conflictâ
Dmitrii Shchetinin (PhD Candidate, Erasmus University Rotterdam; LLMâ23 HSE, LLMâ24 UU), âThe Impact of Armed Conflicts on International Commercial Disputes: Evidence from Crimeaâ
Tobias Traxler (Ph.D. Candidate, European University Institute's Law Department), âValuation (and) Experts in Investment Treaty Arbitrationâ
Our Distinguished Jury:
We are immensely grateful to our jury for their careful evaluation of the essay submissions for the prize.
Jonathan Brosseau, DCL Student, Âé¶čÇű Faculty of Law
Juan Felipe Coy Gomez, Associate,âŻPĂ©rez-Llorca
Mariel Dimsey, Partner and Head of Hong Kong Office, CMS
André Guskow Cardoso, Partner, Justen, Pereira, Oliveira & Talamini
Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General, ICSID
Marek Krasula, Direction, Arbitration and ADR, North America, ICC
Aloysius Llamzon, Partner, King & Spalding
Caroline Richard, Partner, Freshfields
We are also grateful to Sophie Nappert, BCLâ86, LLBâ86, whose generosity and vision have made this prize possible.
Any questions may be directed to Tanya Oberoi at nappertprize.law [at] mcgill.ca or tanya.oberoi [at] mail.mcgill.ca. See the 2024 Call for Essays here.
2022 edition
It is our pleasure to announce the winners of the fifth edition of the competition as selected by the jury:
Winners
- First Prize ($4,000): Maxence Rivoire (PhD Candidate, Cambridge), âThe Law Applicable to the Arbitrability of Registered Industrial Property Rightsâ
- Second Prize ($2,000): Priyanshi Vakharia (Staff Attorney, Volterra Fietta, LLMâ22 University of Cambridge), âThe Trojan Horse in Financial Crisis Sovereign Debt in Investment Treaty Arbitrationsâ
- Third Prize ($1,000): Juan Felipe Coy GĂłmez (Lawyer, PĂ©rez-Llorca; LLM'19 Kingâs College London), âLa Tensa RelaciĂłn entre la TransiciĂłn EcolĂłgica y los Derechos del Inversor Extranjero: Implicaciones de las Medidas Protectoras del Medioambiente Sobre la InversiĂłn Extranjera en Sectores Contaminantesâ
The winners will present their papers at a symposium hosted (in-person) at the Faculty of Law, Âé¶čÇű on October 18, 2022 at 5pm. The three winners will compete for a $1,000 award for the Best Oralist. To attend the event, .
Honourable Mentions
- Galo M. MĂĄrquez Ruiz (lawyer, Creel, GarcĂa-CuĂ©llar, Aiza y EnrĂquez; LLMâ24 QMUL), âA Modern Data Analysis Approach on Abusive and Dissuasive Arbitration Clauses on the International Digital Marketâ
- Umika Sharma (PhD Candidate, National University of Singapore; LLM'18 QMUL), âInvisible Inequality: The Lack of Regional Diversity in International Arbitrationâ
- Aram Aghababyan (Coordinator, AUA LLM Program ADR Clinic; LLM'21 UVA), âGovernment Blocking of Social Media Platforms as Expropriation of Contractual Rightsâ
Our distinguished jury
We are immensely grateful to our jury for their careful evaluation of the essay submissions for the prize.
- Martin Doe Rodriguez, Senior Counsel, Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague
- Professor Lawrence Boo, Adjunct Professor, National University of Singapore & Head of Chambers, the Arbitration Chambers, Singapore
- Jonathan Brosseau, Lawyer and PhD Candidate, University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris
- Kyongwha Chung, Counsel, Covington, New York
- Alexander Fessas, Secretary General, ICC International Court of Arbitration, and Director for ICC Dispute Resolution Services, Paris
- Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, Washington, DC
- Courtney Lotfi, Counsel, Jones Day, Frankfurt
- Natalia Marina Zibibbo, Counsel, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, New York
Ìę
We are also grateful to Sophie Nappert, BCLâ86, LLBâ86, whose generosity and vision has made this prize possible.
Any questions may be directed to nappertprize [at] mcgill.ca (Ms. Tanya Oberoi).ÌęSee the 2022 Call for Papers.
2020 edition
We are happy to present the winners of the fourth edition of the competition, as selected by theÌęjury:
Winners
- First prize (4,000$): Diana Itzel Santana Galindo (lawyer, Mexico; LLMâ19 QMUL), âThe Role of the Seat in Smart Contract Disputes"
- Second prize (2,000$): Cara North (Consultant, Lipman Karas; LLMâ19 MIDS), âThe Erosion of Commercial Law as a Consequence of Arbitrationâ
- Third prize (1,000$): Juan Felipe Coy GĂłmez (lawyer, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; LLM'19 KCL), âEl Medioambiente y el Arbitraje Internacional de InversiĂłn: Estado Actual y Propuestas Para la Reforma del Sistema Arbitral en la GestiĂłn de Disputas Medioambientalesâ
The winners presented their papers at an online symposium hosted by Âé¶čÇű on October 20, 2020. At the symposium, the three winners competed for a $1,000 award for best oralist, which was won by Cara North.
