YTCA Award
Young Talent Competition Award
As part of the Lear Competition Festival, Lear has instituted the Young Talent Competition Award (YTCA) for young economists and lawyers who wish to pursue a professional or academic career in the field of competition law and economics, policy assessment, and regulation.
Research proposals need to be related to one of the following topics:
- Competition law
- Competition economics
- Public policy assessment
- Regulation (in any sector)
The winner will be awarded a prize of € 1,500 and the opportunity to join the 2026 edition of the Trento Summer School on Advanced EU Competition Law & Economics (maximum two attendees).
In addition to the above, the GW Competition and Innovation lab will award monetary prizes to the second and third place winners of the YTCA as follows:
- € 1,000 to the second-place winner
- € 500 to the third-place winner
Below you will find the rules to participate and further details on the award.
How to participate
Participation in the YTCA is open to postgraduate and PhD students, as well as academic researchers pursuing a professional career in competition law, competition economics, policy assessment, or regulation.
Submissions are also encouraged from professionals under the age of 35 who either hold a PhD or are actively engaged in research in competition law and economics.
Participation is open to both economists and lawyers.
Research proposals must be submitted in PDF format to award@learcompetitionfestival.com.
The deadline for submitting proposals is June 16, 2025. Proposals received after this date will not be considered.
The three finalists will be invited to present their proposals at the Lear Competition Festival during the session dedicated to the award. In addition, each finalist is required to create a poster showcasing the key findings of their research. The posters will be displayed throughout the festival in the designated exhibition area. Please follow the guidelines to design your poster.
Scientific Committee
The Scientific Committee will prepare a ranking of the three best proposals. The Scientific Committee includes the following five outstanding academics and practitioners.
Pinar Akman
Professor of Competition Law & Member, Competition Appeal Tribunal
Michele Carpagnano
Professor of Law, Trento University
Joseph E. Harrington, Jr.
Professor of Business Economics & Public Policy, The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania
William E. Kovacic
Professor of Global Competition Law and Policy, George Washington University
Tommaso Valletti
Professor of Economics, Imperial College Business School
YTCA 2024: Finalists
Below you find the best three proposals shortlisted for the Young Talent Competition Award.
AI Start-up Acquisitions and
Investments by Big Tech: An
Anti-Competitive Tactic?
Emilie Feyler
Upstream Collusion and Vertical Contracting
The US Canned Tuna Cartel
Nikiforos Zampetakis
Interoperability in digital markets:
Extending regulatory & technical
framework from financial sector
Pankhudi Khandelwal
YTCA 2023: Finalists
Below you find the best three proposals shortlisted for the Young Talent Competition Award.
Breaking Barriers: Investigating the Effect of Restrictive Covenants on Entry Deterrence in Retail
Alina Ozhegova
Using machine learning to detect international cartels: an interorganizational analysis
Oriane Maille-Lefranc
Antitrust and (Foreign) Innovation: Evidence from the Xerox Case
Robin Mamrak
YTCA 2022: Finalists
Below you find the best three proposals shortlisted for the Young Talent Competition Award.
Internet infrastructure and competition in digital markets
Philip Hanspach
Cross-Regulation Enforcement – Suggested Doctrine for Application & How it Can Improve Competition Law Enforcement in the Digital Age
Or Elkayam
The Impact of Upstream Divestiture on Bargaining Power
Yann Allan Delaprez
YTCA 2021: Finalists
Below you find the best three proposals shortlisted for the Young Talent Competition Award.
Taming tech giants’ algorithms: the Amazon buy-box case
Francesco Clavorà Braulin, Michela Boldrini
Acquisitions of Startups and Entry in Software Markets
Luise Eisfeld
Platform Search Design and Market Power
H. Tai Lam
