The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) invites law students studying patent law to participate in the 2026 National Patent Application Drafting Competition (NPADC). The competition introduces students to issues arising in U.S. patent law and develops their patent application drafting, amending, and prosecution skills.
The recording was made on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, from 4-5 p.m. ET.
The presentation included:
- An overview and history of the competition
- A review of the official rules
- Instructions on how to navigate the contest platform, zFairs
All participants must meet the following eligibility requirements for the 2026 NPADC:
- Must be students enrolled, on a full-time or part-time basis, at a law school or a college or university with an intellectual property program, during the 2025-2026 academic year
- Cannot be admitted or licensed to practice law in the United States
- If a registered patent practitioner (i.e., a patent agent), was registered no more than three years before the year of the competition (for example, for 2026, the student was registered on or after January 1, 2023)
- Cannot be an employee of the USPTO
To learn more, please visit the 2026 NPADC webpage on the USPTO website or email NPADC@uspto.gov.
Accessibility accommodation
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please submit your request to the contact information listed above.