Andrew P. Vance Memorial Writing Competition

The Customs and International Trade Bar Association (CITBA) and partner law schools sponsor an annual writing competition to encourage law students who are interested in careers in customs and international trade law. The competition honors the memory of Andrew Vance, past president of CITBA and a distinguished practitioner and public servant. To get additional information regarding the requirements of the competition, please click HERE.

About the Andrew P. Vance Memorial Writing Competition

The Andrew P. Vance Memorial Writing Competition honors the memory of Andrew P. Vance, past president of Customs and International Trade Bar Association (CITBA) and distinguished public servant and practitioner. Through his work in the field of customs and international trade law for over forty years, Andrew Vance maintained and improved the standards of practice and earned the respect and affection of countless lawyers, judges and scholars.

The Customs and International Trade Bar Association (CITBA) and Georgetown Law are sponsoring this Writing Competition to encourage law students who are interested in careers in customs and international trade law.

2026 Andrew P. Vance Memorial Writing Competition Call for Papers

The Customs and International Trade Bar Association (CITBA) and Georgetown Law School are pleased to announce 2026 Andrew P. Vance Memorial Writing Competition. The competition is welcoming papers with an in-depth analysis of a current issue relevant to customs and international trade law. Entrants must be enrolled as of May 2026 in a J.D. or L.L.M. program at any of the nation’s law schools. Papers must be submitted here by August 31, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

Submissions should be typewritten, double-spaced on 8 ½ x 11-inch paper. The paper shall not exceed 40 pages in length, including footnotes. Papers must include footnotes, not endnotes. Papers should be in 12pt. Times New Roman font and have one-inch margins (right, left, top, and bottom).  Noncompliance with these requirements may affect evaluation or result in disqualification.  Please include the following on the cover sheet of your pape:
  • Full name, address and telephone number
  • Law school and year
  • Date of submission of paper
Do not include any identifying information in the text of the paper itself.

A committee of practicing attorneys and professors with relevant expertise will judge the papers. The following factors will be considered:
  • Legal analysis
  • Thoroughness and depth of topic
  • Evaluation of judicial precedents, statutes, and regulations
  • Writing style
  • Form and quality of citations
  • Conformity with rules of competition
Two prizes will be awarded by CITBA:
  • $1000.00 first prize
  • $500.00 second prize
 

2024-2025 Vance Writing Competition

CITBA and Georgetown Law announce the winners for the Vance Writing Competition.

First Place: John Matthew Camara, Southwestern Law School Submission was Seizing The Digital Future: Why The United States Must Join The Digital Economy Partnership Agreement

Second place: Jeesae Kim, University of Michigan Law School, Submission was The Allure Of Trade And Sustainable Development Chapters
 

Past Recipients:

