Selden’s Sister Essay Writing Competition
Selden’s Sister is a collaboration amongst academics in the UK, championing the work of
women in legal history. To read more about what we do and who is involved, please see our
website.
Selden’s Sister is pleased to invite undergraduate students to submit essays on any topic
rela0ng to women in legal history. Topics could be, but are not limited to, biographical,
theore0cal, feminist or philosophical research. The selection committee will be looking for an
entrant’s ability to construct a clear, coherent, and well-supported argument based upon
appropriate sources.
The winner of the Essay Prize will receive book tokens worth £100, generously donated by
Hart. The winning essay will feature on the Selden’s Sister blog.
Essays submitted for this competion should be the candidate’s original work with an
argument, structure, and analysis. You may discuss the material with colleagues and teachers,
but all submi@ed work should be your own, and genera0ve AI may not be used to create the
answer.
Essays should contain referencing – OSCOLA is the preferred format. References or cita0ons
in footnotes (and your bibliography, if required by your referencing system) are not included
in the word count.
This Essay Prize is open to any student enrolled in the academic year 2025-2026 in any year of
study of an undergraduate course at a UK university, including part 0me and mature students.
Entries must be submi@ed via university email.
The essay should be no more than 2,500 words and should be submitted in a .docx format to
seldenssister@gmail.com.
The competion will close on 1 October 2025. A shortlist will be made by the committee
members of Selden’s Sister. The short-listed candidates will be invited to attend the Selden’s
Sister Annual Lecture on 27 November 2025 at the University of Nottingham, where the prize
winner will be announced.
Please direct any enquiries or ques0ons about the competion to seldensister@gmail.com.
Selden’s Sister Committee
