Rubén Perea Writing Award

In 2020, our friend and colleague Rubén Perea Molleda passed away, just as he was poised to embark on a promising career in competition law after graduating from the College of Europe. Rubén’s memory remains vivid for everyone who knew him. To honour him, we established a competition-law and economics writing prize in collaboration with JECLAP, Chillin'Competition, and EU Law Live. 

We currently accept applications for the sixth edition of the prize.

As in previous editions, the winning paper will be published in a special issue of the Journal of European Competition Law & Practice, together with a selection of the best submissions received (the JECLAP special issue featuring the winner and finalists of the 5th edition will be out very soon; many articles are already available as a pre-publication). Furthermore, the winner will be given an opportunity to publish in an EU Law Live Weekend Edition on the main findings. The winner may also receive the award from the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition Teresa Ribera.

Who can participate?

You may participate if you remain below the age of 30 by the submission date (i.e., if you were born after 15 October 1995). Undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as scholars, public officials and practitioners are all invited to participate. This award celebrates promising academic writing from individuals at the beginning of their careers. Our aim is to support and spotlight emerging voices, regardless of age or background: if your career path is non-traditional and you believe you align with the spirit of this award, we welcome a brief explanation for consideration here. 

What papers can be submitted?

You may submit a single-author unpublished paper on competition law, policy, or economics, which is not under consideration elsewhere. The paper may be specifically prepared for the award or originally drafted as an undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation or thesis. Please follow the following instructions: (1) the paper must not exceed 15,000 words footnotes included; no bibliography is needed; (2) follow the JECLAP house-style rules, which can be found here; (3) please include a short summary in the form of 3-4 key points (single-sentence bullet points).  

For your information, the Jury will assess your paper based on the following three main criteria: clarity of writing; depth of research; and innovativeness.

This year, the Jury will consist of Petra Nemeckova, Alfonso Lamadrid, Gianni De Stefano, Philip Marsden, Eugenia Brandimarte, Nicolas Fafchamps, David Perez de Lamo, and Lena Hornkohl.

How to submit?

Please submit the paper via this link: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jeclap. IMPORTANT: As you go through the submission process, make sure that in Step 5, you answer YES to the question “Is this for a special issue?”, and indicate that your submission relates to the Rubén Perea Award.

What is the DEADLINE?

Papers have to be submitted by 23.59 (Brussels time) on 15 October 2025.