Annual Student Awards | Faculty of Law

Each year the Faculty recognises those students who have achieved top marks in their courses, from Preliminary Level A students through to Final Level students. In addition to recognition for academic performance, the Faculty also makes a number of awards to students who have performed exceptional duty to the student community and beyond.

Awards recipients for performance in 2020 are listed on their own page for easy reference. Below is the list of annual class medals, as well as the Faculty's donor-funded and corporate-sponsored prizes:

LLB Class Medals

Class medals may be awarded in the following LLB courses:

CML3001W	Corporation Law
CML4004S	Labour Law
CML4006W	Commercial Transactions Law
PBL2000W	Constitutional Law
PBL3001F	International Law
PBL3801W	Criminal Law
PBL4802F	Criminal Procedure
PBL4001W	Administrative Law
PBL4801F	Law of Evidence
PVL1003W	Foundations of South African Law
PVL1004F	South African Private Law: System and Context
PVL1008H	Law of Persons and Family
PVL2002H	Law of Property
PVL2003H	Law of Succession
PVL3003S	African Customary Law
PVL3003F	Law of Delict
PVL3005W	Law of Contract
PVL3006S	Jurisprudence
PVL4008H	Civil Procedure

John Kotze Medal

The late Sir John Gilbert Kotze, formerly a judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal (formerly the Appellate Division), bequeathed a sum of money to the University for a medal to be awarded annually to the Final Level LLB graduate who obtained the highest marks in Roman Law and Private Law.

(Note: as Roman Law is no longer a compulsory course in the LLB curriculum, South African Private Law: System and Context is substituted as the equivalent).

Student Awards and Prizes

Final Level LLB Students

Bowmans Prize for Tax Law

Established in 1992, this annual prize of R5 000 is awarded to the Final Level student, if of sufficient merit, with the highest marks in the courses CML4506F Tax Law A and CML4507S Tax Law B.

D B Molteno Memorial Prize for Final Year Public Law Courses

A prize of R1 000 in memory of the late Professor DB Molteno QC, first Professor of Public Law at the University of Cape Town, to be awarded annually to the Final Level student who achieves the best overall performance, if of sufficient merit, in courses offered by the Department of Public Law.

Ephraim Kluk Award to undertake postgraduate research in International Law

Established in 1988, in terms of the wishes of the late Ephraim Kluk for the purpose of undertaking postgraduate research at the University into international law in respect of the concept of peace, justice and understanding between nations. The prize of R750 is awarded to a candidate selected by the Head of the Department of Public Law in consultation with members of staff in the Department of Public Law.

Gering Prize for Commercial Transactions Law

In 2005 Professor Leonard Gering, an alumnus and academic, established an annual prize in honour of his late wife Nina, a UCT BA graduate. Professor Gering passed away in 2007 and the family then established the Leonard and Nina Gering Prize (R2 750) for the best student in CML4006W Commercial Transactions Law.

Ina Ackermann Prize in Commercial Law

A prize of R1 000 in memory of the late Ina Ackermann, Senior Lecturer in Commercial Law at the University of Cape Town (1985-1993), is awarded annually to a student of sufficient merit obtaining the highest overall marks in the course CML4006W Commercial Transactions Law. The funds for this prize have been made available by friends and colleagues of Ms Ackermann.

Judge Schock Prize for the best Final Level student

In 1989 a prize, variable from R10 000, was established in memory of the late Judge Schock, to be awarded annually to the best Final Level student, if of sufficient merit, at the discretion of the Dean.

Juta Law Prize for the best Final Level student

Juta & Co established a prize of R1 000 in book vouchers to be awarded annually to the best Final Level student, if of sufficient merit. The prize winner will be entitled to purchase books of his/her choice to that value.

LexisNexis Butterworths Prize – Civil Procedure

LexisNexis Butterworths (Pty) Limited has established an annual prize of R1 200 to be used for the purchase of books which they publish. The prize is awarded annually to a student of sufficient merit obtaining the highest overall marks in the course PVL4008H Civil Procedure.

Spoor and Fisher Prize for Copyright Law

Spoor and Fisher, attorneys and patent attorneys, established a prize to be awarded to the student who has the highest average mark in the courses Copyright & Patents and Trade Marks & Unlawful Competition (CML4503F and CML4504S). The value of the award is R1 000.

Intermediate Level LLB Students

Ionann Prize for Criminal Justice

In 2005, Dianna Yach and Peter Stephens donated the proceeds from their book to establish an award of R5 000 for the top black female student in Intermediate Level Criminal Justice courses, to encourage black women from Southern Africa (including the SADC region) to make a career in criminal justice.

LexisNexis Butterworths Prize – Best Intermediate Level Student

LexisNexis Butterworths (Pty) Limited has established an annual prize of R6 000 to be used for the purchase of books which it publishes. The prize is awarded to the best Intermediate Level student, if of sufficient merit.

