Gowling WLG – Joel Taller Prize for Emerging Voices in Food Law

As in previous years, the conference will include a panel to showcase emerging voices in food law and policy. If you’ve recently completed research or scholarship in this area – that’s you! A jury of practitioners and academics will select a student to receive the Gowling WLG – Joel Taller Prize for Emerging Voices in Food Law. 

For an overview of the prize and its origins, please visit the following link. You can also read the bios of our past winners. Our 2021 panel was recorded and can be viewed at the following link if you would like to get a sense of the panel’s format.

Who Can Submit

The Emerging Voices panel is open to any student currently enrolled in a JD, BCL or equivalent degree program, or an LLM degree program, and anyone who has graduated from one of these programs in the past year. 

What to Submit:

Interested candidates must submit a research proposal (title and abstract of max. 300 words) on a topic that addresses any area of food law and policy and, if selected, a research project. The project may take many forms including:

  • Research paper (max. 8,000 words)

  • Policy Brief (max. 8,000 words) 

  • Factum (max. 8,000 words)

  • Research Poster

  • Or another form (email us if you have another idea and we will consider! We welcome creativity!) 

While this year’s conference theme is “Generations: Food Law and Policy Across time”, we welcome submissions that extend beyond this theme, provided they maintain a substantial connection to food law and policy. Submissions may be in French or English.

Selected candidates have 10 minutes to present their research, with the option of using slides, and will also be asked questions by members of the jury. 

How to Submit:

To submit, please send an email to info@foodlaw.ca including the following information:

  • Your name

  • Your school

  • What program/year of law school you were in when you wrote the paper

  • The name of the professor you did the research for (if applicable)

  • A research proposal (title and abstract of max 300 words)

Important Dates: 

  • September 30th– Deadline to submit research proposal

  • October 7th – Announcement of selection of panelists

  • November 5th – Deadline for submission of completed projects

  • November 13th – Presentations at the conference (announcement of the winner of the Gowling WLG – Joel Taller Prize for Emerging Voices in Food Law will be the following day)

Selection Criteria

  • Originality of the argument and contribution to the field 

  • Quality and sophistication of the legal analysis  

  • Overall quality of the research, paper and presentation given the academic stage of the student.

The winner of the Gowling WLG – Joel Taller Prize for Emerging Voices in Food Law will receive a cash prize and will be featured on the CAFLP website. All selected participants will have the opportunity to present their work at an academic conference, to receive feedback from the judges during the conference, and if they elect, to be assigned a member of the CAFLP to provide further written feedback with the goal of assisting the student in preparing their piece for publication with a relevant journal.