Kalisher Essay Competition 2024 – Winner and runner-up announced
The Trust is delighted to announce that Lily Hines, a pupil at 2KBW, is the winner of the Trust’s 2024 Essay competition. Evie Smith, pupil at Foundry Chambers received the runner up prize.
Lily and Evie submitted outstanding essays, in a high-quality field of entries, which continues to be a very popular part of the Trust’s support for under-represented groups seeking a career at the criminal Bar. Our annual essay competition is open to any pupil undertaking a criminal pupillage, and is assessed anonymously by a panel drawn from the Trust.
The entrants were asked to respond to this essay question:
The Online Safety Act 2023 is a welcome move in the battle to regulate access to and the exploitation of harmful sexual material. However, it is a step and not a leap. What do you recognise to be gaps in the regulation of such material and identify the “leap” that further law reform might achieve.
The judging panel commented on Lily’s entry as follows:
“A really powerful argument that post Encrochat lessons have not been learned. Exposes the failure to impose duties of preserving evidence. A clear fight mounted against the use of “self-destruct” messaging. What was really good is the way the author had thought about reforms and had drafted legislative – like proposals for reform. A challenge to the emphasis on childrens’ rights to privacy v the need to protect them from themselves. Written with an “edgy journalistic style”
Reflecting on her achievement, Lily said:
I am so honoured to have been chosen as the winner of this year’s essay competition. The question was a brilliant learning opportunity which encouraged me to think about practical reform in an essay style format. This competition gives criminal pupils the opportunity to think out of the box and exercise creativity.
I am extremely grateful to the Kalisher Trust for the generous prize, and for the panel’s kind feedback. It has built my confidence in my ideas and written work. I wish all the best success to prospective criminal pupils and admire everything that the Kalisher Trust does to further opportunities for everyone, of all backgrounds.
Congratulations Lily and Evie! Thank you to all those who entered this year’s competition and to our panel of Trustees / Senior Counsel Group members who assessed each entry.