This Call for Papers invites contributions for the WhatNext.Law Yearbook.

The Yearbook will be made available in digital and printed form. The best article(s) will be awarded the WhatNext.Law Article Award (see below).


Scope and aim of the Call for Papers

Cities and urban environments are increasingly becoming territories where most of the human population gathers to work and live.

The cities of the future pose greater challenges to human rights, ethics, health, sustainability, environment and climate change, safety and privacy, which need to be addressed.

At the same time, the integration of emerging technologies throughout the cities’ ecosystem exacerbate the need for clear regulations, policies and strategies capable of striking a balance between the needs of the urban population, the protection of their fundamental rights, and the growth of the cities of the future.

We invite the submission of original articles on topics within WhatNext.Law’s research focus: the legal challenges raised by the cities of the future and the proposal of policies, best practices and regulatory initiatives to mitigate possible risks, while promoting the development of a smart city ecosystem. For more information, visit our Research page.

Topics that authors may wish to explore include, but are not limited to:

Climate, Energy and Environmental Sustainability;
Public Governance;
Mobility;
Automation;
Health and Wellbeing, or
Platforms, E-Commerce and Digital Contracts.
The legal and regulatory analysis carried can be on a national, comparative, European or international level.


WhatNext.Law Article Award

The best article(s) will be awarded the WhatNext.Law Article and the sum of 500 EUR for the best article and 250 EUR for the second best article.

The winner(s) will be announced on the week of 4 October.

For more information, please consider the Prize Regulation available here.

Practical information

The contributions should be submitted in word format to info@whatnext.law by Friday, 27 August.

The format of the articles should follow the WhatNext.Law drafting guidelines available here.

If you wish you can download the document template of WhatNext.Law, available here.

Following the review of the submissions, accepted articles will be published in the WhatNext.Law Yearbook.

For more information about this Call for Papers please contact us by sending an e-mail to info@whatnext.law or by using the contact form below.

Important dates
Launch of Call for Papers: Monday, 14 June

Deadline for submission of articles: Friday, 27 August

Review period: Monday, 30 August – Friday, 1 October

Announcing editors’ decision and awards: Week of 4 October