Honourable mentions
- Harisankar Mahapatra, (LLMâ20, Miami), âThe Future of Investment Dispute Settlement in the Post-Achmea Eraâ
- Mikhail Batsura, (LLMâ19, NYU), âLimits to Party Autonomy in Appointing Counsel in International Commercial Arbitrationâ
- LĂ©a Deroche, (LLMâ20, Âé¶čÇű), âWar Clauses In International Investment Law: A Need For Clarityâ
- Eleanor Dennis, (BCL/JD candidate, Âé¶čÇű), âJudicial Consideration of Substantive Invalidity: Understanding the Courtsâ Protective Role under the New York Convention and the Model Lawâ
Our distinguished jury
We are grateful to our jury for their careful and thorough consideration of the essays.
- Professor Lawrence Boo, Adjunct Professor, National University of Singapore & Bond University
- Mr Alexander Fessas, Secretary-General & Director of ICC Dispute Resolution Services, International Chamber of Commerce, Paris
- Professor Fabien GĂ©linas, Âé¶čÇű, Montreal
- Professor Katia Fach GĂłmez, University of Zaragoza, Spain
- Mr Diego B. Gosis, Partner, GST LLP, Miami
- Dr Ridhi Kabra, Associate, Three Crowns LLP, London (winner of the 2014 edition)
- Ms Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, Washington, DC
- Ms Caline Mouawad, Partner, King & Spalding LLP, New York
- Professor Marie-Claude Rigaud, University of Montreal
We are also grateful to Sophie Nappert, BCLâ86, LLBâ86, whose generosity and vision have made this prize possible. The next Nappert Prize competition will be held in 2022.Ìę
Kindly direct any questions to Mr. Lucas Clover Alcolea (nappertprize [at] mcgill.ca). See the 2020 call for papers.
2018 edition
Here are the winners of this third edition of this competition, as selected by the jury:
Winners
- First Prize ($4,000): Dina Prokic (BCL/LLBâ17, Âé¶čÇű; Attorney & Counselor at Law, New York), âSIAC Proposal on Cross-Institution Consolidation Protocol: Can It Be Transplanted into Investment Arbitration?"
- Second Prize ($2,000): Alastair Simon Chetty (LLBâ18, National University of Singapore), âEmbracing Practical Solutions in Dealing with the Distinct Shades of Abuse of Process in Investment Arbitrationâ
- Third Prize ($1,000): Ella Wisniewski (LLMâ17, Humboldt-UniversitĂ€t zu Berlin; Solicitor, Herbert Smith Freehills), âA Changing Climate: The Future of Legitimate Expectations in Energy Investment Disputesâ
The winners came to present their papers at a symposium hosted by Âé¶čÇű on November 1, 2018, where MsÌęWisniewski also captured the $1,000 award for best oralist.
Our distinguished jury
We are grateful to the jury for its careful and thorough consideration of the essays:
- Julie BĂ©dard, Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, New York & SĂŁo Paulo
- Professor Lawrence Boo, Adjunct Professor, National University of Singapore & Bond University
- Professor Olivier Caprasse, Universities of LiĂšge and Brussels, Member of the Brussels Bar
- Professor Kun Fan, Âé¶čÇű, Montreal
- José Feris, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs, Paris
- Alexander Fessas, Secretary-General & Director of ICC Dispute Resolution Services, International Chamber of Commerce Court, Paris
- Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, Washington, DC
- Eduardo Zuleta Jaramillo, Partner, Zuleta Abogados Asociados, Bogota
Honourable mentions
- David Chriki (LLM'2017, Hebrew University), "SLAPPing Police Powers with Investment Arbitration"
- Philip Keul (Law Student,Humboldt-UniversitÀt zu Berlin), "Security for costs in International Commercial Arbitration"
- Luigi Pedreschi (PhD Researcher in Law, European University Institute), "Investor-state arbitration under CETA: "FIT" for practice?"
- Alexey Vyalkov (Associate, Clifford Chance), "The role of equity in the assessment of damages under custom: where are Diallo and The Arctic Sunrise taking the law and are they dangerous for investment treaty arbitration?"
Contest facts
For this edition, we received over 80 submissions from scholars and junior practitioners from (almost) every continent. This was the first year that the Prize accepted papers written in Spanish which, with the existing inclusion of French and English, makes this a trilingual competition! This is a fitting reflection of the diversity and multiculturalism inherent to international arbitration.
See the 2018 call for papers.
2016 edition
The jury has selected the following papers as the winners of this second edition of this competition:
Winners
- First Prize: Nathan D. Yaffe (JD student, NYU), âTransnational Arbitral Res Judicataâ
- Second Prize: Julia GodolphinÌę (BCL/LLB student, Âé¶čÇű), âResolution of Tax Disputes in International Arbitrationâ
- Third Prize (tie): Jonathan Brosseau-Rioux (LLM student, Cambridge), âThe Legal basis for the Application of Domestic law in Investment Arbitrationâ;
Bernardo Rohden Pires (LLM student, George Washington School of Law), âCan the MFN Clause in the GATS Serve as a Jurisdictional Gateway?â
The winners will present their papers at the Nappert Symposium on October 19, 2016, at Âé¶čÇű's Faculty of Law. Registration to the symposium is free but mandatory.