Knipfer, Christian (2023, First Prize) -  An Emergency in International Relations of its Own Making: The WTO’s Missteps on National Security in U.S. - Steel and Aluminum
O’Neill, Alexandra (2023, Second Prize) - A Crypto Roadmap for International Trade: International Finance and Digital Trade - How Cryptocurrency Works and Why Multilateral Regulation is Necessary
Epp, Devin (2022, First Prize) – " 'Made in China' . . . Is a Warning Label":  Is America Doing Enough?"
Marks, Issac (2022, Second Prize) – "Did Ben and Jerry's Violate United States Antiboycott Laws in Choosing Not to Renew Their Licensing Contract with Their Israeli Lessee?"
Rotenberg, Julian (2020, First Prize) – “Privacy Before Trade: Assessing the WTO-Consistency of Privacy-Based Cross-Border Data Flows”
Whittington, Ryan (2020, Second Prize) – “Backdoor Mercantilism: The Use and Abuse of National Security at the World Trade Organization”
Mello, Jr., Daniel (2018, First Prize) – “TRIPs & the Apparel Value Chain: Implications of Recent US Copyright Law Developments for International Trade”
Brewer, Elliott (2018, Second Prize) – “Closed Loophole: Investigating Forced Labor in Corporate Supply Chains Following the Repeal of the Consumptive Demand Exception”
Carr, Kaitlyn (2017, First Prize) – “The International Enforcement of Mediated Settlement Agreements”
Figueiredo Ribeiro De Sena, Bianca (2017, Second Prize) – “Strategies for Competitive Advantage: The Steel Industry and International Trade”
Wood, Cody (2016, First Prize) – “How Patents and 3-D Printing Could Undo the Gains in Global Welfare Promised by Free Trade”
Launchbaugh, Alina (2016, Second Prize) – “Increased Trade and Decreased Human Trafficking: Harmonizing The European Union and United States’ Public Procurement Regulations”
Cox, Courtney (2015, First Prize) – “International Trade’s Zero-Sum Game: How Zeroing In Accordance With The Tariff Act of 1930 Harms The American Economy And Why It Must Go” (publication pending)
Pham, Duy D. (2015, Second Prize) – “Dark Clouds: Privacy Law as a Barrier to Trade in Cloud Computing”
Baroody, Anne Horn (2014, First Prize) – “Real Problems with Fake Antiquities and How Geographical Indications May Help”
Eddy, Jessica K. (2014, Second Prize) – “Re-focusing Export Control: A Review of the Obama Administration’s Export Control Reform Initiative and Suggestions for the Future”
Elofsson, Niklas (2013, First Prize) – “Ex Parte Interviews of Party-Appointed Arbitrator Candidates: A Study Based on the Views of Counsel and Arbitrators in Sweden and the United States”
Torpy Elizabeth (2013, Second Prize) – “If Criminal Offenses Were Added To CITES, Would Nations Be Better Able To Restrict International Trade In Endangered Species And Protect Biodiversity?”
Springer, Timothy S. (2012, First Prize) – “Two and a Half Hurdles Between Eurozone Debts and U.S. Courts: How Recent Distressed Foreign Deals Could Soon Be Unwound Domestically”
Buder, Kimberly B. (2012, Second Prize) – “Cross-Sector Retaliation”
Langille, Joanna (2011, First Prize) – “Neither Constitution nor Contract: Understanding the WTO By Examining the Legal Limits on Contracting Out Through Regional Trade Agreements”
Leaver, Joshua D. (2011, Second Prize) – “Building Consumer Trust in Cross-Border E-Commerce Transactions: UNCITRAL and the Globalization of Online Dispute Resolution”
Torem, Steven (2010, First Prize) – “Electronic Data at the Border: Safeguarding the Privacy of Our Thoughts”
John, Soji (2010, Second Prize) – “Improper Seizures by Sovereigns at Customs”
Templin, James S. (2009, First Prize) – “University Research Under Siege: How the War on Terror Has Placed Academic Freedom Under Fire”
Vanden Brink, Ryan M. (2009, Second Prize) – “Competitiveness Border Adjustments in US Climate Change Proposals Violate GATT: Suggestions to Utilize GATT’s Environmental Exceptions”
Zuckerman, Michael A. (2008, First Prize) – “The Offshoring of American Government”
Stephenson, Christina (2008, Second Prize) – “Reproductive Outsourcing to India: WTO Obligations in the Absence of U.S. National Legislation,” 43 Journal of World Trade 189 (2009)
Waggoner, Justin M. (2007, First Prize) – “Acquiring a European Taste for Geographical Indications”
Grieb, Owen (2007, Second Prize) – “The Potential for U.S. Action Under WTO Law Against China’s Fixed Foreign Currency Exchange System”
Canizares, Alex O. (2006, First Prize) – “Is Charming Betsy Losing Her Charm? Construing U.S. International Trade Statutes Consistently with International Law and Chevron”
Broome, Stephen A. (2006, Second Prize) – “Conflicting Obligations For Oil Exporting Nations?: Satisfying The Membership Requirements Of Both OPEC and the WTO”
Athanasakou, Konstantina (2005, First Prize) – “Why Invoking The SCM Agreement May Not Be A Good Response To Chinese Textiles,” 4 Loy. U. Chi. Int’l L. Rev. 281 (2006)
Smith, Derek (2005, Second Prize) – “Establishing a Global Quarantine Against Weapons of Mass Destruction”
DiLascio, Tracey (2004, First Prize) – “How Safe is the Safe Harbor? U.S. and E.U. Data Privacy Law and the Enforcement of the FTC’s Safe Harbor Program”
Emslie, John J. (2004, Second Prize) – “Labeling Programs As A Reasonably Available Least Restrictive Trade Measure Under Article XX’s Nexus Requirement”
Siprut, Joseph J. (2003, First Prize) – “Rational Irrationality: Why Playing The World Trade Organization as a Scapegoat Reduces the Social Costs of Armchair Economics,” 29 Brook. J. Int’l L. 709 (2004).
Leicht, Chad (2003, Second Prize) – “Air Wars Trade Laws and the Battle for Dominance in the Aircraft Industry”
Hicks, J. Noelle (2002, First Prize) – “Facilitating International Trade: The United States Needs Federal Legislation Governing the Enforcement of Foreign Judgments,” 28 Brook. J. Int’l L. 155 (2002).
Minella, Nicholas J (2002, Second Prize) – “Motives and Consequences of the FSC Dispute: Recent Salvo In A Long Standing Trade War or Fashioning A Bargaining Chip?,” 27 Brook. J. Int’l L. 1065 (2002).
Ford, Rosemary (2001, First Prize) – “Carousel Sanctions: A Roundabout Way to Force Compliance With World Trade Organization Decisions,” 27 Brook. J. Int’l L. 543 (2002).
Gong, Hongliu (2001, Second Prize) – “Legal Strategies for Challenging Current EU Antidumping Campaign Against Imports From China: A Chinese Perspective,” 27 Brook. J. Int’l L. 575 (2002).
Renaud, John Robert (2000, First Prize) – “Can’t Get There From Here: How NAFTA and GATT Have Reduced Protection for Geographical Trademarks,” 26 Brook. J. Int’l L. 1097 (2001).
Monte, Mark J. (2000, Second Prize) – “How Corporate Factory/Supplier Monitoring Programs Succeed in Curbing Abusive A Sweatshop,” 26 Brook. J. Int’l L. 1125 (2001).
Slater, Scott S. (1999, First Prize) – “Overcome By Hardship: The Inapplicability of the UNIDROIT Principles – Hardship Provisions to CISG,” 12 Fla. J. Int’l L. 231 (1998).
Moisant, Jay P. (1999, Second Prize) – “Addressing the Grey Market – What the Supreme Court Should Have Done,” 25 Brook. J. Int’l L. 639 (1999).


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