International and Comparative Law Quarterly Prize renamed
In honour of Lady Hazel Fox CMG KC, the International and Comparative Law Quarterly (ICLQ) has renamed its Early Career Prize.
The announcement was made at the Memorial Event for Lady Fox convened by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) on 16 March 2026, by Kristin Hausler, the Director of BIICL's Centre for International Law. The event, which commemorated Lady Fox's invaluable service to the advancement of international law, was chaired by the Rt Hon Lord Collins of Mapesbury and included Sir Frank Berman KCMG KC, Professor Robert McCorquodale, Professor Philippa Webb KC and Professor Roger O'Keefe, as well as many contributions from the guests in attendance.
BIICL and the ICLQ enjoyed decades of support from Lady Fox. She was Director of BIICL from 1982 to 1989, making history as the first female director of the Institute. When taking up the position she also became the General Editor of the ICLQ, and continued in that role for a further decade after stepping down as Director. During her tenure, and indeed, throughout her career Lady Fox was particularly invested in helping early career scholars, making the dedication of the 'ICLQ Hazel Fox Early Career Prize' a particularly fitting tribute.
ICLQ General Editor Professor Alex Mills commented that: "Lady Hazel Fox made an outstanding contribution to BIICL and to the work of the International and Comparative Law Quarterly, serving for more than 15 years as its General Editor, and for many more as a member of its Editorial Board. Through her intellectual leadership, dedication and enthusiasm she also encouraged and supported generations of international lawyers. With the ICLQ Hazel Fox Early Career Prize we hope not only to pay tribute to her invaluable contribution to the journal, but also to continue her tremendous legacy of inspiring the work of early career scholars."
Kristin Hausler added that: "The Early Career Prize has been renamed the ICLQ Hazel Fox Early Career Prize in recognition of her outstanding contribution to international law, as well as her unwavering support for the Institute. As the Institute Director, her visionary leadership was instrumental in establishing a programme of events and research projects - activities that remain central to the Institute's work. In today's challenging climate, honouring her dedication to the development of international law appears particularly important."
Established in 2009, the Prize has been awarded annually for the best article published in the ICLQ by an Early Career scholar, which is defined by the Journal as being someone who is a PhD candidate or within 5 years of the award of their last academic degree or vocational legal qualification (7 years in the event of a career break) at the time of submission. The Prize is generously supported by Cambridge University Press who publish the ICLQ, with the winner receiving £250 worth of Cambridge University Press books of their choice.
The 2025 recipient, and the first to be awarded the Prize in its new incarnation as the ICLQ Hazel Fox Early Career Prize, is Dr Priya Urs. The award will be made on the occasion of the ICLQ Annual Lecture on 12 May 2026, when she will also have the opportunity to speak about her broader research in discussion with Professor Alex Mills.
Lady Fox's contribution to the ICLQ and to international law more generally is highlighted in a special collection which gathers the articles she published in the ICLQ and a selection of her many book reviews. All articles are Open Access, and can be found here:
