The 28th Annual Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Contest is your opportunity to showcase a passion for music law and elevate your solution to a legal issue facing the music industry.
In partnership with the American Bar Association, the ELI Writing Contest awards excellence with scholarship prizes, industry mentors and tickets to exclusive GRAMMY Week events.
The annual ELI Writing Contest challenges law students to identify and research a pressing legal issue facing the music industry today and outline a proposed solution in a 3,000-word essay. A nationwide panel of music law experts judge the papers in a blind process to select one winner and two runners-up.
Submission Deadline: October 8, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. PT
Winner Notification: November 17, 2025
Identify, research and propose solutions to pressing legal issues in the music industry.Â
Your work will be reviewed through a blind judging process by a panel of esteemed music law professionals. Winning entries will be published in the ABA Entertainment & Sports Lawyer journal, and winners will be recognized at the exclusive GRAMMY Week ELI Luncheon, attended by industry leaders and legal professionals
★ First Place Winner Receives ★
$10,000 Tuition Scholarship
2 ELI GRAMMY Week Luncheon Tickets
Tickets to the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards® + Travel & Accommodations in LA
Mentorship Session with a Top Entertainment Attorney
★ Two Runners-up Receive ★
$2,500 Tuition Scholarship
ELI GRAMMY Week Luncheon Ticket +Travel & Accommodations in LA
Mentorship Session with a Top Entertainment Attorney
The Entertainment Law Initiative was established to encourage discussion and debate around legal affairs in the ever-evolving music industry and cultivate the next generation of leaders in the field. Â
As an Outreach Leader, your support can be as simple or involved as your schedule allows. Options include:Â
NETWORK OUTREACH: Share contest info with faculty, students and alumni networksÂ
VIRTUAL SESSION: Participating in or co-hosting an ELI Writing Contest virtual info sessionÂ
ONSITE ENGAGEMENT: Speaking to a law school class or student org about the ELI Writing Contest.
SUGGESTED INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK / LINKEDIN POST
Attention Law Students!
Enter the @recordingacademy #ELI Writing Contest for a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship and a trip for two to the 68th #GRAMMYs. Identify a pressing legal issue facing the music industry and outline a proposed solution in an essay to be considered.
Submissions close October 8. Visit grammy.com/eli to view the official rules and get started.
Â
SUGGESTED X POST
Attention Law Students!
Enter the @recordingacad #ELI Writing Contest for a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship and a trip for two to the 68th #GRAMMYs. Identify a pressing legal issue facing the music industry and outline a proposed solution in an essay to be considered.
Submissions close October 8. Visit grammy.com/eli to view the official rules and get started.
Melanie Sallis is a third-year law student at Georgia State University College of Law pursuing the Entertainment, Sports, and IP Law Certificate. She combines expertise in consumer behavior, retail innovation, and digital marketing from her degree in Retailing and Consumer Sciences with her legal studies while serving as Social Media Coordinator for the Sports & Entertainment Law Society.
Olivia McHenry is a second-year law student at Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad College of Law. Prior to attending law school, she studied political science and hospitality entrepreneurship at Florida State University. She is very passionate about the entertainment industry, especially regarding music and sports.