The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is delighted to announce the creation of the Dale Cendali Prize for scholarly works supporting free expression through the comic arts. Named in honor of Dale Cendali, a distinguished partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and longtime board member of the CBLDF, this annual $500 prize is open to law students and recent law school graduates who submit exceptional articles suitable for publication in a law journal, bar journal, or book. The competition seeks to foster innovative legal scholarship on themes central to the comics community, including constitutional protections against censorship; the historical regulation of comics; intellectual property rights; equitable and effective contracts; the First Amendment implications of financial and border security policies; and the ethical and legal impact on free speech as new technologies emerge, including AI.
This award honors Dale Cendali’s legacy as a champion of intellectual property rights and her commitment to defending free expression within the comics community. As a nationally recognized leader in intellectual property litigation, Cendali has argued landmark cases and has been instrumental in shaping legal protections for creators across various media.
The winner will be announced at New York Comic-Con, which is held annually in October.
For more information, please email info@cbldf.org.