Students who have completed, or will complete, their doctoral studies in law at an African University in 2020 are encouraged to submit their doctoral theses for consideration for the new University Law Press Thesis Prize, which will be awarded on an annual basis.

The winning thesis will be published in book form by the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP).

To qualify, the thesis must deal with:

• human rights,
• good governance, or
• social justice as seen from an African perspective, and
• have been successfully examined in 2020.

The criteria used by the panel will be the inherent quality of the research, as well as the relevance of the topic to African challenges and the originality of the approach.
Candidates who have completed their doctoral studies in law during a particular year at an African university (in the sense that it has been successfully examined) are invited to submit their theses for consideration for the annual ‘University Law Press Thesis Prize’ during the following year.

The first award will be made during 2021, in respect of theses defended during 2020, with the date of
submission being 1 April 2021.

The author of the best thesis will be awarded the prize, and the thesis will be published by the Pretoria University Law Press (PULP) in book form. Where appropriate, the panel may also single out a further thesis for ‘honourable mention’.

The theses submitted must deal with a topic related to:

• human rights,
• good governance, or
• social justice as seen from an African perspective.

Other topics may be added in the future, with the prize then being awarded in different categories.

1. The best thesis will be selected by a panel of at least three experts in the field, who have not been involved as
   supervisors or examiners in any of the theses concerned, appointed by the management of PULP.
2. The panel will be convened by a member of the panel appointed by PULP who is not based at the University of
   Pretoria.
3. The criteria used by the panel will be the inherent quality of the research, as well as the relevance of the topic to
   African challenges and the originality of the approach.
4. Submissions must be accompanied by a short note from the author, making the case why the particular thesis
   complies with these criteria.
5. Candidates are encouraged (but not required) to submit the reports from the external examiners as well.
6. Submissions must be accompanied by supporting documentation showing the thesis has been examined
   successfully.
7. Where appropriate, PULP will engage in discussions with the author about transforming the thesis into book form, and will make copy edit suggestions to the author.
8. Candidates wishing to apply should send an electronic copy of their doctoral thesis accompanied by the supporting documentation, to: [email protected], before 1 April 2021.

For more information on PULP, see www.pulp.up.ac.za

Contact person

Liesl Hager
Research, Marketing and Publishing Assistant, Pretoria University Law Press, Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria
[email protected]