DealHQ Partners, an Africa Focused deal advisory/boutique commercial law firm operating out of Lagos, Nigeria has announced the launch of its 2026 Law Undergraduate Essay Competition.
Other News
The Competition is focused on driving youth conversations around emerging trends in the Firm’s practice areas.
In line with the Firm’s deep commitment to knowledge management through stakeholder engagements and active conversations that birth solutions, influence business practices, drive policy changes, and ultimately deepen the performance of enterprises within its practice demography.
This competition is focused on promoting research and policy advocacy amongst law undergraduates in African Universities by providing a platform for the student community to participate effectively in economic and political re-engineering driven by forward-thinking and innovation which are synonymous with youth.
The topic for this year’s edition is: “From Barrels to Bytes: Using AI to Re-engineer the Risk Equation in Africa’s Energy Sector.” Participants are expected to articulate a journey map to utilising AI safely and responsibly to re-engineer the risk equation in Africa’s energy sector, tracing a path from the continent’s current energy challenges, through the strategic adoption of AI-driven tools, to a future where technology delivers sustainable energy outcomes for African communities.
The competition is open to law students in 300 to 500 level across African universities and closes on 11th June 2026.
Finalists stand to win cash prizes of USD500, USD300, and USD200 for first, second, and third place respectively, as well as internship and mentorship opportunities with DealHQ Partners and our Partner Institutions.
Key submission guidelines are as follows:
- Essays must be submitted in both Word and PDF formats via the competition portal at Dealhq Partners Undergraduate Essay Competition 2026.
- Word count must not exceed 2,000 words.
- Entries must be original, unpublished works of the candidate.
- Formatting requirements: Font — Candara, Size 12, Line Spacing 1.5, Alignment: Justified.
- Submissions must adhere strictly to OSCOLA referencing format.
- AI tools may be used for research support purposes only; a disclosure statement indicating the extent of use must be included.
- A scanned copy of a valid student ID card must accompany the submission.
- All submissions shall be subject to plagiarism checks.
- Candidates must be following all DealHQ social media handles to be eligible to participate.
Strict adherence with submission guidelines is required. Defective submissions will be disqualified.
The competition is supported by a distinguished group of media and institutional partners including BusinessDay, Nairametrics, Lawverse, Axxela, Amie Bensouda & Co, and LearnHub.
For more information about the essay competition and guidelines for submission, visit Dealhq Partners Undergraduate Essay Competition 2026 and follow dealhqpartners across all social media platforms.
