Maxim Tarasenko, a leading Russian space history scholar and a member of the editorial board of the journal Space Policy, who contributed greatly to the elucidation of the Russian space programme in the journal and elsewhere, died in 1999. In order to commemorate his pioneering work in space policy, the journal’s publisher, Elsevier, holds an annual competition, open to all law school students and graduate students of space policy, to find the best essay in this field.

We should like to announce the 2008 competition, for which the closing date is 1 September 2008. The winning entry will be published in the journal's first issue of the following year.
Rules

1. The competition is open to all currently enrolled law school students and graduate students of space policy who have not previously published in the journal.

2. The essay may be written on any topic of current debate in space law or policy. It must be original; while it may be based on research or study already conducted, it should not have been submitted as part of any exam, assessment or other competition. It should be typewritten in English and should be between 10 and 20 pages (or 2500 and 5000 words) in length.

3. Essays should be submitted by 1 September 2008 to Frances Brown, Editor, Space Policy. Where possible they should be submitted electronically (in Word) to fbrown.seabank@virgin.net. Students without access to the internet may post their essays (including a disk version) to Seabank, Turnberry Road, Maidens, Ayrshire KA26 9NN, Scotland.

4. The judges will be the Editor of Space Policy and two others appointed by Elsevier.

5. The judges’ decision will be final; the editors cannot enter into any correspondence about the competition.

The Award

In addition to publication in the journal, the winner will receive £100, a certificate and a year’s subscription to Space Policy.