5th CNLU International Mediation Competition 2027 by CCADR, CNLU Patna [Hybrid; Online Rounds 16-17 Jan, Offline Rounds 13-14 Feb; Provisional Registration by 31 Oct]

The Chanakya Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (CCADR), Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna, has announced the fifth edition of its flagship mediation competition. After four editions run as the CNLU National Mediation Competition (2023 to 2026), the 2027 edition is being held as the first CNLU International Mediation Competition (IMC), open to institutions and participants from India and abroad.

The organisers describe the competition as a platform for realistic mediation simulations judged by practising mediators, ADR professionals and academics, with dedicated feedback sessions for participants. The fourth edition (2026) was run in collaboration with ADP Law Offices, HSA Advocates and Panag, Babu & Sarangi, and its final rounds were judged by practitioners including Mr. W. Patrick McPhilamy III and Mr. Joe Tirado.

Chanakya National Law University, Patna was established under the Chanakya National Law University Act, 2006 (Bihar Act No. 24 of 2006) and is recognised under Sections 2(f) and 12(B) of the UGC Act, 1956. CCADR was set up at CNLU in 2021 as a centre for research, skill-building and professional engagement in dispute resolution. Besides this competition, it runs the National Client Counselling Competition, the Arbitral Award Writing & Presentation Competition, the newsletter Samvaad and the ADR blog Untangled.

• Online Rounds (Preliminary): 16-17 January 2027.
• Results for the Top 8 Teams: 17-18 January 2027.
• Offline Rounds (Quarter-Finals, Semi-Final and Final): 13-14 February 2027, on the CNLU campus, Patna.

The preliminary rounds problem will be released on 25 December 2026.

For international teams, the registration form describes the rounds after the preliminaries as advance online rounds. The fee for the offline rounds at Patna, which includes accommodation and meals, is listed only for Indian teams.

• Each team has three members: a Client and a Counsel (the Negotiating Pair) and a Mediator.
• Registration is made by the university, through its ADR cell or equivalent, which may request 1 or 2 slots.
• Slots are allotted at CCADR's discretion, subject to a cap of 40 teams overall.
• Teams from Indian and foreign institutions are both invited.

Detailed eligibility conditions, rules and evaluation criteria are not yet out; CCADR says they will be published in the Brochure-cum-Rulebook, due on 18 October 2026.

Indian (national) teams

• Online rounds: Rs 7,500 per team (Client, Counsel and Mediator).
• Offline rounds, payable only by teams that break to the quarter-finals: Rs 5,000 per Negotiating Pair and Rs 2,500 per Mediator. This fee includes accommodation and meals.

International teams

• Preliminary online rounds: USD 100 per team (a Negotiating Pair and a Mediator).
• Advance online rounds: USD 66 for the Negotiating Pair (2 participants) and USD 33 for the Mediator (1 participant), that is USD 33 per participant.

Travel expenses are not borne by CCADR and are the participants' own responsibility.

Institutions register provisionally through the official Google Form by 31 October 2026. The form asks for the name of the university, the email ID of its ADR cell (or equivalent), the names and contact numbers of the student convenor and faculty convenor, the number of slots required (1 or 2), and a note on the university's ADR achievements, ADR courses and competitions won in the preceding academic year. Final registration closes on 20 December 2026.