Papers invited for 2024 SCL Hudson Prize
Introduction
The Society of Construction Law announces the timetable and rules for this year’s Hudson Prize Essay Competition.
The Hudson Prize is awarded annually by the SCL for outstanding contributions to the study and understanding of construction law. The competition’s pedigree and roster of previous prize winners confer unique prestige throughout our industry and attract submissions from across the globe.
History
The Hudson Prize has long featured as a centrepiece of the SCL’s values and activities, the first competition launched shortly after the Society’s founding in the 1980s. Named after Alfred Hudson KC, widely regarded as the ‘father of construction law’ (whose textbook, now in its 14th edition, was first published in 1891), the competition has long attracted a wide-ranging series of original and influential entries, the first being Peter Barber’s 1988 essay on management contracting.
Successful entrants have come from a wide range of professional backgrounds, representing the rich diversity of our members—from solicitors and the Bar (ranging from pupils to King’s Counsel) to academics and surveyors. Reflecting our international membership, numerous past winners have been selected from outside Great Britain, including Northern Ireland, Australia and Hong Kong.
Rules
The subject matter for entries must relate to ‘Construction Law’. This includes, but is not restricted to: construction and engineering contracts; contract administration; litigation; arbitration; adjudication; dispute resolution/avoidance; negligence; public procurement and any other aspect of law or procedure insofar as relevant to the construction industry.
The scope is intentionally wide, with previous prize-winning topics on liquidated damages, costs in adjudication, performance bonds, concurrent delay, privilege, defective premises and unforeseen ground conditions.
Owing to the diverse array of entries, the judging panel comprises both lawyers and non-lawyers, typically including barristers, solicitors, arbitrators, engineers, chartered surveyors, delay experts and/or academics.
Submissions are encouraged across all disciplines and professional backgrounds comprising the SCL’s membership.
All entries are judged blind. It is essential that entries reviewed by the judging panel are identifiable by essay title only, and that the author’s name, employer and any other identifying information does not appear within the essay itself. Each essay should be accompanied by a cover letter, including the essay title, author information and contact details.
There is a maximum word limit of 5,000 words. An accurate word count must be provided, including all text but excluding footnotes. (While footnotes and referencing do not count towards this total, recent attempts to avoid the word limit by overloading footnotes with matters of substance have almost always been counter-productive.)
Papers with a maximum of two authors will be accepted, although any prize obtained in this way would be shared between the authors.
The judging panel adopts the following weighting criteria:
- 50% - ‘Originality of thought or approach and contribution to the study or practice of construction law or its applications in the industry’.
- 40% - ‘Quality of analysis, explanation and discussion of chosen topic’. Considerable weight is given to the freshness of ideas and the value of the work.
- 10% - ‘Clarity of presentation, grammar, spelling, punctuation and any referencing’.
Entries must be original (ie, not previously published elsewhere). The Society reserves the right to publish the winning entries in hard copy and online, with copyright being held jointly by the author and the Society. The award of prizes or commendations, or the decision not to award them, is at the absolute discretion of the Society through its judging panel.
Timetable
The closing date for submissions is 3 January 2025. Entries should be sent by email to admin@scl.org.uk and an acknowledgement obtained before midnight on that date.
Results
The winners will be announced, along with a brief description of their entries, at the annual SCL Lunch in February 2025.
The prizes awarded are as follows:
- For 1st Prize – The sum of £4,000 and publication of the winning essay in the SCL Journal.
- For 2nd Prize – The sum of £2,500 and publication in the SCL Journal.
In addition, entries may also be ‘Highly Commended’ or ‘Commended’.
All those awarded a prize or commendation receive a year’s free membership to the Society.
The judging panel reserves the right to invite one or more of the successful entrants to deliver a lecture on their essay topic to the Society and, in the case of commended entries, to also consider their publication.
Further Information
Any further queries should be directed to the Chair of the Judging Panel, Michael Levenstein of Gatehouse Chambers.