The Nappert Prize winners will also have the opportunity to compete for a 1,000$ award to be given to the best oralist by a panel comprised of Professor Andrea K. Bjorklund (Âé¶čÇű), the Hon. Pierre Dalphond (Stikeman Elliott), and Professor CĂ©line LĂ©vesque (University of Ottawa).
Our distinguished jury
We are grateful to the jury for its careful and thorough consideration of the essays:
- SĂ©bastien Besson, Partner, LĂ©vy Kaufmann-Kohler, Geneva
- Chester Brown, Professor of International Law and International Arbitration, The University of Sydney Faculty of Law
- José Feris, Deputy Secretary-General, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris
- Henry Gao, Associate Professor, Singapore Management University
- Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, Washington, DC
- Cesar Pereira, Partner, Justen, Pereira, Oliveira, and Talamini, SĂŁo Paolo
- Abby Cohen Smutny, Partner, White & Case LLP, Washington, DC
Honourable mentions
- David Isidore Tan (LLM student, NYU), âEnforcing National Court Judgments as Arbitration Awards under the New York Conventionâ
- Fortunat Nadima Nadima (BCL/LLB student, Âé¶čÇű), âThe Path Towards Transparency Via Domestic freedom of Information Lawsâ
- Maria Bhatti, (PhD student, Monash University), âInterest on Arbitral Awards and Shariaâ
- Mevelyn Ong (LLM student, Columbia), âThe Interplay of Sovereignty, Personality and Consent in The Execution of Arbitral Awardsâ
- Relja RadoviÄ (PhD student, University of Luxembourg), âWhen I Grow Up Iâll Be A Courtâ
- Velimic Zivkovic (PhD Student, London School of Economics), âA Holistic Approach to Applicable Law In Investment Arbitration: Reasons, Elements, Goalsâ
Contest facts
For this edition, we received over 70 submissions from scholars and junior practitioners affiliated with more than 60 institutions, and hailing from places such as Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Italy, Peru, the Philippines, Vietnam, the UK, and the USA.
Most of the applicants were affiliated with institutions in either Europe or North America, and almost a quarter of the submissions were from Asia, more specifically from India and China. Approximately 40% of the authors were women, and the other 60% were men, and most were between 20 and 29 years old.
See the 2016 call for papers.
2014 edition
See the 2014 call for papers and the 2014 winners announcement.
Winners
- First Prize: Ridhi Kabra (LLM student, Cambridge), âHas Abaclat v. Argentina left the ICSID with a âMassâive Problem?â
- Second Prize: Mitchell MoranisÌę (JD student, Harvard), âBetween Power and Procedure:Ìę The Changing Balance of Investment Treaty Protectionsâ
- Third Prize (tie): Antoine Champagne (BCL/LLB student, Âé¶čÇű), âMoral Damages Left in Limboâ;
Robert Kovacs (Associate, Linklaters; PhD Student, U. of Geneva), âInternational Arbitration and Insolvency:Ìę A Question of Applicable Lawâ.
Our distinguished jury
- George A. Bermann, Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law, Columbia Law School, New York
- Teresa Cheng, Senior Counsel and Chartered Arbitrator, Des Voeux Chambers, Hong
- Giuditta Cordero-Moss, Professor, University of Oslo
- José Ricardo Feris, Deputy Secretary General, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris
- Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General, ICSID, Washington DC
- Philippe Pinsolle, Partner, Quinn Emmanuel, Paris
Honorable mentions
- Horia Ciurtin (Babes Bolyai University, Romania), âA Hermeneutical Perspective upon the 'Mitigation of Damages' Principle: The Metamorphosis of a Concept in International Law.â
- Joel Dahlquist (Uppsala University, Sweden), âBeside the Point: On Obiter Dicta in Investment Treaty Arbitration.â
- Elsa Paparemborde (BCL/LLB student, Âé¶čÇű), âPreventive Requests for the Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards: Toward an Effective Filtering Mechanism under the New York Convention.â
- Adam Plenkiewicz (BCL/LLBâ14, Âé¶čÇű), âComparing Proximate Causation in International Law.â
- Fabio Santacroce (Freshfields, Rome), âThe emergency arbitrator: a full-fledged arbitrator rendering an enforceable decision?â
Nappert Prize Competition Collection
The ICC, in cooperation with Âé¶čÇű, has released a collection of the best articles written by participants of the 2014 Nappert Prize competition.
Edited by Professor Andrea Bjorklund, holder of the Fortier Chair, the collection is composed of nine articles chosen by experienced practitioners and arbitration experts from the inaugural Nappert Prize Competition in International Arbitration organized by Âé¶čÇű's Faculty of Law in 2014.
Topics covered include:
- Procedural questions raised by the interface of arbitration with bankruptcy proceedings or mass claims
- Genesis of substantive law as developed by arbitral tribunals
- Links between municipal and international law
- Principle of proximate causation and its transition to international investment arbitration
To find out more, visit