ICC has named Vincent Chantebout as the winner of its inaugural Institute of World Business Law Prize. Mr Chantebout’s entry, The prohibition of the review on the substance of the arbitration award, was chosen unanimously by the competition jury, comprised of a select group of ICC Institute of World Business Law Council members.

“The inaugural edition of the ICC Institute of World Business Law Prize has been a source of pride and pleasure for the organizing committee and jury,” said George Affaki, Head of Legal ECEP, BNP Paribas, France; Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Paris, France; and Vice-Chair, ICC Commission on Banking Technique and Practice. “We were delighted with the high number of submissions and their high academic standard. All of the entries showed the candidates had very promising academic or practitioner careers ahead of them.”

The ICC Institute of World Business Law launched the Law Prize to contribute to the understanding and progress of international commercial law around the world and to encourage those engaged in focused research on legal issues affecting international business.

“I feel very honoured to be awarded such a prestigious prize,” said Mr Chantebout. “An international award of this kind was needed and it is good that ICC has decided to promote research in the field of international business law.”

Mr Chantebout will receive a prize of €10 000 for demonstrating excellent legal writing and making an outstanding new contribution in the field of international commercial law – including arbitration.

Mr Affaki said: “Mr Chantebout’s entry makes a current and important contribution to an issue of primary importance in international commercial arbitration law.”

The jury also unanimously agreed to award a “special mention” to Charles-Emmanuel Côté, Assistant Professor, Laval University, Canada, given the exceptionally high academic standard of his submission, The participation of private persons in the settlement of international economic disputes: the enlargement of legal standing in the WTO.

Demonstrating the interest and investment law practitioners have in the advancement of research on international commercial law, five law firms sponsored the inaugural award: Bonelli Erede Pappalardo (Italy), Bredin Prat (France), Hengeler Mueller (Germany), Slaughter & May (UK) and Uria Menendez (Spain).

An award ceremony will take place in Paris on 26 November 2007 following the  annual meeting of the ICC Institute of World Business Law. 

“I expect to have my thesis published and hope that other researchers will find an interest in the topic that kept me enthralled for years,” said Mr Chantebout.