2nd Article Writing Competition by IDIA Odisha [Cash Prizes Worth Rs 10K + Internships]: Register by Apr 10

About IDIA

IDIA “Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education” project is a nationwide movement initiated by Dr. Shamnad Basheer, NLSIU Graduate and philanthropist, that aims to empower underprivileged and marginalized communities in India by transforming students from such communities into world-class lawyers and community leaders. IDIA identifies underprivileged students with an aptitude for law and trains them for law entrance exams over a period of 2-3 years (as required).

About IDIA Odisha

The IDIA Odisha Chapter is an integral part of this national movement, working to democratize legal education in the state. Structured around five verticals: Training, Sensitization, Fundraising, Mentorship, and Legal services, the chapter focuses on holistic empowerment. The Fundraising vertical has successfully collaborated with leading entities like Nishith Desai Associates and P&A Law Offices, organizing campaigns that raised over Rs. 1 lakh, directly contributing to IDIA’s central corpus. These efforts ensure sustained support for trainees, covering exam fees, study materials, and mentorship programs.

About the Competition

The IDIA Odish Chapter is thrilled to announce the 2^nd edition of its Article Writing Competition, in collaboration with Chandhiok & Mahajan, a leading full-service Indian law firm. This competition is on the contemporary theme of “Legal Frameworks of Indian Securities Law.”  

Eligibility

• The competition is open to undergraduate and all postgraduate students who are enrolled in any discipline at a recognized law university, college, or institute.
• Co-authorship is allowed. 
• Cross-institutional teams are allowed.
• Only one submission per author is permissible to avoid duplicity of entries.
• There is no restriction on the number of entries from any college or university

Theme

• Regulating Capital Markets in India
  • Recent scrutiny by the SEBI on related party transactions
  • Decoding front running practices in India
  • The dynamics of short selling in India: Risks, opportunities, and regulatory challenges
  • Strengthening governance of Market Infrastructure Institutions in Indian securities market
  • Expanding algorithmic trading to retail investors: Opportunities and risks
  • The evolving landscape of Insider Trading Regulations in India
• Rise of PE/VC and Investment Funds in India
  • SEBI’s regulatory spotlight on Mutual Funds
  • REITs and InvITs: Transformative force in the Indian funds sector
  • SEBI’s regulatory scrutiny around Special Situation Funds
  • Introduction of Specialized Investment Funds
  • Evolving private equity trends in India
  • Introduction of Variable Capital Companies in India: Impact on the PE/VC growth

Please note that the above-mentioned sub-themes are merely indicative in nature and the participants can make submissions on their independent topics, keeping in mind that they fall under the umbrella of “Legal Frameworks of Indian Securities Law.” 

Registration Fees

1. Single authorship – Rs. 250 [For an IDIA scholar – Rs. 50]

2. Co-authorship (Maximum 2) – Rs. 450 [In case of both the authors being IDIA scholars – Rs. 100, In case of only one of them being an IDIA scholar – Rs. 150]

Important Dates

• Registration starts – 14^th March 2025
• Registration closes – 10^th April 2025. [extended]
• Submission deadline – 10^th May 2025.
• Results – First week of June 2025. (tentatively)

Prizes

• Winner – Internship at Chandiok & Mahajan + Publication at IRCCL + Cash Prize – Rs. 5,000
• First Runner-up – Internship at Chandhiok & Mahajan + Publication at IRCCL + Cash Prize – Rs. 3,000.
• Second Runner-up – Publication at IRCCL + Cash Prize – Rs. 2,000

The Top 10 candidates will be awarded a Certificate of Merit, and all participants will receive a Certificate of Participation. All the certificates will be sent out digitally in PDF format.

Registration Form

Click Here To Register.

Submission Guidelines

• The articles must be exclusively submitted in English.
• The articles should be the original work of the authors. Plagiarised work shall lead to disqualification.
• Submissions exceeding a 15% plagiarism threshold will be disqualified from consideration for the competition.
• Articles that have been previously published elsewhere or are currently under consideration or submission for publication elsewhere will be ineligible.
• The responsibility for verifying the accuracy of facts, opinions, or views in the submission lies with the author.
• Submissions should not contain content that is offensive, abusive, derogatory or potentially defamatory.
• The author’s name should remain absent throughout the article, including within file properties and metadata. Only team code shall be mentioned.
• Following the registrations, the Team codes will be allocated through mail to the participants.
• The prescribed word limit for the article ranges from 1000-1500 words, excluding footnotes.
• The title of the article should be 100 characters or less.
• The articles must be formatted with Times New Roman font, size 12, and line spacing set to 1.5.
• The footnotes must be typed in Times New Roman, Font Size 10, and with single line spacing. Footnotes are permitted to conform to either the Bluebook 20^th edition or the OSCOLA 4^th edition citation style, as long as the citation form so chosen remains uniform throughout the submission.
• The margins should measure 1 inch on all sides. All text should be justified.
• The submission format for the article must be exclusively in word format. The Word document must be named as the respective team codes. For instance, “TC_01”.

Contact Information

In case of any queries or clarifications, reach out to [email protected]. Additionally, you may contact at the below-mentioned details:

• Anjali Pande, Co-DTL, Fundraising team,  +91 98454 99016
• Paavanta Arya, Co-DTL, Fundraising team,  +91 95883 65949

The brochure is here.