Posted by The Law School
22 December 2025The Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law is an academic centre of competence dedicated to the study of fundamental rights for non-human animals and is based in Cambridge, UK. They have sent the details for their annual Animal Rights Law Essay Competition.
The competition aims to encourage students to explore new ideas, consider fascinating possible futures, and discuss thought-provoking questions in an original piece of writing that may inspire them to engage further with the topic in the future.
This year, they are inviting essays addressing the following title:
‘Martha Nussbaum argues that animals need certain rights so that they can flourish. How far should human interests be limited in order to enable animals to flourish?’
The university student category is for anyone who has started or completed an undergraduate degree programme but who has not completed a doctoral degree. Students and graduates can submit their essay (and a summary up to 200 words of their biographical/educational details) here.
A few quick things to note:
- Only one entry is permitted per person.
- We welcome essays that are not longer than 3,000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography).
- The deadline for all submissions is 13th February 2026 and the winner will be announced mid-March 2026.
- Entrants must directly address the essay title.
- Three prizes will be awarded in this section – The winning essay will be awarded £750, £500 will go to the second place and £250 to the third-place winner.