IBA ICC Moot Court Competition

Since 2017 the IBA has partnered with Leiden University’s Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies to stage the week-long IBA ICC Moot Court Competition, which attracts law students from across the globe to test and sharpen their skills for careers as international lawyers. As of 2021, the IBA is the primary supporting partner of the IBA ICC Moot Court Competition.

First established in 2004, the competition has expanded from 12 participating teams to over 90 teams in 2026. In addition to supporting the competition, IBA scholarships support teams from countries participating for the first. Since 2018, scholarships have been awarded to teams from The Gambia, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Ukraine, Brazil, Lebanon, Chile, India and Kenya.

The IBA ICC Moot Court Competition is a large-scale educational program bringing together students of different backgrounds and cultures to simulate the judicial proceedings of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Competition is designed to enhance law students’ knowledge of the Rome Statute and ICC proceedings through making written and oral arguments in a fictitious case. The competition offers a great opportunity for participants to gain first-hand experience in articulating legal arguments before distinguished expert panels. The panels comprise judges from international courts and tribunals, professors of international (criminal) law and other legal professionals, including many IBA members.

The competition’s case addresses fundamental issues of substantive and procedural international criminal law. The IBA ICC Moot Court Competition is comprised of a written round, which is conducted remotely, and an oral round which takes place in person in The Hague. Each team takes on one of three roles: prosecutor, legal representative of victims, and defence counsel. For each of the roles, participating teams write a memorial which is reviewed and evaluated by legal experts to determine who advance to the next round. Participating teams are eligible to win various awards, including the IBA Best Oralist Award and the Best Memorial Award. The finals of the competition take place at the premises of the ICC in The Hague, where the finalists argue their case before a panel including an ICC judge.

Over the course of a week the participating students will engage in a comprehensive educational and social program designed to create learning and networking opportunities. Several side events will be organised with the presence of ICC officials and other relevant stakeholders working in the field of international justice.

For more information about the competition see: https://www.iccmoot.com