If you are a law student in India looking for a competition that goes beyond conventional moot problems and tests how well you can think about justice in the real world, the Courts of the Living Competition 2026 deserves your attention. This is the inaugural edition of a national platform where students are asked to engage with legal questions that involve not only people, but also animals, forests, rivers, and entire ecosystems.
Registrations are currently open on the official website courtsofliving.com, and the last date to apply is September 22, 2026. The competition has been launched jointly by Courts of the Living (CoTL), Agami, and NALSAR University of Law. It is open to students pursuing integrated LLB programmes, three-year LLB courses, and LLM programmes across the country.
This guide explains what the competition is about, who can apply, why the Sundarbans theme matters, how to register, and how students from NLUs, state law universities, private colleges, and even distance-learning institutions can prepare effectively.
What Is the Courts of the Living Competition 2026?
The Courts of the Living Competition 2026 is a national law student competition designed to push participants to rethink how courts, statutes, and legal reasoning can address questions of coexistence and multispecies justice. Rather than treating law as something that applies only to human parties, the competition asks teams to consider the interests of what scholars often call the more-than-human world—wildlife, habitats, ecological systems, and the communities whose lives are deeply tied to them.
According to the official notification cited in recent education news, the competition focuses on issues of coexistence and multispecies justice within our judicial system. This makes it especially relevant at a time when Indian courts are increasingly hearing matters related to forest rights, human-animal conflict, climate change, and environmental governance.
For students who have mostly participated in traditional moot courts centred on contract, criminal, or constitutional disputes between human litigants, Courts of the Living offers a different kind of intellectual challenge. It combines legal analysis with ecological awareness, regional context, and ethical reasoning about who—or what—counts before the law.
Why the Inaugural Edition Matters
Because this is the first edition of the competition, participating students have the chance to be part of its founding cohort. Early editions of specialised competitions often attract highly motivated students who are willing to explore new areas of law. That can be an advantage for participants from smaller colleges who prepare thoroughly and bring fresh perspectives.
The competition also signals a broader shift in Indian legal education. Environmental law, animal law, climate litigation, and Indigenous or local knowledge systems are no longer niche topics confined to optional seminars. They are becoming part of mainstream legal discourse—and competitions like this help students build skills that employers, research centres, and NGOs increasingly value.
Who Can Apply: Eligibility Criteria Explained
Before you begin registration, confirm that you meet the eligibility requirements. The competition is open to law students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
- Integrated LLB students: Students enrolled in five-year integrated law programmes such as BA LLB, BBA LLB, BCom LLB, or similar courses are eligible to apply.
- Three-year LLB students: Candidates pursuing the traditional three-year LLB after graduation may also register.
- LLM students: Postgraduate students currently enrolled in LLM programmes are eligible, making this one of the few competitions that actively includes both UG and PG law learners.
Students must typically be currently enrolled in a recognised law programme at the time of application. If you are in your final year, you are still eligible provided you have not completed your degree before the competition timeline ends. Always verify the latest rules on the official website before submitting your form.
Can Distance and Open University Law Students Apply?
Indian legal education is diverse. Alongside residential NLUs and affiliated law colleges, thousands of students pursue law through open and distance universities. If you are enrolled in a recognised LLB or LLM programme through institutions such as the Indira Gandhi National Open University, Dr B R Ambedkar Open University Hyderabad, or Tamil Nadu Open University Chennai, check whether your enrollment status satisfies the competition’s student criteria.
Competitions organised by leading law schools often accept students from any recognised institution, but confirmation should always come from the official registration page or competition brochure. Do not assume eligibility based on college type alone.
Important Dates and Registration Deadline
Timing is crucial for any law competition. Missing a registration deadline can mean waiting an entire year for the next edition—especially important for final-year students who may not be enrolled when the next cycle opens.
- Registration status: Open now
- Official portal: courtsofliving.com
- Last date to apply: September 22, 2026
- Edition: Inaugural (first edition)
Students are advised to register well before the deadline. Final-week traffic on competition websites, payment gateway issues, or incomplete form submissions are common reasons applications fail. Treat September 22 as a hard cutoff and aim to finish your registration at least three to five days earlier.
Theme Focus: Sundarbans, Coexistence, and Multispecies Justice
The defining feature of the Courts of the Living Competition 2026 is its thematic anchor: the Sundarbans bio-region. This is not a generic environmental law problem. It is rooted in one of the most complex ecological and social landscapes in South Asia.
Understanding the Sundarbans Context
The Sundarbans is the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site spread across India and Bangladesh. In the Indian context, it covers parts of West Bengal and supports millions of people whose livelihoods depend on fishing, honey collection, agriculture, and forest resources. At the same time, the region is home to rich biodiversity—including the Bengal tiger—and faces severe pressures from cyclones, sea-level rise, salinity intrusion, and habitat fragmentation.
The competition weaves together questions of human-wildlife conflict, non-human sentience, and ecosystem protection into a single problem statement. Participating teams must take into account the interests of more-than-human beings while addressing legal issues that may involve forest governance, wildlife protection statutes, disaster management, livelihood rights, and administrative accountability.
