HPLR Writing Prizes

The Writing Prizes are given to HPLR Staff who have published on our digital platform. HPLR awards three annual prizes: Best Legal Opinion, Best Legal Research, and The Review’s highest honor: The Vilma Socorro Martínez Prize.

All publications, from a given academic year, are first nominated by the HPLR Executive Editorial Team and candidates are notified via email of their status. The HPLR Evaluation Committee (“the Committee”) then meets to review all nominations and decides the final outcome. To ensure fair parameters, the Committee is composed of Columbia professors, law students, and researchers with expertise in the given category. The winners will be announced via email first and will accept their award at the Hispanic Pre-Law Society’s Annual Gala.

More information on the specific parameters and criteria below: 

Best Legal Opinion, For the best article on a legal subject 

Awards the development of an original legal argument that responds to a core “so what?” question inspired by discourse on a legal subject. The winner exceeds the highest standards set forth in HPLR’s Editorial Guidelines and advances the stakes in relation to their argument. 

Best Legal Research, For the best use of research methods to analyze legal precedents 

Recognizes the rigorous application of research methods, including data-driven or doctrinal legal analyses, historical inquiry, or the development of new theoretical frameworks. The winner exceeds the highest standards set forth in HPLR’s Editorial Guidelines and advances an original research contribution that offers a new perspective on legal precedents.

The Vilma Socorro Martínez Prize, The Review’s Highest Honor 

For the best upperclassman who exemplifies the virtues of citizenship and scholarship. Established in honor of distinguished attorney, Columbia Law alumna, and first woman President of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Prize awards an upperclassman who exemplifies her virtues of citizenship and scholarship.