Fifth Research Contest on Commercial Custom

The fifth edition of the Contest seeks for teams—composed of three undergraduate or postgraduate law students from the Bogotá-Region and one professor—to identify and propose mercantile practices that are not currently under investigation or have not yet been certified by the CCB (Bogotá Chamber of Commerce) as mercantile customs.

Teams of three (3) students led by a professor from the same university may participate, representing their respective institution. Universities may enter multiple teams as long as there are no repeating students or professors across the groups.

The research work must take into account the legal requirements for a practice to be certified as a mercantile custom and must include a field study of at least five (5) companies where the application of the practice is verified.

What are Mercantile Customs?

Mercantile customs are practices carried out by individuals within an economic sector in a uniform, repeated, and public manner, which can be certified and enforced in business transactions. For example, in sales contracts for used private-service vehicles, it is a mercantile custom for the seller to deliver the following accessories to the buyer: a spare tire and floor mats.

Team Registration: Open until March 20, 2026, at 11:59:59 p.m. , after previously validating compliance with the Regulations.

Submission of Research Essay: Must be sent to the email correspondencia@ccb.org.co no later than April 10, 2026, at 3:59:59 p.m. with the subject: Concurso de Investigación de Costumbre Mercantil – Ensayo (Team Number).

Review and Selection of Finalists: Subject matter experts will review the submissions until April 22, 2026, selecting the finalists who will participate in the Grand Finale.

Grand Finale: Finalist teams must present and defend their research orally before a jury on May 7, 2026, who will then select the winning teams.

First Place: Awarded to the team with the highest total score from the final oral phase combined with the essay score. The prize consists of redeemable vouchers equivalent to fifty percent (50%) of the total prize budget available for the current year. The 50% total will be distributed proportionally among the team members and the coach.

Second Place: Awarded to the team with the second-highest combined score. The prize consists of redeemable vouchers equivalent to thirty percent (30%) of the total prize budget available for the current year. The 30% total will be distributed proportionally among the team members and the coach.

Third Place: Awarded to the team with the third-highest combined score. The prize consists of redeemable vouchers equivalent to twenty percent (20%) of the total prize budget available for the current year. The 20 % total will be distributed proportionally among the team members and the coach.