Call for Papers: Esports Law and Practice Essay Competition – Win 3 Copies of the Book!

The Call for Papers is Presented by Esports Legal News in Collaboration with Edward Elgar Publishing

Are you passionate about esports law and looking for an opportunity to showcase your academic insights on a global stage? Esports Legal News, in partnership with Edward Elgar Publishing, is excited to announce the launch of the Esports Law and Practice Essay Competition – an essay competition designed for aspiring legal scholars and students focused on the evolving legal landscape of esports.

📌 Key Information at a Glance

• Who can participate in the Call for Papers?
  Current LLB, LLM, and PhD students with a legal academic focus on esports. Early career attorneys will be considered as well.
• Deadline for submissions:
  31 July 2025
• Format:
  Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx)
• Length:
  Maximum 5,000 words (excluding footnotes and references)
• Citation Style:
  OSCOLA (Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities)

🏆 What You Can Win

The Esports Law and Practice Competition provides students with a rare chance to gain recognition from both academia and the professional esports legal community:

• 🥇 Top 3 submissions will receive a signed hard copy of the acclaimed book Esports Law and Practice.
• 📰 Top 10 essays will be published on Esports Legal News, one of the leading platforms in the field of esports and law.

This is a unique publication opportunity and a powerful way to strengthen your academic and professional profile in esports law.

🎯 Suggested Topics of Interest

Participants are encouraged to explore a wide range of topics relevant to esports law, including but not limited to:

• Intellectual Property and Copyright in Esports
  Explore the ownership of in-game content, user-generated content, trademarks, and broadcasting rights.
• Contract Law and Player Agreements
  Analyze standard player contracts, sponsorship deals, non-compete clauses, and emerging issues such as termination and enforcement.
• Antitrust and Competition Law Issues in Esports
  Examine tournament structures, exclusive licensing, and the potential for anti-competitive behavior by major esports stakeholders.
• International Legal Perspectives on Esports Governance
  Compare jurisdictional approaches to esports regulation and governance across the EU, U.S., Asia, and other regions.
• Regulation of Esports Gambling
  Discuss the legal treatment of loot boxes, skin betting, and match-fixing across different legal systems.
• Legal and Ethical Challenges in Streaming and Broadcasting
  Investigate platform liability, DMCA takedowns, influencer contracts, and monetization models.
• Player Rights and Labour Law in Esports
  Address the classification of players (employee vs. independent contractor), minors in esports, working conditions, and collective bargaining.
• Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in Esports
  Evaluate the role of arbitration, mediation, and litigation in resolving conflicts within teams, between players and organizations, or involving tournament organizers.

⚠️ AI Usage Policy

We support responsible innovation in academic writing. If you use generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude AI, etc.) during the development of your essay, you must disclose your prompts in footnotes. Undisclosed use will be treated as plagiarism, and such submissions will be disqualified.

✍️ Why Submit?

Esports is one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries in the world, and with it comes a host of complex legal challenges. Whether you’re interested in digital IP, international regulation, or player representation, this competition gives you a platform to engage with real-world legal issues, connect with experts in the field, and build your academic portfolio.

This is more than a writing competition – it’s an opportunity to position yourself at the forefront of esports legal thought and connect with a global network of scholars, practitioners, and publishers.

📤 How to Submit

Send your completed essay (as a Microsoft Word document) to both of the following email addresses by 31 July 2025 in the attached Call for Papers.

We look forward to reading your submissions and to elevating the next generation of esports legal scholars.