University of Coimbra - Faculty of Law - Paulo Merêa Prize

Benefit

You will receive a one-off award of 2,500 EUR for the best academic paper in the field of legal history written by a law student at the University of Coimbra. The prize is awarded once a year by the Faculty of Law at the University of Coimbra (FDUC) and is funded by the publisher Edições Almedina, S.A. If no papers are submitted, or if none are deemed to be of a sufficiently high standard, the prize will instead be awarded to the best student in one of these subjects, provided that their mark is at least ‘Good’.

Eligibility

• University: You are studying at the Faculty of Law at the University of Coimbra in Portugal.
• Degree: You are enrolled on the Law degree programme (Licenciatura em Direito).
• Topic: Your written assignment must deal with a topic in the history of law. The history of Luso-Brazilian law is the only topic that will not be considered.
• Nationality: All nationalities can apply.
• Grades (fallback route): If no entry wins the prize, you will only be recognised as the top pupil in these subjects if you achieve at least a ‘Good’ grade.

How to apply

Please submit your work to the Faculty of Law at the University of Coimbra by 31 July 2026. Please read the competition rules (Regulamento and Edital) on the official prize website before submitting anything.