The annual James Crawford Prize of the Journal of International Dispute Settlement (JIDS) was awarded to Ana Luísa Bernardino for her article titled, “The Discursive Construction of Facts in International Adjudication”.
The Prize Committee found that Ana’s article “exhibits strong craftsmanship to an impressive degree”, that it is “well-researched, interdisciplinary, thought provoking and written with elegance”, and “foundational in all the senses of the term”.
“As a general rule, international lawyers pay significantly more attention to the ‘legal’ aspects of a case and take judges’ descriptions of the factual background of a dispute as mere givens”, explained Ana. “My article sought to problematise this view and to explore what it is that judges do when they set out the facts of the case”.
Her article was originally written for a research seminar taught by Fuad Zarbiyev, Associate Professor of International Law, during the first year of her PhD.
“The JIDS is one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed international law journals in the world, published by Oxford University Press”, noted Associate Professor Zarbiyev. “This award is for the best paper received by the Journal. Prize recipients are typically academics between postdoc and full professor level; Ana is the first PhD candidate to be granted the prize in its history”.
“I am truly honoured to receive this award”, said Ana. “Previous prize recipients and other articles published in the JIDS have deeply influenced my thinking during my studies, so I feel very fortunate to be awarded this distinction. I also feel very lucky to be pursuing my doctoral research at the Graduate Institute. My paper certainly benefitted from the Institute’s intellectually stimulating environment: being able to discuss my ideas with professors and colleagues, receiving their feedback and encouragement, and having the International Law Department’s support to present an earlier version of this paper at a conference abroad proved invaluable”.
Ana received her Master in International Law from the Graduate Institute in 2015, where she was also honoured with the Mariano Garcia Rubio Prize for best master’s dissertation in international law. In addition to pursuing her PhD at the Institute, she is also the Programme Manager for the LL.M. in International Law.
Previously, Ana collaborated in different capacities with a Lisbon-based law firm, the World Trade Organization, the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, and the Portuguese Mission to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva. She has also served as a research assistant to Professor Galvão Teles at the United Nations International Law Commission and was formerly a Teaching Assistant in the Institute’s International Law Department.
Discover more about the James Crawford Prize of the JIDS.