Cosmology, Culture, and Legal Reasoning
What makes this competition distinctive is that it also draws on the region’s own cosmology. The Sundarbans has long-standing spiritual and cultural frameworks through which local communities have understood forests, rivers, and dangerous landscapes. Bonbibi worship, folk traditions, and local norms of coexistence are part of how people have navigated life alongside tigers, crocodiles, and unpredictable tides.
For law students, this is a valuable lesson: legal solutions are not always found only in bare acts and judgments. Understanding how communities perceive nature can sharpen policy recommendations, improve dispute resolution strategies, and help you argue more credibly for balanced remedies. Courts of the Living encourages participants to situate legal problems within these lived and spiritual frameworks—not as substitutes for law, but as essential context.
Legal Areas Students Should Review
To prepare effectively, brush up on the following subjects and themes:
- Wildlife protection and forest conservation laws in India
- Environmental impact assessment and coastal regulation
- Fundamental rights, directive principles, and environmental jurisprudence
- Disaster management and climate adaptation policy
- Animal welfare debates and emerging discourse on non-human personhood
- Tribal and forest-dweller rights under the Forest Rights Act
- Multispecies justice and ecological justice literature
Students at institutions such as Gujarat National Law University Gandhinagar, Hidayatullah National Law University Raipur, and Chanakya National Law University Patna often have access to dedicated environmental law centres and moot societies. However, students from state law colleges and smaller universities can compete strongly by combining statutory knowledge with careful reading of Sundarbans-specific reports, case law, and ecological studies.
Organisers and Institutional Backing
The credibility of any law competition depends heavily on who organises it and what expertise backs the design of the problem. The Courts of the Living Competition 2026 is co-launched by three significant names:
- Courts of the Living (CoTL): A project focused on reimagining legal institutions through ecological and multispecies perspectives.
- Agami: An organisation working on innovation in law and justice, known for supporting initiatives that expand access to legal knowledge and new approaches to dispute resolution.
- NALSAR University of Law: One of India’s premier national law universities, based in Hyderabad, with a strong reputation for academic rigour and national-level mooting culture.
The competition is also supported by a network of institutions and individual partners drawn from legal scholars and practitioners working on climate law, political economy, multispecies justice, ecology, animal rights, and related fields. A board of advisors guides the competition, which adds depth and ensures that the problem statement reflects serious interdisciplinary engagement rather than superficial “green” branding.
For students located in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, NALSAR’s involvement makes this especially noteworthy. If you are studying law in Hyderabad or nearby regions—including through programmes linked to Dr B R Ambedkar Open University Hyderabad—this competition offers a national platform close to a major legal hub.
Why This Competition Is Relevant for Indian Law Students
Participating in Courts of the Living is not just about adding a line to your CV. It builds skills that are increasingly relevant across litigation, policy, academia, and social impact careers.
1. It Strengthens Interdisciplinary Thinking
Modern legal problems rarely fit neatly into one subject. A dispute over tiger corridors may involve constitutional law, administrative law, property rights, criminal law (in poaching cases), and international environmental principles. This competition trains you to connect legal doctrine with ecological science and social realities.
2. It Prepares You for Emerging Career Paths
Climate litigation, environmental compliance, wildlife law, ESG advisory, and NGO advocacy are growing fields in India. Employers value candidates who can research beyond standard commentaries and engage with non-traditional legal questions.
3. It Builds Research and Writing Skills
Even if the competition format includes oral rounds or memorial submissions, the underlying skill is rigorous research. You learn to identify credible sources, distinguish legal precedent from policy debate, and present arguments clearly.
4. It Expands Your Professional Network
National competitions connect you with peers from top law schools, practitioners, and academics. For students at colleges such as Government Law College Kota, Modi Law College Kota, or Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Law University Jaipur, such platforms help level the playing field when preparation is thorough and original.
How to Register for Courts of the Living Competition 2026
Registration for this competition is conducted online through the official website. Follow the steps below carefully to avoid last-minute errors.
- Visit the official website at courtsofliving.com.
- Look for the registration or application section for the 2026 competition.
- Read the eligibility rules, team composition requirements, and competition timeline in full.
- Fill in accurate personal and academic details, including your name, email, phone number, college name, course (LLB/LLM), and year of study.
- Complete any team registration fields if you are applying as a group.
- Upload supporting documents if required, such as student ID or proof of enrollment.
- Pay the registration fee if applicable and save the payment confirmation.
- Submit the form before September 22, 2026.
- Check your email for confirmation and save all acknowledgement messages.
- Join any official communication channel mentioned on the website for updates and clarifications.
If the website mentions separate instructions for institutional teams, faculty coordinators, or payment verification, follow those exactly. Keep screenshots of your submitted form and payment receipt until the competition concludes.
