Privacy Laws & Business Student Essay Competition 2026
Privacy Laws & Business Student Essay Competition 2026
is now open to entrants
In association with The University of Nottingham Law and Tech Research Centre
Entering this essay competition can help you launch your professional career, have your work reviewed by specialist data privacy academics, and provide you with the opportunity to win great prizes.
The Essay Question
You are invited to submit 1,500 words in English which answers the following question:
-
“Should the EU’s adequacy criteria for international data transfers be changed? If so, how?”
Why Enter?
The winner of the competition will be invited to attend in-person the prestigious 3-day Privacy Laws & Business 39th International Conference, 6-8 July 2026 at St. John’s College, Cambridge where we will announce the results.
You will be able to enter the international world of data privacy policy-makers, regulators, companies and lawyers and strengthen your understanding of global privacy laws and their application.
You will see how companies implement data privacy laws into their everyday strategy and operations, with both in-house and external lawyers.
During the conference, there is ample opportunity for networking and making contacts that may help you in your future career.
In addition, the winner’s essay will be published on PL&B’s website, and possibly in a future PL&B Report (at our Editor’s discretion). A notable CV achievement and early professional recognition.
- About Privacy Laws & Business
- About PL&B's International Conferences
- About the University of Nottingham Law and Tech Research Centre
The Prizes
1st Prize
1 winner will receive:
- 1 free ticket to attend in-person the Privacy Laws and Business 39th International Conference, which includes:
- Registration for all 3 days - 6 to 8 July 2026 at St. John’s College, Cambridge, UK
- Accommodation at St. John’s College on Monday 6 July and Tuesday 7 July
- All meals at the conference
- A monetary prize which would more than cover agreed reasonable travel expenses
- Free 1 year subscription to PL&B International & UK Reports - PDF and online formats
- Their essay published on the PL&B website
Runner Up Prize
2 finalists will receive:
- Free online access to all sessions at Privacy Laws and Business 39th International Conference
- Free 1 year subscription to PL&B International & UK Reports - PDF and online formats.
- Their essays published on the PL&B website
All entrants will receive a PDF copy of PL&B International Report April 2026 and PL&B UK Report May 2026.
Who is Eligible?
- The competition is open to final-year undergraduates, postgraduate taught (e.g. LLM) or research (e.g. PhD) students in any subject and in any country.
Rules
- The competition is free to enter.
- Applicants can be final-year undergraduates, postgraduate taught (e.g. LLM) or research (e.g. PhD) students in any subject and in any country.
- Applicants must inform us of their course of study and university or college.
- Applicants must be aged 18 or over.
- You must register your interest and confirm your eligibility using the link below. Registering your interest does not require you to participate.
- Essays must be in English and a maximum of 1,500 words, including the title. Footnotes are not included in the word count.
- Essays must be submitted in Microsoft Word.
- References to sources should be in footnotes using standard numbers.
- The essay must be the applicant’s own work. AI must not be used to generate the content or references of the essay.
- Essays must be submitted from the applicant's university or college e-mail address.
- The PL&B Editorial Team will have the discretion to publish the essay in PL&B Reports and/or on PL&B’s website.
- Entries must be received by PL&B by Thursday 26 February 2026 and submitted via the link below.
Judging Criteria
Essays will be assessed by a panel of academics and PL&B members based on the degree of:
- Originality and independent thought
- Clarity of expression and argument
- Relevance to the question
- Rigour of the argument
- Supporting evidence for propositions
Each criteria will be scored out of 10. A penalty may be imposed for failure to adhere to the word limit.
Please see below essays from previous winners.
Assessment Process
Shortlisted essays will be reviewed by an academic panel:
- Dr Oliver Butler, Assistant Professor, Co-Director, Law and Tech Research Centre, School of Law, University of Nottingham
- Dr Jennifer Cobbe, Assistant Professor in Law and Technology, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge
- Dr Adam Harkens, Lecturer in Public Law, The University of Strathclyde
- and the Privacy Laws & Business editorial team
Timetable
- October 2025: Competition announcement
- 26 February 2026: Deadline for submissions
- 30 March 2026: Announcement of winners
- 6 to 8 July 2026: PL&B 39th International Conference
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@privacylaws.com. Do not contact the panel directly.
In association with:
Previous Winners
Click titles to read the essays
2022 Joint Competition Winners:
- Do under 25s care about privacy?
- By Sahra Wouters Okeili, Law student at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
- “The essay competition made me more confident in my writing and in getting my voice heard, even as a young student with little to no work experience. The conference opened a major door for me professionally, as it made me realise there is an entire sector I hadn't been aware of, the privacy and data protection sector. Attending the conference and networking with people from all over the world who share the same passion and interest in privacy helped me decide on the career path I wanted to pursue.”
- Sahra is currently a Privacy Consultant at Cranium, Brussels
- By Sahra Wouters Okeili, Law student at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
- Has the EU General Protection Data Regulation (GDPR) been a success?
- By Pablo Quero Cisneros, Business Management student at University of Essex, UK
- “The competition itself encouraged me to explore important privacy topics critically and in depth. Attending the conference was an incredible experience, I learned a lot on the most relevant privacy topics from the world leading experts, I was able to network with several professionals that have helped me later in my career, and I really enjoyed all the events and activities in such a beautiful venue. I couldn't recommend enough this competition!!”
- Pablo is currently a Senior Director at FTI Consulting, London
- By Pablo Quero Cisneros, Business Management student at University of Essex, UK
2019 Competition Winners:
- 1st Prize
- Navigating the Right to Data Portability in the EU Data Protection Regulation at the Intersection of EU Law
- By Wenlong Li, PhD Candidate/Tutor, Faculty of Law, University of Edinburgh
- “It was an early lesson in translation—the crossing between scholarly ideals and the pragmatics of compliance. Winning the Privacy Law & Business competition brought me face to face with the rhythms and constraints of practice—an apparently alien domain for a student of legal theory, yet one that revealed how knowledge finds purpose when it speaks to the systems it studies."
- Wenlong is currently a Research Professor at Guanghua School of Law, Zhejiang University, China
- By Wenlong Li, PhD Candidate/Tutor, Faculty of Law, University of Edinburgh
- 2nd Prize
- Making Privacy Law Compliance a Competitive Advantage
- By Alvin Cheung, Jurisprudence student at University College, Oxford
- Alvin is currently a Barrister at Temple Chambers, Hong Kong