DPO Privacy Centre East Africa, in collaboration with the Rule of Law Club of Makerere and the Uganda Law Society (ULS), invites university and tertiary institution students to participate in an essay competition exploring the relationship between the rule of law, the right to privacy and the protection of personal data in Uganda. The competition seeks to encourage students to critically examine how laws, policies and institutions can safeguard privacy rights while enabling the responsible and lawful use of personal data.
Submissions will be evaluated by an independent judging committee based on the quality of legal analysis, originality of arguments, use of relevant authorities and engagement with the competition theme. The top five (5) essays will be recognised during the Makerere University Data Protection Dialogue, awarded prizes and given an opportunity to be published on the DPO Privacy Centre East Africa and Rule of Law Club of Makerere platforms.
Suggested Topic Areas
Participants may write on any topic relating to the theme "Rule of Law and Data Protection in Uganda". Suggested areas include, but are not limited to:
- Lawful Bases for Processing Personal Data
- Digital Identity Systems and Access to Public Services
- Surveillance, National Security and Judicial Oversight
- Artificial Intelligence, Automated Decision-Making and Accountability
- Data Protection in Financial Services and Digital Lending
- Cross-Border Data Transfers and Regional Data Governance
See the full rules for the complete list of suggested topic areas.
Format Requirements
- Font: Segoe UI
- Font size: 12pt (body), 10pt (footnotes)
- Line spacing: 1.5
- Alignment: Justified
- Word count: 1,000–2,000 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography)
Cover Page
Each submission must include a cover page containing the essay title, author(s) name, university/tertiary institution affiliation, and contact details (email address). The author's name should not appear elsewhere in the essay, to facilitate anonymous assessment.
Referencing
All sources must be properly cited using footnotes and a bibliography, following the Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) referencing style. Ugandan legislation should be cited using the chapter numbers assigned in the 2023 Revised Edition of the Laws of Uganda.
Eligibility
The competition is open to university and tertiary institution students currently enrolled in accredited institutions in Uganda. Submissions may be made by one, joint or more authors.
Submission Instructions
Essays must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx) format to info@dpoprivacycentre.com (cc makerereruleoflaw@gmail.com) by 18th September 2026, 11:59 PM. Late submissions will not be considered.
Recognition
The top five (5) essays will be recognised and celebrated during the Makerere University Data Protection Dialogue, with the selected participants invited to present their work and engage with stakeholders. The top five essays will also have an opportunity to be published on the platforms of DPO Privacy Centre East Africa and the Rule of Law Club of Makerere.
Download the Full Competition Rules (PDF)