Charles “Chip” Brower II

Charles “Chip” Brower II, Distinguished Service Professor and Foster Family Research Scholar at Wayne State University Law School, will be awarded the 2024 Smit-Lowenfeld Prize, one of the most prestigious honors in the field of international arbitration. Brower is the first scholar ever to receive the prize twice, having previously earned the distinction in 2012.

The prize, which commemorates the distinguished New York arbitrators, Professor Andreas Lowenfeld of NYU Law School and Professor Hans Smit of Columbia Law School, recognizes outstanding scholarship in international arbitration. Both Lowenfeld and Smit were not only influential educators in the field but also frequently served as arbitrators in major international disputes. The award dinner, hosted by the International Arbitration Club of New York, brought together leading figures in arbitration to celebrate Professor Brower's contributions to the discipline.

Presented annually by the International Arbitration Club of New York, the Smit-Lowenfeld Prize recognizes the year’s most outstanding article on international arbitration. Brower’s winning article, “Neglected, Perplexing, Unpredictable: Remedies in International Commercial Arbitration” (102 Neb. L. Rev. 485 (2024)), offers a groundbreaking analysis of one of arbitration’s most overlooked yet critical topics: remedies.

Brower’s research underscores a striking reality; despite their centrality, remedies remain understudied, inconsistently analyzed, and unpredictable in arbitral practice. Brower’s work confronts this gap head-on through a comprehensive review of existing scholarship and a new framework designed to increase clarity and predictability for tribunals and parties alike.

The Smit-Lowenfeld Prize jury, chaired by Thomas ("Ted") Lynch of Jones Day and including several other Club members selects the winning article through a rigorous, multi-stage review, evaluating submissions for originality, analytical rigor, writing quality, and significance to the field. Articles are blind-reviewed, and no weight is given to an author’s reputation or publication venue. Recipients receive an honorarium presented at a ceremony in New York on January 29, 2026.

The Smit-Lowenfeld Prize

The Smit-Lowenfeld Prize is awarded annually by the International Arbitration Club of New York (IACNY) to recognize the outstanding article published in the previous year on any aspect of international arbitration. The Prize honors the late Hans Smit of Columbia Law School and Andreas F. Lowenfeld of New York University School of Law, both renowned scholars in international litigation and arbitration, well known arbitrators, and dearly missed members of this Club.

The deadline for receipt of submissions for each year’s competition is April 30. Nominations can be submitted to arbitrationclub@gmail.com

The winning article will be selected by a jury composed of members of the International Arbitration Club of New York. The winner of the Smit-Lowenfeld Prize will receive an honorarium of US$2500 to be presented at a ceremony in New York. The International Arbitration Club of New York considers articles submitted directly to the competition by the authors or their peers, as well as articles chosen through the Club’s survey of articles appearing in leading international journals. The winning article is chosen from those gathered through a two-phase winnowing process, involving close scrutiny by juries of members of the International Arbitration Club of New York. The articles are judged according to the following criteria: Originality of the subject matter or ideas developed therein; Quality of the writing style and expression; Significance of the piece to the field of international arbitration, and Scholarship, or the analytical rigor of the article and its contribution to existing scholarship. No weight is given as to where the article is published, the general popularity or acceptance of the article by others, or to the author’s reputation or standing.