The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) annually sponsors a writing competition called the  Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition.  The objective, says ASCAP, “is to increase the interest in the law of Copyright and to improve the style of legal writing.”  The competition is primarily directed to third year students but second year students are also eligible to submit papers.

Each participating law school can award first and second prizes for papers that are certified by the dean as the “best essays on any aspect of Copyright Law.”  The prizes are $600 for first place and $250 for second place; local winning papers are then submitted to the national Nathan Burkan Competition (three years ago one of our students won the national first prize!).

Loren Hulse (NPS Pharmaceuticals)

Holger Adam (Kraus & Weisert)

Jay Zhang (Myriad Genetics)

Berne Broadbent (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)