CALD Legal Research Awards - Council of Australian Law Deans

About the Awards

The CALD Legal Research Awards (ALRA) include the following awards:

Research Excellence Award: Article or Chapter – This award celebrates that mainstay of academic research, the traditional research article (including book chapters in edited collections).
Research Excellence Award: Early Career – This award recognises the contribution of early career academics in producing a discrete research output, whether journal article or book chapter.
Research Excellence Award: Non-Traditional Output – This award is intended to encourage, recognise and reward research innovation that does not conform to traditional academic outputs, such as videos, films, artistic works, blogs, and software.
Research Excellence Award: Indigenous Legal Research – This award recognises research outputs where at least one author is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander scholar.
Research Excellence Award: Book or Monograph – This award celebrates the substantial contribution that is made by the sustained in-depth analysis provided by a legal book or monograph.
Research Excellence Award: PhD – This award focuses on the starting point of the contemporary academic pathway, celebrating excellence in doctoral studies.

NB. The Research Excellence Award: Book or Monograph and the Research Excellence Award: PhD are awarded in alternating years. In 2026 the Research Excellence Award: Book or Monograph will be awarded. The Research Excellence Award: PhD will be available for nominations in 2027.

Eligibility & Criteria

Each award has specific eligibility criteria and requirements that must be addressed including supporting documentation: refer to the Information Pack for details.

Supporting Documents

Research Excellence Award: Article or Chapter	A one-page summary of the publication A one-page statement outlining its significance and contribution to the relevant legal discipline, and outlining why this work represents an outstanding example of legal scholarship, such that it would be a worthy recipient of the Award An electronic version of the publication (an author’s manuscript or equivalent is sufficient)
Research Excellence Award: Early Career	A one-page summary of the publication A one-page statement outlining its significance and contribution to the relevant legal discipline, and outlining why this work represents an outstanding example of legal scholarship, such that it would be a worthy recipient of the Award An electronic version of the publication (an author’s manuscript or equivalent is sufficient)
Research Excellence Award: Non-Traditional Output	A one-page summary of the publication A one-page statement outlining its significance and contribution to the relevant legal discipline, and outlining why this work represents an outstanding example of legal scholarship, such that it would be a worthy recipient of the Award An electronic version of the publication (an author’s manuscript or equivalent is sufficient)
Research Excellence Award: Indigenous Legal Research	A one-page summary of the publication A one-page statement outlining its significance and contribution to the relevant legal discipline, and outlining why this work represents an outstanding example of legal scholarship, such that it would be a worthy recipient of the Award An electronic version of the publication (an author’s manuscript or equivalent is sufficient)
Research Excellence Award: Book or Monograph	A one-page summary of the publication A one-page statement outlining its significance and contribution to the relevant legal discipline, and outlining why this work represents an outstanding example of legal scholarship, such that it would be a worthy recipient of the Award An electronic version of the publication (an author’s manuscript or equivalent is sufficient)
Research Excellence Award: PhD	A one-page summary of the thesis A one-page statement outlining its significance and contribution to the relevant legal discipline, and outlining why this work represents an outstanding example of legal scholarship, such that it would be a worthy recipient of the Award An electronic version of the thesis and all examiners’ reports

Past Winners

Excellence in Teaching: Outstanding Career Achievement Award

2021

Emeritus Professor Ian Malkin

Melbourne Law School

Professor Malkin’s teaching has inspired and had a lasting impression on colleagues and students over 35+ years at Melbourne Law School (MLS). Professor Malkin has developed, coordinated and delivered a range of law units and has been involved in broader curriculum development and review. His teaching and learning service, leadership and impact extends well beyond MLS, to the whole of the University of Melbourne, and he has also provided leadership in legal education more broadly at a national level. Professor Malkin’s curriculum development is innovative and he has co-authored leading textbooks in his area of expertise, along with co-authored articles that are a valuable contribution to legal education scholarship. The nomination for this award demonstrates a singularly student-centred approach to teaching which has influenced generations of law students at MLS.

Excellence in Teaching: Outstanding Career Achievement Award

2025

Professor Alex Steel

Faculty of Law and Justice at the University of New South Wales.

Professor Steel’s career as a legal academic spans over 30 years, of which he has been in senior leadership positions for the last 16 years. His contributions to legal education, within UNSW, nationally and internationally, have been transformative, reflecting a sustained commitment to excellence, leadership, and collaboration. His leadership in fostering networks, developing national standards, and mentoring educators has left a lasting legacy on the field. His unwavering commitment to collaboration, mentorship, and excellence has not only shaped the careers of many colleagues but has also set new benchmarks for legal education in Australia.

Excellence in Teaching: Outstanding Career Achievement Award

2022

Dr Penny Carruthers

University of Western Australia

Dr Carruthers for sustained commitment in developing challenging and inspirational learning journeys for law students – in the classroom, through the curriculum, and through broader student experiences

Excellence in Teaching: Outstanding Career Achievement Award

2024

Emeritus Professor Brendan Edgeworth

University of New South Wales

Lifetime Achievement Legal Research Award

2020

Emeritus Professor Stephen Bottomley

Australian National University.

