Middle School Ethics Olympiad - India Regional Event
Gold, silver and bronze medals
An online team competition where school students reason together about real ethical cases and are judged on clear, respectful thinking.
Mode
Online
Fee
A$270
Participation format
Team
Teams of 4 to 5
Duration
One full day, running about six hours from preparation through four heats
Time needed
One day plus preparation sessions
Eligibility
Open to school students aged 11 to 14, in Years 7 to 9, entering as a team of four or five through their school. A teacher must register the team and act as its coach. Schools anywhere in India may enter, and each school may enter up to two teams. Every member of a team must come from the same school.
- Grade level
- Grade 7 to 9
- Age range
- 11 to 14 years
- Eligibility region
- Available nationwide across India
- Prerequisites
- Entry through a school, with a teacher as coach
- No prior study of ethical theory required
See if your child qualifies.
Rewards and recognition
Prizes
Gold, silver and bronze medals
Medals are announced to the coach within a day of the event and posted to the school for presentation at assembly. A maximum of five medals is awarded per winning team.
Certificate
Certificate for every participant
Certificates are issued electronically to the school for every participating student, not only to medal winners.
Recognition
Route to the international final
Skills your child builds
Key dates
- Competition
- 12 Nov 2026
- Results
- 13 Nov 2026
Online ยท Zoom
How to apply
- 1School coach completes the online registration form
- 2Select the India event date and the number of teams
- 3Pay the invoiced team fee to confirm the place
- 4Receive the case set, information pack and Zoom link
Rules and guidelines
- Pre-prepared notes and materials are not allowed
- All team members must be from the same school
- Coaches may not speak to students during heats
- Substitutions allowed between rounds, not during one
Technology requirements
- Device with a working camera and microphone
- Reliable internet connection for Zoom
- Separate device for the coach during the day
- Quiet room where the team can be clearly heard
Fees and financial support
Fee details
Charged per team rather than per student, so the cost is the same whether a team fields four or five students. Member schools pay a lower rate A$260; non-member schools' fee is A$270. A school entering two teams pays the team rate twice. Schools are invoiced after registering and may pay by credit card or direct transfer, with the invoice sent alongside the information pack and the case set.
Refund policy
Full refund less a ten percent administration fee for cancellations made at least two months before the event. No refund within two months of the event, except where Australian Consumer Law requires one. If the organiser cancels, schools may take a full refund or transfer to a future event.
About this opportunity
The Middle School Ethics Olympiad is an international team competition in which school teams from India discuss real ethical cases with teams from other schools. It runs online, and India holds its own regional event each year.
Unlike a debate, teams are not assigned a side. Each team takes the position it believes is most defensible and explains its reasoning. A second team then comments on that reasoning, the first team responds, and a judge questions the presenting team. Teams are asked to treat each other as collaborators working on a hard problem rather than as opponents.
Schools receive the full case set well before the event so students can read, discuss and settle their positions. Teams of four or five students, guided by a teacher coach, work through several scored heats across a single day. Scoring rewards clear reasoning, careful treatment of the moral issues, engagement with opposing views and respectful discussion.
Every participating student receives a certificate. The top three teams in the regional event receive gold, silver and bronze medals, and gold and silver teams may be invited to the International Ethics Olympiad final.
Exam format
- Total marks
- 60
- Duration
- 75 minutes
- Format
- Team presentation on a case question, commentary from the opposing team, and a judge's question and answer period
- Language
- English
Rounds and format
The day runs as four heats in Zoom breakout rooms, each pairing two teams with a moderating judge. The first heat is a practice round and is not scored; the remaining heats count. In each heat a coin toss sets which team presents first, the judge reads out the case question, and the presenting team gets two minutes to confer and five minutes to present. The opposing team takes one minute to confer and three minutes to give its commentary, then the presenting team takes one minute to confer and three minutes to reply. The judge then questions the presenting team for seven minutes, during which the team may ask for a thirty second private conference. Roles swap for a second case and the sequence repeats. Scores from the counting heats are totalled after the event and results reach coaches within a day.
How entries are judged
Each scored heat is marked out of 60 points. The presenting team earns up to 15 points for its opening presentation, split evenly across three questions: whether the presentation clearly and systematically addressed the question asked, whether it identified and thoroughly discussed the central moral dimensions of the case, and whether it showed awareness and thoughtful consideration of opposing viewpoints. The responding team earns up to 10 points for how directly and insightfully it engages the presenting team's argument, with marks lost for merely asking a series of questions. The presenting team earns a further 15 points for its reply to that commentary and 15 points for its answers to the judge's questions. A final 5 points go to each team for respectful, collaborative discussion rather than combative debate, with the lowest band reserved for teams that are dismissive of the other side.
Selection process
Scores from the counting heats are added together to rank teams in the regional event. Where more than one judge scores a heat the scores are averaged, and if an odd number of teams takes part a rotating bye with averaged scores may apply. Ties are broken by the higher score in the first counting heat, then the next, and so on. Gold, silver and bronze medals go to the top three teams, and medals are awarded only when at least five teams take part. Gold and silver teams may then be invited to the International Ethics Olympiad final at the organiser's discretion. Judging decisions are final and individual student scores are not released.
Academic details
Difficulty: Intermediate
What's covered
Students work through a released set of contemporary ethical cases, identify the moral questions each one raises, form and defend a position, then respond to challenge from another team and from academic judges.
Frequently asked questions
How should teams prepare when they do not know which case will come up?
The full case set is released weeks in advance and any of the eight cases may be used, so teams prepare across all of them rather than rehearsing one. Reading widely and settling a position on each case matters more than scripting answers.
Do students need to have studied philosophy or ethics before taking part?
No. The organiser states that students do not need to be familiar with ethical theories to participate. Teams are scored on clear reasoning and genuine engagement with the moral issues, not on knowledge of academic theory.
How is this different from a debating competition?
Teams are not assigned opposing sides. Each team argues the position it genuinely finds most defensible, and two teams may agree. Points are awarded for respectful, collaborative discussion, and combative behaviour costs marks.
Does every student need to speak during a heat?
No. The rules state that teams are neither penalised nor rewarded for whether one student speaks or everyone contributes. Both approaches are accepted, so a team can divide the speaking in whatever way suits it.
What happens to teams that win at the India regional event?
Gold and silver medal teams may be invited to represent their region at the International Ethics Olympiad final, at the organiser's discretion. Medals are posted to the school afterwards for presentation at a school assembly.
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