THE HONORABLE FREDERICK E. McKELVEY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

The American Association of Patent Judges (AAPJ) (see www.AAPJ.us) invites entries for the 2025 Hon. Frederick E. McKelvey Writing Competition.

Candidates shall submit essays concerning any subject relating to U.S. patent law. The essays must be original works of scholarship, but candidates are welcome to submit essays prepared initially in the context of course work or other academic activities. Submissions that the AAPJ determines to include content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) will not be considered for any award.

The first-place essay will be published in the Journal of the Patent and Trademark Office Society (JPTOS) (subject to editorial discretion and review, as explained below) and the author will receive an award and $1,000. The author of the runner-up essay will receive an award and $500.

All decisions as to the winning essay(s) and award(s), including whether to issue no awards, are made by the AAPJ. JPTOS has no involvement in the selection of the winning essays and/or awards, and has no responsibility for those decisions.

In terms of suitability for publication in JPTOS, the winning essay must be, in the sole discretion of JPTOS, substantially not duplicative of recent or upcoming articles, as well as fit within JPTOS’s normal subject matter areas of publication. Further, the winning essay must comply with JPTOS’s publication quality standards including, but not limited to, being an original work. Terms and conditions of JPTOS’s article publication can be found at www.jptos.org.

The McKelvey Competition is open to any student pursuing study in law, policy, management, or any related field, that impacts technology. In order to be eligible, candidates must be enrolled in a graduate degree program for at least one term during the 2024-25 academic year.

Candidates shall submit essays for consideration on or before Monday, June 30, 2025, by email to email@AAPJ.us (include “McKelvey Writing Competition” in the subject line). Essays should be .pdf files and comply with the formal requirements of submissions to the Journal of the Patent and Trademark Office Society (https://www.jptos.org/submissions.html). Submissions must include the candidate’s name, address, telephone number, academic institution, and expected graduation date and degree.

The AAPJ administers this competition in honor of Frederick E. McKelvey, whose five-decade career at the United States Patent and Trademark Office was marked with a dedication to teaching, mentoring, and promoting a sense of collegiality.

Any questions regarding the McKelvey Competition may be directed to the AAPJ at rjsilverman@gmail.com.