BILA offers an annual article prize, which is aimed at motivating newcomers to BILA:
The rules for the prize are as follows:
- To be awarded by the BILA Committee at the same time as the BILA Book Prize (in the Autumn),
- All articles published in BILA Journal since the award of the last prize to be considered.
- To qualify, an article must have been written by an author who is not a member of the BILA Committee, or any BILA sub-committee, and who has not previously written for the Journal or been a speaker at a BILA event.
- No application is necessary: all qualifying articles will be considered.
The proposed successful author will be contacted in advance to check whether he or she accepts the prize
The Committee in its absolute discretion may decide that the prize shall not be awarded in any year. The decision of the Committee on any matter relating to the prize shall be final.
2024 BILA Journal Article Prize Winner
At a prize-giving ceremony on 16th October 2024, Professor Miriam Goldby, BILA’s Journal Editor was pleased to award the 2024 BILA Journal Article Prize to Matthew Taylor Rafferty for his article, “Pirates and Private Law: The Legality of Ransom Payments in the Age of Terrorism”. The article will be published in issue No. 136 (204) of the BILA Journal.
Matthew is Professor of History at the University of Redlands (USA) and a student member of Gray’s Inn. His article examines the historic and current legal framework governing ransom payments by insurers to pirates and highlights that current regime is pragmatic rather than principled and faces several commercial, moral, and legal dangers. he argues that expanded use of self-insurance pools, plus a new regulatory framework will bring needed clarity and stability to marine insurance markets, and thereby ensure that England remains a preferred jurisdiction for such matters.
BILA Article Prize: 2024 Winner
2024 BILA Journal Article Prize Winner
Matthew Taylor Rafferty for his article,
Pirates and Private Law: The Legality of Ransom Payments in the Age of Terrorism
Published in issue No 136 of the BILA Journal