📌About the Event

The CLAWS–CyberPeace Essay Competition 2026 is a national-level research essay writing competition organised by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) and CyberPeace under their Chair of Excellence initiative. The competition focuses on “Strategic Communication in the Digital Age”, encouraging participants to explore artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, AI-driven disinformation, and India’s cognitive security. It invites students, researchers, defence personnel, government officials, and professionals to develop original research-based essays proposing practical solutions to emerging digital security challenges. Winners receive cash prizes, while selected research papers may be considered for academic publication.

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ℹ️ Event Details

• Competition Type: Research-based essay writing competition
• Mode of Conduct: Online (digital registration and email submission)
• Main Theme: Strategic Communication in the Digital Age
• Word Limit: 2,500–3,500 words, excluding references, abstract and author biography.
• Participation Categories:
• Category A: University Students
• Category B: All Other Eligible Participants
• Submission Format: Microsoft Word document
• Registration: Through the official Microsoft Forms registration link.
• Essay Submission: Through the designated CLAWS email address.

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📅 Important Dates

• Registration Deadline: 30 November 2026
• Essay Submission Deadline: 30 November 2026

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🎯 Eligibility & Rules

• Eligibilty:
• Open to university students and research scholars.
• Serving and retired members of the armed forces are eligible.
• Personnel from the Indian Coast Guard, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), and State Police Forces can participate.
• Government officials, industry professionals, media experts and digital communication enthusiasts are also eligible.

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🏆 Benefits for the Participants

• Category A – University Students
• First Prize: ₹25,000
• Second Prize: ₹15,000
• Third Prize: ₹10,000
• Category B – All Other Participants
• First Prize: ₹25,000
• Second Prize: ₹15,000
• Third Prize: ₹10,000
• Total Cash Prize Pool: ₹1,00,000 across both categories.
• Publication Opportunity: Selected high-quality essays may be published in CLAWS and CyberPeace journals, academic books or policy chapters.