CoinSwitch, India’s largest crypto trading platform, today announced the launch of ‘Block by Block’, a national-level paper presentation competition focused on Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs). The initiative, launched in partnership with India’s leading law firm Trilegal, and The Centre for Technology, Entertainment and Sports Law at NUJS Kolkata, aims to engage law and public policy students in shaping India’s future regulatory landscape for VDAs.
The competition challenges students to develop innovative, practical policy proposals on the regulation of VDAs in India. Participants are invited to submit papers on the theme: “A Policy Approach for Regulation of Virtual Digital Assets/Crypto assets to Foster the Growth of a New Asset Class in India.”
“At CoinSwitch, we believe that responsible innovation requires collaboration between industry, academia, and policymakers. ‘Block by Block’ is our effort to create a platform where the next generation of legal and policy minds can contribute meaningfully to India’s growing ecosystem. As Web3 continues to evolve, it’s crucial that we build the ecosystem thoughtfully and we believe students have a big role to play in that journey,” said Ashish Singhal, Co-founder, CoinSwitch.
The competition provides a rare opportunity for students to work on real-world policy challenges in collaboration with leading industry and legal experts. Unlike most academic competitions, ‘Block by Block’ is backed by active industry participation offering both credibility and visibility to participants. Some of the key highlights are as follows:
Key highlights:
- Attractive Cash Prizes: A total prize pool of ₹1.5 lakh, with ₹75,000 awarded to the winner, ₹50,000 to the first runner-up, and ₹25,000 to the second runner-up.
- Publication Opportunities: The winning paper has the opportunity to be considered for publication in a reputed law journal i.e. NUJS Law review.
- Certificates & Recognition: The top three participants will receive certificates of recognition, while the remaining two finalists will be awarded certificates of participation—making it a valuable addition to their academic and professional portfolios.
- Expert Jury Panel: Evaluation will be done by a distinguished jury comprising prominent leaders from the legal, academic and crypto policy ecosystem:
- Ashish Singhal, Co-founder, CoinSwitch
- Jaideep Reddy, Partner, Trilegal
- Dr. Shameek Sen, Professor, The Centre for Technology, Entertainment and Sports Law at NUJS Kolkata
- R Venkatesh, SVP & Head – Public Policy, CoinSwitch
- Om Prakash Pandey, Director – Legal, CoinSwitch
“As a centre committed to the study of law and emerging technologies, we’re proud to collaborate on ‘Block by Block’ a platform that gives students the chance to work on real-world challenges related to digital asset regulation. Initiatives like this not only promote academic rigour but also prepare our students to become active contributors to the future of tech policy in India,” added Dr. Shameek Sen, Professor, The Centre for Technology, Entertainment and Sports Law at NUJS Kolkata.
“We believe in contributing to the development of progressive legal thought-leadership on emerging technologies including digital assets. We are excited to partner with CoinSwitch for this initiative that encourages future lawyers and policymakers to engage and help shape the legal discourse around this evolving asset class,” said Jaideep Reddy, Partner, Trilegal.
The competition officially launches on July 25, 2025, with entries open for 6 weeks until September 10, 2025. Submissions, limited to a maximum of 5,000 words (excluding footnotes), will be evaluated on key parameters including originality and novelty, research and evidence, analytical rigor, clarity of structure, and adherence to formatting guidelines. The competition also allows for co-authorship, with up to two individuals permitted per entry.