Mike Blackman Memorial Prize for Corporation Law

The Mike Blackman Memorial Prize is sponsored by Juta & Co and is awarded annually to the student with the best results in Corporation Law. The prize is to commemorate Mike Blackman’s outstanding work and contribution to commercial law. The prize consists of a set of the 3-volume Commentary on the Companies Act by Blackman et al.

Norton Rose Fullbright Prize for Corporations or Contract Law

This prize, for the best Intermediate Level essay in Corporations or Contract Law, carries a value of R3 000. This is one of three prizes established by Norton Rose Fullbright in 2019.

Sir Franklin Berman Prize for International Law

In 2006 Sir Franklin Berman a graduate of UCT and former legal advisor to the British Foreign Office, established a prize of R1 000 for the student who gains the highest marks in International Law.

Tom W Price Memorial Prize for Private Law

A prize in memory of the late Professor T W Price, Professor of Roman-Dutch Law at the University of Cape Town, is awarded annually to the Intermediate Level student, if of sufficient merit, obtaining the highest overall marks in the Preliminary and Intermediate Levels examinations in Private Law.

Value: R1 000 (variable)

Werksmans Attorneys Prize for Law of Contract

In 2013 Werksmans Attorneys established a prize of R5 000 awarded to the best Intermediate Level student, if of sufficient merit, in PVL3005W Law of Contract.

Preliminary Level LLB Students

(Year 1 Graduate LLB, Year 3 and 4 Combined Law Stream and Year 1 and 2 Undergraduate LLB)

Ben Beinart Memorial Prize for Preliminary Private Law

The Editorial Board of Acta Juridica and its publishers, Juta & Company Limited, have established an annual prize for the award to the best student, if of sufficient merit, in PVL1004F South African Private Law: System and Context and PVL1003W Foundations of South African Law. The prize includes the most recent five issues of Acta Juridica (if available) or, alternatively, five handbooks from the Juta Law list.

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Prize for Preliminary Level Law Studies

A prize of R5 000 is awarded to the best student at Preliminary Level ie. Foundations of SA Law, Law of Persons and Family, Comparative History, Constitutional Law, International Law and Law of Property.

Norton Rose Fullbright Prize for Property Law

This prize, for the best student in Property Law (prelim level), carries a value of R3 000 and is one of three prizes established by Norton Rose Fullbright in 2019.

Yash Ghai Prize for Constitutional Law

In 2006, a leading Public Law academic and honorary professor in the Faculty, Professor Yash Ghai, established a prize of at least R1 000 to be awarded to the top student in Constitutional Law.

Other Prizes for LLB Students

Bar Council Moot Prize for the best performance inn Faculty Moots

A prize of book vouchers to the value of R2 000 to be awarded annually to the best student/s participating in a series of moots conducted within the Faculty. The necessary funds for this prize are made available as a result of a grant from the Cape Town Bar Council.

Blumberg Prize for Service to the Student Community

In 2007 alumnus Henry Blumberg established the Henry & Marcia Blumberg Prize of R5 000 to be awarded annually to an LLB student who has worked hard both academically and in service of the wider student community; the award will be made at the Dean's discretion in consultation with Heads of Department.

Captain Bob Deacon Prize in Higher Postgraduate Shipping Law
This prize of R500 is awarded annually (at the discretion of the Board of the Shipping Law Unit) to the student who achieves the top mark in the Higher Postgraduate Shipping Law courses. It is funded by donations from colleagues in memory of Captain Bob Deacon, one of the first forensic marine surveyors to practise in the port of Cape Town.

Dean’s Awards for Service

In recognition of student service to the wider community, such awards were established in 2008. They are made during the course of the year, after a call for nominations from students and staff. They are awarded at the discretion of the Dean, in consultation with the Deputy Deans and Heads of Department. These awards carry no purse.

Lawrence Miller Memorial Award for Community Involvement

This award of R2 000 was established by members of Legalink in memory of their colleague and UCT alumnus Lawrence Miller (1964) for a student who is going either into their Intermediate or Final year and whose CV reflects community involvement and demonstrates how they have tried to empower or uplift others in their community.

Norton Rose Fullbright Prize for the Best Moot Heads of Argument

This prize, awarded for best Moot performance based on marks, carries a value of R3 000. This is one of three awards established by Norton Rose Fullbright in 2019.

Solly Kessler Memorial Essay Prize for Constitutional Law

A book prize of R1 000 for the best essay on a topic concerning Constitutional Law, which could be in any course, was established in memory of alumnus Solly Kessler, an outstanding student, who had a particular interest in Constitutional Law.

Spoor and Fisher Prize for the best UCT Law student article in Responsa Meridiana

In commemoration of their 75th anniversary in 1995, Spoor and Fisher established a prize of R500 for the best article submitted by a UCT Law student and accepted for publication in Responsa Meridiana.