The National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) returns, with the 7th Edition of its flagship 7th M. K. Nambyar Memorial NUALS International Maritime Law Arbitration Competition (NIMLAC), 2026. Instituted in 2014 as India’s first international maritime law arbitration competition, NIMLAC has since established a distinguished legacy amongst contemporary maritime moots within the country. The Competition has previously seen participation from teams across the country and abroad. It also boasts of a roster of judges who are internationally renowned jurists, members of the higher judiciary, eminent practitioners and arbitrators.
This edition is being organised in collaboration with Phoenix Legal, Jus Mundi, the Indian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation, and the Maldives Arbitration Centre. It is centred on a complex maritime casualty arising during the international voyage of M. V. Pragya, involving carrier liability, deviation, dangerous goods, and emergency arbitration under the Hague-Visby framework while simultaneously testing the evolving contours of the SIAC Rules 2025, offering participants a rigorous and practice-oriented arbitration experience.
The Competition is open to all students pursuing an undergraduate degree in law (including B.A. LL.B., LL.B., or any equivalent programme), with a maximum of two teams permitted per institution. Participating teams are required to pay a preliminary registration fee of INR 3,000 for Indian teams, while overseas teams shall remit a registration fee of USD 50 at the time of registration. Team registrations close on 7th March 2026, which can be made through the official website.
The Preliminary Rounds are scheduled to be conducted online between 28th and 29th March 2026, followed by the offline Grand Finals on 18th April 2026. The Competition offers a substantial prize pool, ₹1,00,000 for Winners, ₹75,000 for Runners-up and special awards for Best Memorial and Best Speaker.
The clarification deadline is 23rd February 2026. For further details, participants are encouraged to visit the Instagram and LinkedIn handles.
For queries, participants may contact the Secretary, Alina Sujith (+91 70340 12345), the Joint Secretary, Aadia Nair (+91 99952 29094) or the Program Coordinator, Bliss Joseph Saigi (+91 91885 92055).
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