The Energy Law Association is inviting applications for entries in its third annual Essay Competition.

Entries are open for people who, at 30 June 2016, were undergraduate law students at a tertiary institution in New Zealand, or had graduated from any tertiary institution with their first law degree within the previous three years.

Anyone intending to enter must provide details of the proposed topic and submit the entry form to the Secretary of the Energy Law Association by Friday, 7 October 2016. Topics and eligibility will be approved shortly after that date.

Essays must be received by the association Secretary by 5:00pm on Friday, 2 December 2016. Prize winners will be announced late in January 2017.

Essays may be written on a wide range of topics. The association says it will consider accepting essays on any legal topic directly of relevance to the energy and resources sectors, and particularly those of corporate, commercial, contractual, public/regulatory, land, financing or tax interest.

The 2016 competition will offer three prizes, with $3,000 for the winner, $2,000 for second, and $1,000 for third. The association says it reserves the discretion to award such combination of prizes as it sees fit.

Further information may be obtained from the association Secretary at energylaw@xtra.co.nz.