If you’re a law student with an interest in agricultural law, the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA) has built pathways for you to learn, compete, publish, and connect with practitioners and other students shaping the profession.

Here’s a look at everything available to you in one place—pick the options that fit your goals. We hope to see you at the AALA Annual Educational Symposium.

Legal Issues Student Writing Competition

The AALA Legal Issues Student Writing Competition is your chance to dig into a topic that matters to you, contribute to scholarship in agricultural, food, and natural resource law, and put your work in front of a national audience.

• Open to students who are, at the time of submission, enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, pursuing a J.D. degree, and at least 18 years old.
• The top three winners receive a cash prize and publication in the AALA Symposium Edition of the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law.
• The top winner receives covered registration for the AALA Annual Educational Symposium in Dallas, TX.

The 2026 competition timeline is as follows:

• Submissions open: June 5
• Deadline to submit: August 14
• Winners notified: September 25
• Winners recognized at the Symposium: November 7

Click Here for Full Competition Rules, Description and AI Policy

Student Scholarship Award

This award recognizes any published student work, or work accepted for publication, that brings fresh ideas and rigorous thinking to agricultural, food, and natural resource law. Nominations are reviewed by AALA’s Awards Committee, and the winner is celebrated at the Awards Luncheon during the Annual Educational Symposium.

• Open to students who are or were enrolled part-time or full-time in an ABA-accredited law school or graduate program relating to agricultural law at the time the work was authored.
• Any student scholarly work — articles, papers, comments, and similar works — related to agricultural law that has been published or accepted for publication in the year prior to the nomination deadline is eligible for consideration.
• The winner will be announced and presented with a plaque at AALA Annual Educational Symposium, then featured in an AALA publication and press release.
• Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged.

The 2026 submission timeline is as follows:

• Submissions open: July 31
• Deadline to submit: September 18
• Winner announced and recognized at the Symposium: November 7

Click Here for Award Criteria and Submission Information 

Student Trivia Competition

Put your knowledge to the test—and your school on the map—at AALA’s Student Trivia Competition, a Symposium favorite. It’s fast-paced, friendly competition among law schools, and one of the best ways to meet fellow students and make your mark before you graduate.

• Open to law students enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school who are registered attendees of the AALA Annual Educational Symposium.
• No pre-registration necessary. Simply come to the designated room prior to the start time.
• Teams may be formed in advance by participants, or individual participants may register solo and be assigned to a team before the competition begins.

2025 Student Winners

Legal Issues Student Writing Competition

1st Place – Jakob Christopherson, Wake Forest University School of Law, The EPA: Kneecapping Air Pollution and Economic Growth

2nd Place – Macy N. Tipton, Wake Forest University School of Law, Sustainable Farming: Strategies for Large-Scale Biodigester Adoption on Small CAFOs

3rd Place – Bradesha Parker, Southern University Law Center, Squeezed at Both Ends: Tariffs, Retaliation, and the Vanishing Margins of US Farmers

Student Scholarship Award

Beyond the Bacon: Proposition 12’s Impact on the United States Pork Industry, forthcoming 2026. Brooke De Noble, Drake University Law School

Student Trivia Competition

1st Place 

• Joseph Schauf
• Elijiah Zwick
• Danielle Herrick
• Abigail Durrant
• Jill Reynolds
• Lindsay Troyer

2nd Place 

• Julie Anderson
• Gabby Kilpatrick
• Brayden McKinney
• Katie Barnes
• Ellen Phillips
• Isaac Strohman

3rd Place 

• Hannah Fugate
• Nick Romano
• Will Terry
• Colby Johnson
• Brock Nichols
• Jebb Schwager