writing contest New and Unique Nonsmokers' Rights
Legal Research and Advocacy Competition
  NEW FOR 2007-2008   		writing contest
Sponsored by the FIFTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON NONSMOKERS RIGHTS,
 National Center for Nonsmokers' Rights and Law Professor John Banzhaf
of the George Washington University Law School and Action on Smoking and Health in Washington DC

EASIER FOR 2007-2008,  MORE PRIZES,  FREE TRIP TO DC
ONLY 1000-WORD OUTLINE OF IDEA TO COMPETE  –  NO OTHER WRITING REQUIRED
■ You enter by submitting only a 1000-word summary of your idea. No additional writing of any kind is required.
■ Thirty-three (33) cash prizes will be awarded, including $5,000 for First Place, $3,000 for Second Place, and $1,000 for Third Place.
■ In addition, thirty (30) law students will receive $1000 travel grants to come to Washington DC during Cherry Blossom Time.
■ The DEADLINE is March 1, 2008. While submissions may be made up until March 1, 2008, some grants will be made before then.  SO SUBMIT ASAP!
THE EARLIER YOU SUBMIT YOUR 1000-WORD ENTRY, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING!

For more information, please read below and check out the links.
You can also call (202) 223-8308 or email to  info@nosmokingcontest.org  

LINKS: Natl. Center for Nonsmokers' Rights ,  Law Prof. John Banzhaf ,  Contest Home Page ,  Contest Basic Rules ,  Entering the Contest , Flier ,
First World Conference on Nonsmokers' Rights , Second World Conference, Third World Conference  Fourth World Conference
Suggestions for Submissions , History of Legal Actions ,  Student Papers for 2005, Student Papers for 2006, Student Papers for 2007

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND/OR TO BE ADDED TO EMAILING LIST FOR UPDATED CONTEST AND CONFERENCE INFORMATION,
PLEASE CALL (202) 223-8308 OR SEND AN EMAIL TO: info@nosmokingcontest.org
All emails sent to this address will be acknowledged by return email.  If you do not receive an acknowledgment, please call: (202) 223-8308.

THIS CONTEST IS UNIQUE BECAUSE:

■ Thirty-three (33) cash prizes will be awarded. Prizes include $5,000 for First Place, $3,000 for Second, and $1,000 for Third, all in addition to 30 special $1,000 travel grants, and publication.
■ Competitors help develop strategy in real public interest legal cases involving nonsmoker's rights, not just write legalistic papers.  Your research can make a difference and save a life!
■ All entrants will be invited to attend the Fifth World Conference on Nonsmokers' Rights in Washington, DC, held April 12-13, 2008 (during Cherry Blossom time) at the GWU Law School. Up to Thirty (30) finalists will receive $1,000 travel grants.
■ Entrants need submit only a 1000-word summary of their proposal via email.  No additional written submissions are required.
■ Winners will be selected only after an oral presentation, and an opportunity to respond to questions.  It's not a legal research and writing competition, but, much better, a legal research and ORAL ADVOCACY competition.
■ The sponsoring organization and the judges are experienced public interest lawyers who are looking for hard-hitting realistic suggestions, not fancy pie-in-the-sky law-review-type footnoted legal writing.
■ Many of the entries – including all 30 finalists – will be published on the Internet where they can be found, cited to, and read by prospective employers and others.

SUMMARY AND OUTLINE OF CONTEST:

1. The purpose of this contest is to encourage law students to think about, research, write and advocate about new ideas for using a legal or law-related action (e.g., a novel law suit, administrative action, legislative approach, guide or assistance to others to sue, etc.) designed to be particularly effective in advancing and/or protecting the rights of nonsmokers, primarily by protecting them from exposure to tobacco smoke pollution.  These ideas for legal actions can then be used by students, lawyers, or nonsmokers' rights organizations to protect nonsmokers.  For more information about different possible types of legal or law-related actions, click on http://nosmokingcontest.org/ideas  For background information about how legal actions have already played a major role in both the antismoking and nonsmokers' rights movements, click on http://nosmokingcontest.org/ashmodel

2. The writing contest will be open to all students enrolled at an accredited U.S. or Canadian law schools.

3. Students may enter as individuals or as teams of no more than three students.  For teams of two or three law students, any prizes or other compensation will be awarded to the entire team and must be split between all members of the team.

