Ethics Olympiads · University

2027 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

PROPOSED Date

Thu 7 Oct 2027 *tbc

Format

Online · 3 heats

Fee

A$270 AUD per team

Teams

Max 2 per institution

Start and finish times by region

Western Australia, Singapore & Hong Kong8:00am – 12:30pm 7 Oct

Queensland10:00am – 2:30pm7 Oct

South Australia & Northern Territory10:30am – 3:00pm7 oct

ACT, NSW, Tasmania & Victoria11:00am – 3:30pm7 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 7 October 2027 (6th 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 three1 hour 10 minutes

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.

University-based philosophers from around the world judge the heats. Coaches will be emailed the rankings of the top 50% following the event, and medals sent to the top 3 placing teams.

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 teamA$270
Two teamsA$540

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.

SPONSORED BY