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 The Australian Academy of Law Annual Essay Prize - Past Winners

2023

AAL Annual Essay Prize 2023

The winners of the AAL's annual essay prize for 2023
were Professor Andrew Higgins and John Yap.

See the media release here: AAL 2023 Essay Media Release.pdf


2022

AAL Annual Essay Prize 2022

The winners of the AAL's annual essay prize for 2022 were Catherine Bugler and Alice Muir.

See the media release here: AAL 2022 Essay Media Release.pdf

2021

Winners:  Ms Giulia Marrama, Ms Lillian Burgess and Mr Suvradip Maitra, 

 Judges' Associates 

Topic:  "Outstanding fundamental issues for First Nations Peoples in Australia: what can lawyers contribute to the current debates and their resolution?             

Judging Panel: Professor The Hon William Gummow AC QC (Chair), Mr Tony McAvoy and Professor Gabrielle Appleby         

The Essay Prize will be presented to Ms Giulia Marrama, Ms Lillian Burgess and Mr Suvradip Maitra when circumstances allow.      

View the essay written by Ms Giulia Marrama, Ms Lillian Burgess and Mr Suvradip Maitra  here

2020


Joint Winners:  Ms Natalie Ngo and Mr Tom Allchurch

 Associate to the Hon Justice Garde at the Supreme Court of Victoria and Solicitor, NSW Crown Solicitor's Office 

Topic: “The impact of a new and widespread contagious disease on pre-existing contractual obligations.

Note: Earlier ‘new’ outbreaks of infectious diseases may be taken into account.”

Judging Panel: Professor The Hon William Gummow AC QC (Chair), the Hon. Justice Pamela Tate and Professor Rosalind Croucher AM. 

The Essay Prize will be presented to Ms Ngo and Mr Allchurch when circumstances allow. 

Ms Ngo's essay can be viewed here. 

Mr Allchurch's essay can be viewed here.

2019

Winner:  Ellen Rock

 Lecturer,  Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney

Topic: How do private law and public law interact in Australia? What are, and what should be, the available remedies (public or private or both) where they interact?

Judging Panel: Professor The Hon William Gummow AC  QC (Chair), Ms Margaret Allars SC and Professor Rosalind Dixon.

The Essay Prize was presented to Dr Rock on 7 December 2019 following the Australian and New Zealand Law Honours Prize at University of Technology Sydney .

Dr Rock's essay can be viewed here.

2018

Winner: Ashleigh Mills
Workplace Relations and Safety Associate, Holding Redlich Lawyers Sydney

Topic: Rights and freedoms under the Australian Constitution: what are they and do they meet the needs of the contemporary Australian society?

Judging Panel: Professor The Hon William Gummow AC QC (Chair), Ms Kate Eastman SC and Professor James Stellios.

The Essay Prize was presented to Ms Mills on 28 November 2018 following the Academy’s event in the Banco Court, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Sydney.

Ms Mills’ essay was published in the Australian Law Journal (2019) 93 ALJ 655. Her essay can be viewed here.


2017

Winner: Phillipa McCormack
Commissioning editor, Australian Environment Review, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania

Topic: How well do Australian legal institutions respond to climate change? How could that response be improved? Note: ‘Australian legal institutions’ includes legislatures, courts, public administration, universities and other legal teaching and research institutions

Judging Panel: Professor The Hon William Gummow AC QC (Chair), The Hon Justice Pamela Tate and Professor Rosemary Lyster.

A presentation of the Essay Prize was made to the winner on 23 October 2017 following the Academy’s event in Victoria in the Federal Court of Australia, Melbourne.

Ms McCormack’s essay was published in the Australian Law Journal (2018) 92 ALJ 546. Her essay can be viewed here.

2016

Joint Winners: Lyria Bennett Moses and Robert Size
Associate Professor, University of NSW and Graduate Lawyer, Hall & Wilcox Lawyers

Topic: What effects have advances in technology (including artificial intelligence) had upon the discipline of law in academia, the practising profession and the courts, and how may that effect change over the next ten years? What steps should be taken now to harness the benefits and limit the detriments of those advances?

Judging Panel: Professor The Hon William Gummow AC QC (Chair), Professor Rosalind Croucher AM and Mr Michael Murray.

A presentation of the Essay Prize was made to the winners following the Academy’s Patron’s Address on 18 October 2016 in the Banco Court, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Sydney.

Associate Professor Bennett Moses’ essay was published in the Australian Law Journal (2017) 91 ALJ 561. Her essay can be viewed here.

Mr Size’s essay was published in the Australian Law Journal (2017) 91 ALJ 575. His essay can be viewed here.

2015

Winner: Ailsa McKeon
Associate to the Hon Justice Roslyn G. Atkinson AO

Topic: How should academia, the practising profession and the courts assist each other in the education of Australian lawyers?

Judging Panel: Professor The Hon William Gummow AC QC (Chair), Professor Gillian Triggs and Mr Russell Miller AM.

A special presentation ceremony was held on 28 October 2015 in the Court of Appeal Conference Room, Supreme Court of Queensland, Brisbane.

Ms McKeon’s essay was published in the Australian Law Journal (2016) 90 ALJ 355. Her essay can be viewed here.

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