1. CATEGORIES AND PURPOSE

The Young Researchers Award is announced in the following three categories:

  • Public Law and Legal Philosophy,

  • Private, Social, and Economic Law, and

  • Political Science and International Relations.

The Faculty of Law and the Revista Jurídica de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (hereinafter, “Journal” or “RJUAM”) announce the 15th YOUNG RESEARCHERS AWARD to encourage undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students to engage in scientific research and present papers at academic conferences. The aim of the Award is to create a space where students can take their first steps in research — from formulating hypotheses, developing methodology, and conducting bibliographic and case law research to drawing conclusions from the analyzed material and presenting academic papers in forums open to the university community.

Each paper will be evaluated in the category under which it was expressly submitted by its author(s), without prejudice to the RJUAM’s right to reassign the work to a different category upon unanimous decision of the Evaluation Committee. This may occur if the work is more closely aligned with another category based on its content, or if the original category is declared void — as stated in section 7.a of these rules.

2. PARTICIPANTS
Any undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral student enrolled in a Faculty of Law, Political Science, or related disciplines at any Spanish or foreign university during the academic years 2024–2025 or 2025–2026 may participate. Each participant may submit only one paper.

Participation will involve a written phase, in which research results are submitted, followed by a public oral phase for those papers that advance.

An Evaluation Committee designated for each category will select up to five finalist papers, using a double-blind peer review process.

Finalist papers will be presented in the public oral phase before a Jury for each category. Each participant will have up to fifteen minutes to present their work. The Jury may then ask questions or make comments, to which the presenter may respond. After all presentations, the Jury will deliberate in private to determine the winner(s).

All decisions made by the Evaluation Committee and the Jury are final and may not be appealed.

3. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

a. Each participant must submit their paper as an editable Microsoft Word document (or compatible format). The file name must indicate the category — DPriv, DPub, or CCPP — followed by the first three words of the title (e.g., DPriv_Consequences of not.docx).

Submissions must be written in Spanish, using Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm top and bottom margins, and 3 cm left and right margins. The paper must be between 10 and 15 pages long, including bibliography, footnotes (single-spaced, 10 pt), abstract and keywords in Spanish and English, and any graphics, images, or appendices. Submissions must follow the RJUAM Style Manual (ESP). We recommend using our official template to ensure compliance with formatting requirements.

Papers must be fully anonymized, with no direct or indirect reference to the author's identity. The work must be original and not submitted for publication, accepted pending publication, or already published. “Published” includes any reproduction in physical, digital, or audiovisual formats, whether open access or subscription-based.

Papers may be submitted individually or in pairs (maximum of 2 authors) and must relate to legal or political science topics.

Participants agree to present their work publicly and in person during the final phase, which will take place on December 11 and 12, 2025 at the Faculty of Law, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. For co-authored papers, at least one author must present the work in person. Any prize awarded will be split equally among co-authors. Remote presentations will be allowed only for justified reasons or in exceptional circumstances (e.g., a public health emergency).

Award winners (first prize or accessits) also commit to revising and expanding their papers after the oral phase, incorporating suggestions from the Jury, and submitting them for editorial review by RJUAM for possible publication.

Research may be tutored by any university teaching and/or research staff. A tutor may endorse one or more submissions.

b. Each submission must include — in a separate editable file — a document with the following personal details for each author:

  • Full name(s) and surname(s),

  • ID number (passport or foreign ID for non-Spanish contestants),

  • Mailing address,

  • Mobile phone number,

  • Name(s) and surname(s) of any tutor or evaluator of the submitted work (e.g., thesis supervisor), and

  • A statement confirming that the work is unpublished, original, and free of plagiarism.

We recommend using our official personal data template.

c. Submissions must also include a letter of acceptance from the tutor, stating the names and affiliations of both tutor and participant, the title of the paper, the selected category, and the academic field in which the research is framed. The Evaluation Committee will make the final decision on categorization (see section 1). We recommend using our official letter of acceptance template.

d. Each participant must provide proof of enrollment in a faculty of Law, Political Science, or related disciplines at any Spanish or foreign university for the academic years 2024–2025 or 2025–2026 (a simple copy of the enrollment certificate will suffice).

Submissions not meeting these requirements will be disqualified.

4. PRIZES
Each category will have the following prizes:

  • FIRST PRIZE: €300 (cash), and

  • ACCESSIT: €100 voucher redeemable at Marcial Pons bookstore.

Prizes may be declared void.

Award delivery may be contingent upon the submission of the final version of the paper for publication in RJUAM. Both the authors and tutors of winning entries will receive a certificate. Authors and tutors of finalist papers presented in the oral phase but not awarded a prize will also receive a certificate of participation.

5. PUBLICATION OF WINNING PAPERS
Provided they pass the anonymous peer review, the full text of awarded and finalist papers will be published by RJUAM.

6. SUBMISSION METHOD AND DEADLINE
The four required documents — research proposal, personal data form, letter of acceptance from the tutor, and enrollment proof — must be emailed to premio.rjuam@gmail.com by September 30, 2025 (11:59 PM GMT+2). A confirmation of receipt will be sent. Participants are advised to use the subject line “Premio Jóvenes Investigadores RJUAM.” The Journal reserves the right to reject submissions received in the spam folder due to missing subject lines.

Finalist selection will be communicated via email by Monday, November 10, 2025, along with details for the public presentation session.

7. EVALUATION COMMITTEES, JURIES, AND FINAL DECISION

a. Evaluation of papers in the written phase:
An Evaluation Committee will be formed for each of the three categories. Each Committee will consist of academic experts in relevant areas, selected by RJUAM. Each member will individually evaluate the papers deemed to have sufficient academic quality, using an objective scoring system. Evaluation criteria will include the relevance of the topic, research depth, writing clarity, and adherence to style guidelines. Papers of insufficient academic quality may be dismissed without scoring.

The five top-scoring papers per category will proceed to the oral phase. A category may be declared void if fewer than three submissions meet the required quality threshold. In that case, papers meeting the threshold may be reassigned to the most appropriate remaining category. The reassigned papers will be re-evaluated along with the others in that category. All decisions of the Evaluation Committees are final and not subject to appeal.

b. Evaluation in the public oral phase:
A Jury will be formed for each category, composed of academic staff in the relevant field, appointed by RJUAM. During this phase, both the written paper and the oral presentation will be assessed. Decisions will be made by majority vote. Each Jury reserves the right to declare either prize void. Jury decisions are final and cannot be appealed. The results will be announced at the closing ceremony following all presentations.

8. ACCEPTANCE OF RULES AND DATA PROTECTION
Participation implies acceptance of all rules.

Failure to comply with the conditions for awarding the prizes may result in the revocation of the award and the return of any monetary amounts received. Not submitting the final version of the awarded paper for publication in the Journal within five months of the public presentation may be deemed non-compliance.

In accordance with Spanish Organic Law 3/2018, of December 5, on the Protection of Personal Data and the Guarantee of Digital Rights, participants are informed and explicitly consent to the inclusion of their personal data in RJUAM’s files, as well as to the publication of such data, including their image, on the RJUAM website and social media.