Our past winners
Past essay competition winners have shared where they are in their careers and how their winning essay contributed to their success. NELA invites you to view our current essay competition and kickstart your own journey.
‘Winning the NELA Essay Competition was extremely gratifying. It gave me belief in my research and writing abilities, and further motivated me to continue advocating for the environment and working in the fascinating, challenging and rewarding field of environmental law.’
2020 - Tim Dickson
Tim Dickson was awarded the 2020 NELA essay prize for best undergraduate essay in environmental law for his paper ‘Environmental Protection and Economic Development: A Poorly Executed Balancing Act’. Tim obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and completed his Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the University of Adelaide.
Tim’s essay began as a research assignment as part of his undergraduate degree, and he decided to develop it further for the NELA submission. Working with Dr Katie Woolaston, a Senior Lecturer at QUT, Tim continued to develop the winning essay and published a version in the Environmental and Planning Law Journal in 2021. In the same year Tim presented a webinar on his winning essay for NELA members.
During his studies and prior to admission, Tim worked as a Settlement Clerk at Dye & Durham Australia and a Tribunal Support Officer at the former Administrative Appeals Tribunal, and volunteered as a Legal Assistant at the Environmental Defenders Office in Adelaide. Tim then moved to the Crown Solicitor’s Office in Adelaide, where he began practice as a solicitor in Civil Litigation before working his way into the Environment and Planning team. Tim has recently moved to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water where he is a Legal Officer.
For several years and throughout his university degree, Tim was a professional beach volleyball athlete. When Tim is not spending time with his dog and cat at home he enjoys being in nature, whether it’s surfing, hiking or gardening.
2016 - Jocelyn Bosse
Jocelyn Bosse was awarded the 2016 NELA essay prize for best undergraduate essay in environmental law for her paper: ‘Green Public Procurement in Australia: The Implications of Accession to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement’. Jocelyn obtained a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Science (majoring in Plant Science) from the University of Queensland. She then completed a PhD in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Queensland with a thesis titled ‘The Role of the Law in the Circulation of the Kakadu Plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana)’. Her dissertation, which focused on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Australia, won the 2023 Dean's Award for Outstanding HDR Thesis and was shortlisted for the 2024 Australian Legal Research Awards PhD Award.
Jocelyn moved to the United Kingdom and assumed lecturing positions at the University of Reading, King’s College London and, most recently, Queen’s University Belfast where she is a Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law. Her research focuses on the history and politics of intellectual property for plants, food and agriculture, and related issues for biodiversity and Indigenous rights. Since July 2023, Jocelyn has also contributed to the IPKat, a popular blog that covers the latest cases and debates about intellectual property law, mostly from a UK and European perspective.
Jocelyn is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has also published research articles in a wide range of journals including Intellectual Property Quarterly, Pólemos: Journal of Law, Literature and Culture, the Griffith Law Review and the Australian Environmental Review, covering topics including IP law history, access and benefit sharing laws, plant patents, and green procurement policies. Outside of work, she enjoys playing lacrosse with the Belfast women’s team.
‘The experience of winning the essay prize, presenting my paper at the NELA Conference, and publishing the essay in the Australian Environment Review, helped me to prepare to undertake my PhD and pursue a successful academic career.’
‘Winning the NELA essay took my life in unexpected directions. Attending the NELA conference as a first year lawyer gave me the opportunity to connect with a lawyer from Aotearoa New Zealand - which lead to a secondment to the Auckland office, falling in love with my new home, and doing work focussed more on environmental issues and policy than urban planning and development (which I far prefer). I have now lived in Aotearoa for over 20 years and love it. Two key lessons I learned from this early experience are to take the opportunities as they open up and make connections with people – both of these things will lead you by the nose to where you are meant to be.’
2000 - Jen Vella
Jen Vella was awarded the 2000 NELA essay prize for best undergraduate essay in environmental law for her paper ‘The Persistence of Terra Nullius in Environmental Management: A Contribution to Reconciliation’. Jen received a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Wollongong and was admitted to the bar in both New South Wales and New Zealand in 2003.
Jen has an impressive breadth of experience in the law. She began her career as a solicitor at MinterEllison in Sydney, completing rotations in the Environment & Planning and Construction teams. Her attendance at the 2002 NELA conference, as her prize for winning the essay competition, led to a secondment to the Auckland office.
Jen knew that Aotearoa New Zealand was for her, so when her secondment came to an end, she joined chambers as a Barrister's Associate. In that role, she was involved in consenting the Te Uku Wind Farm in Raglan, various electricity projects and advising councils on coastal planning issues. That role evolved into a Senior Associate position when boutique environmental law firm, Berry Simons, was established in 2012. During that time she led a multi-disciplinary team to mediate disputes relating to the Thames-Coromandel District Plan and advised Boards of Inquiry on Roads of National Significance.
At the end of 2018, Jen embarked on a three-year adventure, taking the typical Kiwi "OE" to a new level by travelling around Europe with her family and homeschooling her three kids. Upon her return during the COVID-19 lockdown, she took on various roles at the Ministry for the Environment – Manatū Mō Te Taiao in nutrient management, climate change mitigation, adaptation, resource management reform and Treaty settlements. She was an integral member of the team that wrote Aotearoa New Zealand's first Emissions Reduction Plan and National Adaptation Plan.
Jen is now a Senior Associate in the Resource Management team at Anderson Lloyd. While based in Ōtepoti Dunedin, she also works across offices in Ōtautahi Christchurch and Tāhuna Queenstown. She advises both private clients and local government on topics including renewable energy, freshwater, marine and coastal, natural hazards and adaptation, climate change, mining/quarrying, Treaty settlements, and policy development and planning.
Jen is a member of the New Zealand Resource Management Law Association, the New Zealand Planning Institute and the Otago Women’s Law Association. She is a Board member of the Southern Youth Development Trust and was a contributor to the New Zealand chapter of Chambers Climate Change Regulation 2024: A Chambers Global Practice Guide.
Jen is an extensive traveller, avid baker, follows her family on skiing adventures and enjoys living in Ōtepoti for its natural beauty and wildlife.