INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ESSAY COMPETITION
The Education and Training Committee of the Intellectual Property Caribbean Association (IPCA) invites all Law Students, Articled Clerks, Trainee Lawyers and Newly Qualified Lawyers residing in the Caribbean to take part in an essay writing competition focused on Intellectual Property. In order to compete for the chance to win, please write an essay on the following topic:
Deepfakes, Social Media, and Intellectual Property Rights in the Caribbean: Are existing legal frameworks within the region or within your jurisdiction equipped to regulate digital identity and protect creators in the age of ‘AI-Driven Creator Economies’?
To ensure that you qualify and find out how to enter, please read the Essay Competition Rules below:
IPCA ESSAY COMPETITION AMENDED RULES 2026
- Structure and word count
a) Submissions must be presented in Microsoft Word format and be no more than 5,000 words in total including all headers, references, footnotes and annexes.
b) Each essay must be submitted as a standalone document and must not be combined with, attached to, or embedded within any supporting materials. Submissions must be clearly identified and saved using the applicant’s full name, IPCA 2026 Essay, and date of submission [for example: YOUR NAME_ IPCA 2026 Essay _DATE OF SUBMISSION; Jane Doe_IPCA2026Essay_01 August 2026].
c) The Essay must accompany the completed Cover Document, the signed assignment of copyright, and proof of eligibility; all submitted separately and clearly labelled in accordance with the submission guidelines in one email. Please refer to further rules below. - Eligibility
a) Only one submission may be made per person. A first-place prize winner may not submit an essay in the year following their win. A prize winner may not submit an essay for consideration more than three times.
b) Submissions must be in English or accompanied by an English translation.
c) Entries are only valid if written by a Law Student, an Articled Clerk, Trainee Lawyer or Newly Qualified Lawyer residing in the Caribbean, in accordance with the following definitions:
i) Law Students: Any Caribbean resident who, at the time of submission, is pursuing a full or part-time law degree or post-graduate diploma/certificate in law (academic or practical/vocational) within the Caribbean, or elsewhere, with the intention of practicing as a qualified lawyer, attorney-at-law, barrister or solicitor (as defined in the country in which they reside) within the Caribbean.
ii) Articled Clerks/Trainee Lawyers: Any Caribbean resident who, at the time of submission, is training to become a qualified lawyer, attorney-at-law, barrister or solicitor (as defined in the country in which they reside) within the Caribbean via on-the-job training under contract with a law firm, barristers’ chambers, legal department, corporate office or other organization where they may obtain professional legal guidance and training.
iii) Newly Qualified Lawyers: A Caribbean resident who, at the time of submission, is a qualified lawyer, attorney-at-law, barrister or solicitor (as defined in the country in which they reside) within the Caribbean and engaged in their first two years of professional practice in the Caribbean.
iv) Caribbean: Includes any country that borders the Caribbean Sea or country that is a member or associate member of CARICOM. - Authorship & Assignment
a) The copyright in all submissions shall vest in IPCA and each applicant will need to provide a signed assignment of copyright which can be found here together with their submission.
b) The essay must be an original work that has not been previously published elsewhere. IPCA highly respects the intellectual property rights of authors, creators, inventors and innovators. Accordingly, plagiarised work will be severely penalized, including but not limited to mark deductions or zero scoring. The extent of the penalization may be dependent on the nature of the plagiarisation and how it impacts the overall work. Intent may be irrelevant.
c) The use of any external resource (open-source artificial intelligence (AI) platforms/large language models or tools) must be fully disclosed. Submissions generated wholly or substantially by AI,or containing AI-generated content that is not properly acknowledged, may be treated as a breach of academic integrity. Applicants remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their submissions, regardless of whether AI tools were used in any capacity.
d) Accordingly, applicants must ensure the academic integrity of each work and avoid plagiarism or undisclosed AI assistance in any form. The judges’ decisions with respect to penalization of plagiarized work or improper use of AI will be final.
e) IPCA further reserves the right to screen all submissions using plagiarism detection and other content verification tools, including software designed to identify AI-generated content. By submitting an essay, applicants consent to such screening. The results of such screening may be taken into account in determining whether a breach of academic integrity has occurred. - Deadline & Submission requirements
a) To qualify, essays must be received by no later than 5 p.m. EST on 1 August 2026.
b) Applicants should make the Essay submission along with the provided cover document, which can be found here. Submissions should be in a Microsoft Word format and sent to essay@ipca.website with “IPCA essay competition 2026 – YOUR NAME” in the subject line.
c) All Applicants are expected to provide proof of their status pursuant to Rule 2 (c), such as proof of current enrolment or other documentation demonstrating eligibility. The absence of a suitable proof of the Applicant’s status as a Law Student; Articled Clerk; Trainee Lawyer or Newly Qualified Lawyer resident in the Caribbean will automatically disqualify their participation to the Competition. - Announcement of winners and prizes
a) The winner and runners-up be notified by email.
b) The 1st place winner shall win a cash prize of US$2,000. The 2nd place winner will win a cash prize of US$1,000. The 3rd place winner will win a cash prize of US$700. The essays of the prize winners will be published on the IPCA website at www.ipca.website.
c) The decision of the Judges shall be final.