Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict Documents

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Call for submissions for the 2023 Lieber Society writing prizes

Since 2007, the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict, an interest group of the American Society of International Law, has annually recognized a paper that significantly enhances the understanding and implementation of the law of war (also known as international humanitarian law, IHL). The Richard R. Baxter Military Prize is awarded for exceptional writing in English by an active member of the regular or reserve armed forces, civilian employees of an armed force/ Ministry of Defense (or Department of Defense for the United States), or military service veterans, regardless of nationality.

Since 2007, the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict, an interest group of the American Society of International Law, has annually recognized a paper that significantly enhances the understanding and implementation of the law of war (also known as international humanitarian law, IHL). The Richard R. Baxter Military Prize is awarded for exceptional writing in English by an active member of the regular or reserve armed forces, civilian employees of an armed force/ Ministry of Defense (or Department of Defense for the United States), or military service veterans, regardless of nationality.

Lieber Notes Newsletter

CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE 2022 LIEBER SOCIETY RICHARD R. BAXTER MILITARY WRITING PRIZE

Since 2007, the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict, an interest group of the American Society of International Law, has annually recognized a paper
that significantly enhances the understanding and implementation of the law of war (also known as international humanitarian law, IHL). The Richard R. Baxter
Military Prize is awarded for exceptional writing in English by an active member of the regular or reserve armed forces, civilian employees of an armed force/
Ministry of Defense (or Department of Defense for the United States), or military service veterans, regardless of nationality.

The Prize. The winner will receive a certificate confirming that he or she has
won the 2022 Lieber Society Richard R. Baxter Military Prize and a one-year
membership in the American Society of International Law (ASIL). The judges may
also recommend additional persons to receive Lieber Society Richard R. Baxter
Military Prize Certificates of Merit.

Request for Assistance. Any person receiving this Call for Papers who is aware
of exceptional writing that meets the qualifications of this competition is
requested to nominate the paper directly to the Lieber Society and forward this
Call to the author of that paper.

Definition of the Law of War/IHL. For this competition, the Law of War/IHL is
that part of international law that regulates the conduct of armed hostilities.
Papers may address any aspect of the law of war/IHL, including, but not limited
to, the use of force in international law; the conduct of hostilities during
international and non-international armed conflicts; protected persons and
protected objects; the law of weapons; rules of engagement; treatment of
detainees, to include interrogation procedures; and occupation law. Papers
addressing practical problems confronting members of the armed forces are
preferred.

Qualifications for entering the competition. Persons submitting papers do
not have to be ASIL members. They may be citizens of any nation, but they must
be an active member of the regular or reserve armed forces, a civilian employee
of an armed force/ Ministry of Defense (or Department of Defense for the United
States), or military service veterans, regardless of nationality.

Papers that may be entered. Papers submitted in this competition must be in
English (or translated into English if written in another language). Paper length
may not exceed 35 pages if written with single line spacing or 70 pages if written
with double line spacing, including footnotes. Paper size must be either 8.5 x 11
or A4, with all margins at least one inch and at least 12-point font. A
bibliography is not required. Both papers that have been published and papers
that have not been published will be considered for the Baxter Prize. The paper
should have written/published no earlier than the year prior to the award year,
meaning for the 2022 Baxter Prize, papers should have been written or published
in 2021.

Number/Type of Submissions. Sole and joint authored papers are eligible, but
every author must meet the eligibility requirements. Authors may submit one (1)
sole and one (1) joint authored paper.

Redact author information. To facilitate anonymous judging to the greatest
extent possible, please ensure that the author’s name and personal identifying
information are removed or redacted from the submission. In the email to which
the submission is attached please provide the following author information:
1) Full name and military rank or rating (former rank for veterans, or civilian
equivalent).
2) Current e-mail addresses and current telephone number.
If a person other than the author is making the submission, it must also contain
the above data for the person submitting the paper.
Deadline for submitting papers. Papers for the 2022 competition must be
received no later than 7 January 2022.

Use of email to submit papers. Electronic submission is required in Adobe
format (.pdf) or Microsoft Word (.doc). Submissions should be sent to the Baxter
Military Prize Coordinator, Dr. Christopher E. Bailey, at
christopherbailey286@yahoo.com. The subject line should read “Baxter Prize
Submission.”

Acknowledgement of submissions. All submissions will be acknowledged by email.
Announcement of winner. The winner and any persons receiving Certificates
of Merit will be announced at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of
International Law in Washington, DC, April 6-9, 2022.

Disclaimer. This announcement is being sent for information purposes to
notify personnel of events of common interest sponsored by a non-federal
entity. This announcement does not constitute an endorsement of the Lieber

The Spring 2021 edition of the Lieber Code Newsletter is now available!

Lieber Notes Volume 5, Issue 4

Please enjoy the third edition of our Lieber Notes.

Berkeley panel on stopping war crimes before they happen, March 28, 2016.