The Courts of the Living Competition 2026–27 is a national competition for law students to engage with real ecological conflicts, rethink existing legal paradigms and explore pathways through which law can help all life flourish.
Eligibility
• Each team must consist of 3 members.
• All team members must be enrolled at the same law school in India.
• Members may be from different academic years.
• Both undergraduate and LL.M. students are eligible to participate.
• A team may comprise any combination of undergraduate and LL.M. students.
• There is no cap on the number of teams that may apply from a single law school.
• A student may be part of only one team.
• Every participating team must nominate one faculty sponsor.
• The faculty sponsor is only required to attest that all team members are enrolled at the same law school.
• There is no application fee at any stage of the competition.
Competition details
• Stage 1 – Registrations: Applications open from September 2, 2026; registration deadline is September 22, 2026, at 11:59 PM IST.
• Stage 2 – Build Field Dossier: 50 invited teams will map living conflicts of coexistence from October 13, 2026.
• Stage 3 – Problem Statement Release: The top 16 teams will receive the problem statement during November–December 2026.
• Stage 4 – Finals in Kolkata: The top 16 teams will convene in Kolkata for in-person arguments in late February 2027.
• Application Fee: No application fee at any stage of the competition.
Awards
• Courts of the Living Excellence Prize: ₹1,00,000 for the winning team and ₹50,000 for the runner-up team.
• Campus Commons Awards: Up to ₹30,000 for selected teams to create student-led initiatives within their law schools.
• Living Practice Awards: Up to ₹30,000 for selected teams to carry field insights into specific place-based action.
• Courts of the Living Emerging Practitioners: Six months of pathway mapping, curated introductions, mentorship and wider Courts of the Living network access.
Event details
• Competition: Courts of the Living Competition 2026–27.
• Finals Venue: Kolkata.
• Finals: Late February 2027.
• Registration Deadline: September 22, 2026, at 11:59 PM IST.
How to apply
Eligible teams can register by clicking here.
