International Moots

Jean-Pictet International Humanitarian Law (Pictet) Competition
The Pictet Competition was first held in 1989 on the initiative of the French Institute of Humanitarian Law. Organized by the Comite pour le Concours Jean-Pictet, with the support of other institutions such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), it is named in honour of Jean Simon Pictet; a Swiss attorney who was a leader of the ICRC and an architect of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It is a unique moot court contest comprising a week-long learning experience in which teams of three students from around the world compete against each other by assuming various roles and attempting to find solutions to practical problems of international humanitarian law that arise in a fictitious armed conflict.

The Pictet Competition is held in a different place each year and consists of two rounds (one in English and one in French) leading to the final contest. NUS first participated in this competition in 2005.

Red Cross International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot Competition
Organised by the Hong Kong Red Cross Society, the objective of this IHL Moot is to raise the awareness of international humanitarian law in the region. It is a traditional international law moot court competition in which students prepare written and oral arguments for one of the parties in a hypothetical case before the International Court of Justice. NUS first participated at the second moot in this series in 2002, and the NUS team emerged as the champions.

Asia Cup International Law Moot Court Competition
Hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan since 2003, this International Law Moot Court is highly reputed among the Asian international law circles and has acquired a large number of participants and galleries every year. Furthermore, cross-cultural experiences and development of mutual understandings between delegation teams from Asian countries and Japanese participants provide opportunities for international cooperation in human rights education and dissemination of international human rights and humanitarian treaties.

Oxford International Intellectual Property Mooting Competition
Organised by the Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre at the University of Oxford, and the Intellectual Property Institute, London, the event usually takes place at Oriel College, Oxford, over a weekend before experienced IP practitioners acting as judges, and for the final moot before a panel of three judges from the Court of Appeal and Patents Court. The two days also provided an opportunity for those considering a career at the bar or general law practice to mix with both senior and junior barristers, solicitors and patent agents. The NUS Team won the competition when it first joined in 2006.

Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Competition
This moot involves a hypothetical case before the International Court of Justice on issues of international law. It is organised by the International Law Students Association (ILSA) and held in Washington DC. NUS has been participating since 1973 and it has the best record of any school worldwide in this competition. NUS has won the competition four times and has been Runners-Up six times.

Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition
This moot involves a hypothetical case before the International Court of Justice on issues of international law concerning the use of outer space. The Asia-Pacific Round of this competition is held in Sydney. The Regional Champions from the United States, Europe and the Asia-Pacific proceed to the International Finals. The Championship Round is judged by three members of the International Court of Justice. NUS has been participating since 2000. In 2001 NUS became the first law school from the Asia-Pacific to win this competition.

Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot
The Vis Moot involves a hypothetical commercial dispute between private companies relating to the sale or purchase of goods under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and other uniform international commercial law. The dispute is referred to arbitration under specified arbitration rules. More than 80 law schools from around the world participate in this moot, which is held in Vienna, Austria. NUS entered this competition for the first time in 2001 and emerged champions.

International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot Competition
The Maritime Moot involves a commercial dispute between private companies concerning legal issues relating to the carriage of goods by sea. Like in the Vis Moot, the dispute is referred to arbitration under specified arbitration rules. This moot is organised by the University of Queensland and was started in 2000. NUS were champions in 2000 and 2001. NUS hosted the 5th International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot Competition from 2 to 6 July 2004 and emerged runner-up to University of Technology Sydney in a very close round.