4. Students desiring to participate must make their submission -- a 1000-word summary of their idea for a legal or law-related action -- by March 1, 2008.  HOWEVER, SOME $1000 GRANTS AND CONFERENCE INVITATIONS WILL BE AWARDED ON A ROLLING BASIS AS ENTRIES ARE RECEIVED.
SO THE EARLIER YOU SUBMIT YOUR 1000-WORD SUMMARY, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

5. For more specific requirements concerning the submissions, click on http://nosmokingcontest.org/initialsub  Judges will then determine which thirty of these initial summary submissions are most promising.  Those selected will constitute the finalists in the contest.  In other words, law students can enter the competition without the need to write a long paper, and the initial submissions will be judged primarily upon creativity, not writing ability.

6. Each of these thirty finalists will be entitled to receive a stipend of up to $1000 (individual or team) for travel, lodging, and other expenses directly related to attending the Fifth World Conference on Nonsmokers' Rights in Washington, DC, held April 12-13, 2008 (during Cherry Blossom time) at the George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC.   Thus thirty individuals or teams will win at least a $1000 travel stipend and an opportunity to attend the world conference, in addition to the possibility of winning an additional prize -- up to $5000 -- at the Conference itself.

7. Each of the thirty 1000-word proposals submitted and selected as finalists  will be published on one or more Internet web sites maintained by antismoking organizations.  Thus each of these thirty entries will be able to proudly note on resumes and demonstrate to prospective employers that they have been published.

9.  On April 12-13, 2008, The Fifth World Conference on Nonsmokers' Rights will be held in Washington, DC.
For information about the First World Conference on Nonsmokers' Rights, click on: http://nosmokingcontest.org/firstworldconf.html
For information about the Second World Conference on Nonsmokers' Rights, click on: http://nosmokingcontest.org/secondworldconf.html
For information about the Third World Conference on Nonsmokers' Rights, click on:  http://nosmokingcontest.org/thirdworldconf.html
For information about the Fourth World Conference on Nonsmokers' Rights, click on: http://nosmokingcontest.org/fourthworldconf.html

Attendance and participation at this 2008 world conference will be by invitation, and those invited will include:
    A. The law students who submitted the 1000-word proposals and received $1000 travel grants
    B. Judges, outside speakers, antismoking attorneys and other activists, and honored guests
    C. Lawyers working as individuals or with organizations protecting nonsmokers’ rights*
    D. Other selected guests
* Admission may be limited by the number of seats available

10. To the extent space permits, some of the other law students who submitted 1000-word summaries but did not receive travel grants, and other law students with an interest in health law, consumer law, public interest law, international law, and related disciplines will also be invited to attend.

11. On Saturday, the first full day of the Conference, selected finalists will be asked to make an oral  presentation of their papers, and then will be given a brief opportunity to respond to questions and comments from the judges and other members of the audience.  Conference attendees will also hear from other speakers, including the judges, other successful antismoking attorneys, etc.

12.  The judges will select – based upon both 1000-word submission AND the oral presentations – a First ($5,000), Second ($3,000), and Third ($1,000) place winner.  The winners will be announced on Sunday, and the prizes will be presented at that time.

13. Entrants should note and must agree that the decisions of the judges and the sponsoring organization with regard to the rules, procedures, and all other aspects of the contest are final, and the rules are subject to modification at any time.  All submissions, regardless of whether or not they are accepted, will become the property of the sponsoring organization.  Because of the very large number of entrants, those participating must follow the rules very carefully to insure that their submissions will be considered.

14. Participants should also note that the $1000 travel grants are for the purpose of permitting participants to attend the Conference, and will only be awarded after the Conference is over to those who attended the Conference.

15.  Please note that the 1000-word submissions MUST be made in the form of an email in plain text with NO underlining, boldface, italics, or other unusual characteristics, although capitalization may be used sparingly if necessary.  DO NOT SUBMIT AS A WORDPERFECT OR WORD DOCUMENT. The initial submission must be contained as text within the email itself with no attachments of any kind.  Indeed, attachments -- which can contain viruses -- will be stripped from the email and ignored.  Send submissions to: info@nosmokingcontest.org