Preparation Strategy: How to Stand Out in the Inaugural Edition
Success in specialised competitions depends on preparation quality, not just the reputation of your college. Here is a practical plan you can follow over the next few weeks.
Step 1: Understand the Problem Statement Deeply
Once the official problem or competition brief is available on courtsofliving.com, read it multiple times. Identify legal issues, factual triggers, stakeholders, and non-human interests explicitly mentioned or implied. Prepare a issue list before you start researching.
Step 2: Build a Strong Research Database
Create separate folders for statutes, case law, government reports, academic articles, and news sources. For Sundarbans-related issues, look for material from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Wildlife Institute of India, Sunderban Biosphere Reserve reports, and relevant Supreme Court and High Court judgments.
Step 3: Study Multispecies and Ecological Justice Concepts
Familiarise yourself with basic ideas in multispecies justice, ecological justice, and rights-of-nature debates globally and in India. You do not need a philosophy degree, but you should understand how lawyers and scholars argue for expanding legal consideration beyond humans.
Step 4: Practice Structured Legal Writing
If the competition requires written submissions, focus on clarity, structure, and citation discipline. Use headings, numbered arguments, and concise footnotes. Avoid emotional appeals without legal grounding.
Step 5: Prepare for Oral Rounds If Applicable
If oral presentations are part of the format, practice answering judge questions on weak points in your argument. Be ready to explain how your proposed solution balances human livelihoods, ecological protection, and administrative feasibility.
Step 6: Seek Faculty or Alumni Guidance
Approach environmental law faculty, moot court committees, or alumni who have competed in niche moots. Even one detailed review session can significantly improve your draft.
Who Should Consider Applying?
This competition is especially suitable for:
- Students interested in environmental law, animal law, or climate justice
- LLM students specialising in constitutional, environmental, or human rights law
- Moot court enthusiasts looking for non-traditional problems
- Students aiming for careers in litigation, policy research, or NGOs
- Final-year students who want a distinctive competition credential before graduation
It may be particularly appealing if you have studied courses in environmental law, administrative law, or jurisprudence—or if you want to pivot your portfolio toward public interest and ecological themes.
Comparison: Courts of the Living vs Traditional Moot Competitions
Understanding how this competition differs from standard moots can help you decide whether to apply and how to prepare.
- Subject focus: Traditional moots often focus on constitutional, criminal, or commercial disputes. Courts of the Living centres on coexistence and multispecies justice.
- Geographic anchor: Many moots use fictional or generic facts. This competition anchors its problem in the Sundarbans bio-region and its cosmology.
- Interdisciplinary scope: You must engage with ecology, culture, and governance—not just black-letter law.
- Participant pool: Both UG and PG law students may participate, widening the field.
- Institutional backing: CoTL, Agami, and NALSAR bring interdisciplinary expertise rather than only academic moot traditions.
Students who have previously competed at Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University Lucknow or other NLU-hosted moots will find familiar elements in research and advocacy, but should avoid copying conventional templates without adapting to the ecological theme.
Common Mistakes to Avoid During Registration and Preparation
Many capable students lose opportunities due to avoidable errors. Keep these points in mind:
- Waiting until the last day: Submit early to avoid website or payment issues.
- Incorrect college or course details: Mismatch with enrollment records can cause disqualification.
- Ignoring official updates: Check courtsofliving.com and your email regularly after registering.
- Treating it like a generic moot: Do not ignore ecological and cultural dimensions of the problem.
- Weak citation practices: Use authoritative sources and verify facts about the Sundarbans carefully.
- Overlooking team coordination: Divide research tasks clearly and maintain a shared timeline.
Broader Opportunities in Indian Legal Education
The launch of Courts of the Living 2026 reflects a wider trend: Indian law schools and justice innovators are creating platforms that reward curiosity, ethics, and public-purpose lawyering—not only conventional corporate skills. Students across regions can benefit from this shift.
If you are exploring law programmes before entering competitions like this, compare residential law universities, state law colleges, and open universities carefully. Institutions such as Dharmashastra National Law University, Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, and Himachal Pradesh National Law University Shimla offer full-time law degrees, while open universities provide flexible pathways for students who need distance options.
Wherever you study, national competitions offer a merit-based route to visibility. Strong preparation often matters more than the city or rank of your institution.
Conclusion
The Courts of the Living Competition 2026 is a timely and thought-provoking opportunity for Indian law students who want to engage with one of the most urgent challenges of our time: how legal systems can better address coexistence between humans and the natural world. With its focus on the Sundarbans bio-region, multispecies justice, and the cultural frameworks that shape life in that landscape, the competition demands more than routine moot preparation—it asks you to think like a lawyer who understands ecology, community, and justice together.
Registrations are open now at courtsofliving.com, and the deadline is September 22, 2026. If you are enrolled in an integrated LLB, three-year LLB, or LLM programme, review the official rules today, register early, and begin building your research around environmental law, wildlife governance, and the lived realities of the Sundarbans. The inaugural edition may become a landmark event on India’s law competition calendar—and early participants will be the ones who help set that standard.