Lifetime Achievement Legal Research Award

2022

Professor Ian Ramsay

University of Melbourne.

Lifetime Achievement Legal Research Medal

2020

Emeritus Professor Stephen Bottomley

Australian National University.

Non-Traditional Research Output Award

2020

Associate Professor Stella Tarrant

University of Western Australia

For the report co‐authored with Professor Julia Tolmie from the University of Auckland and Mr George Giudice (Principal, George Giudice Law Chambers) titled “Transforming Legal Understandings of Intimate Partner Violence”.

Non-Traditional Research Output Award

2020

Dr Michael Grewcock and Dr Vicki Sentas

University of New South Wales

Report titled “Rethinking Strip Searches by NSW Police”

Book Award

2020

Desmond Manderson

Australian National University

For the book titled “Danse Macabre: Temporalities of Law in the Visual Arts”.

Book Award

2020

Professor Katherine Biber

University of Technology Sydney

For the book titled “In Crime’s Archive: The Cultural Afterlife of Evidence”

Article/Chapter (General) Award

2020

Professor Michael Legg

University of New South Wales

For the article co‐authored with Mr Samuel Hickey (LLM candidate, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, USA) and titled “Finality and Fairness in Australian Class Action Settlements”.

Article/Chapter (ECR) Award

2020

Dr Fady Aoun

University of Sydney.

Article titled “Whitewashing Australia’s History of Stigmatising Trademarks and Commercial Imagery”.

PHD Award

2020

Dr Brad Jessup

Australian National University

A New Justice for Australian Environmental Law

Lifetime Achievement Legal Research Medal

2022

Professor Ian Ramsay

University of Melbourne

Non-Traditional Research Output Award

2022

Associate Professor Jane Wangmann, Professor Tracey Booth and Miranda Kaye

University of Technology Sydney

Report titled “No straight lines”: Self-represented litigants in family law proceedings involving allegations about family violence; and Professor Katherine Biber, UTS. For the podcast entitled “The last outlaws”. • Collaborators include: Aunty Loretta Parsley (Governor family historian) Leroy Parsons (Governor descendant, narrator, co-writer) Emma Lancaster (executive producer) Kaitlyn Sawrey (host, writer, senior producer) Francisco Lopez (writer, senior producer, composer, sound engineer) Allison Chan (producer, researcher) Prof Daryle Rigney (cultural consultant) Dr Lyndon Ormond-Parker (cultural consultant) Ben Vozzo (digital communications) Belinda Lopez (editorial advisor) Jake Duczynski (digital animator) Martin Peralta (sound engineer).

Book Award

2022

Associate Professor Ntina Tzouvala

Australian National University

Capitalism as civilisation: A history of international law. Honourable mentions are extended too Dr Amelia Thorpe, Dr Esme Shirlow and Dr Kathryn Greenman.

Article/Chapter (General) Award

2022

Dr Ian Field

University of Queensland

“The problem with provocation in trespass”

Article/Chapter (ECR) Award

2022

Rebecca Barber

University of Queensland

“An exploration of the General Assembly’s troubled relationship with unilateral sanctions”.

Article/Chapter (ECR) Award

2022

Dr Jane Kotzmann

Deakin University

“Recognising the sentience of animals in law: A justification and framework for Australian states and territories”

PHD Award

2022

Dr Lauren Butterly

University of New South Wales and University of Western Australia

For her thesis entitled “Reconciling Indigenous and settler-state assertions of sovereignty over sea country in Australia’s Northern Territory”

Indigenous Legal Research Award

2024

Bethany Butchers, Dani Lindera nd Amy Maguire

University of Newcastle, University of Queensland and University of Newcastle

Reparations and First Nations’ Legal Rights in Australia.

Non-Traditional Research Output Award

2024

Emily Crawford, Jessie Hohmann and Daniel Joyce

University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, University of NSW

At the Vanishing Point: Encounters with the Souvenirs, Merchandise and Memorabilia of International Law

Book Award

2024

Alecia Simmonds

University of Technology Sydney

Courting: An Intimate History of Love and the Law

Article/Chapter (General) Award

2024

Pauline Ridge

Australian National University.

Equitable Undue Influence and Religion.

Article/Chapter (General) Award

2024

Jacqueline Mowbray

University of Sydney

Multilingualism, Translation and International Law: Four Myths.

Article/Chapter (ECR) Award

2024

Alexandra Gray

University of Technology Sydney

Title “Communicative Justice and Covid-19: Australia’s Pandemic Response and International Guidance”.

PHD Award

2021

Angela Kintominas

University of New South Wales

Law and Reproductive Labour: Migrant Domestic Work from an Australian Perspective.

PHD Award

2023

Tamar Katherine Hopkins

University of New South Wales

“Understanding Racial Profiling in Australia”.

Article/Chapter (ECR) Award

2023

Jeffrey Gordon

University of Sydney

“Protest Before and During a Pandemic”.

Article/Chapter (General) Award

2023

Benjamin Saunders

Deakin University

“Ministers, Statutory Authorities and Government Corporations: The Agency Problem in Public Sector Governance”.