Ethics Olympiads · University
2026 AAPAE Tertiary Ethics Olympiad
Undergraduate teams represent their university in a day of clear, concise, respectful discourse around interesting ethical cases. Run in partnership with the Australian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics.
Level
Undergraduate
Date
Thu 8 October 2026
Format
Online · 3 heats
Fee
A$260 AUD per team
Teams
Max 2 per institution
Start and finish times by region
Western Australia, Singapore & Hong Kong8:00am – 12:30pm8 Oct
Queensland10:00am – 2:30pm8 Oct
South Australia & Northern Territory10:30am – 3:00pm8 Oct
ACT, NSW, Tasmania & Victoria11:00am – 3:30pm8 Oct
New Zealand1:00pm – 5:30pm8 Oct
United States (West Coast)5:00pm – 9:30pm (7 Oct)8 Oct
United States (East Coast)8:00pm – 12:30am (7 Oct)8 Oct
The fourth AAPAE Ethics Olympiad runs via Zoom on Thursday 8 October 2026 (7 October in the United States).
Program
Teams are in different time zones, so the program runs to elapsed time rather than clock time. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to the top three teams.
Welcome20 min · main foyer
Heat one1¼ hours
Break15 minutes
Heat two1¼ hours
Break10 minutes
Announcements5 minutes
Heat three1¼ hours
FinishPhotos & thanks
Eligible participants
Teams must consist of students enrolled as undergraduates at a tertiary institution. Each team includes a coach, usually a postgraduate student at the same university.
Any tertiary institution can participate, with a maximum of two teams per institution. Teams are four to five students.
Format, rules & scoring
The heats use the same format as the US Ethics Bowl, with all teams online in Zoom breakout rooms and a round-robin against teams from across Australasia.
Scores stay private on the day; final results are emailed to each coach afterward. University-based philosophers from around the world judge the heats.
History
The Ethics Bowl began as a US university initiative in 1993. The Ethics Olympiad was created in 2013 for gifted high school students in Australasia, and the first Tertiary Olympiad ran in 2022.
In 2023 the event was renamed under an arrangement with the AAPAE, which provides institutional support for its future.
Fees
| Early-bird rate | |
|---|---|
| One team | A$260 |
| Two teams | A$520 |
Once registered we send the cases, training resource kits and an invoice. Places are limited.
All prices are in Australian dollars (AUD).
Approximate only: a rough guide, not a quote. Rates checked 20 August 2026 and not updated automatically, so they will drift. You are charged in Australian dollars and your bank converts at its own rate on the day.
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